The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-09-16

own Theek. | must nave uownhfll
scorch all BY my own little self to
work Il of or IN bust!'
Meanwhile Blood Smith was strange.
| ly occupied In his locked bedroom
There was timetable open beside
him, and big railway map OF Ireland
| was spread out on the quilt Of his bed,
at which he was busy with pair Of
| compasses and blue pencil.
"A little over hundred" he NUT
tered. There Is time enough to do 1t.
But it's deuced risky work ana dead
against the law. Well I've helped the.
law so often that II must make allow
ances this once. So here goes
He fishcd out a strong bicycle bag,
lifted with straps to be carried on the
handle bar and packed in very sin
gular fashion. The two cans which
held the oil for his lamp ana lubricat-
Ing oil for the bearings were his. sole
baggage on his projected expedition.
These two greasy cans, both quite full.
he wrapped up carefully In d couple Of
large silk handkerchiefs and stuffed
into the bag.
Quietly and quickly the bag was fit
ted to the bars, and Blood-Smith
slipped into the saddle at the hotel
door and was of at good, steady
twelve miles an hour. All day long on
his high geared wheel he pushed on at
the same steady, unchanging pace
EIOliflp n Va air n ts ny.
clometer marked eighty-four miles I'll
ready covered I'm good time he NUT
tered and slackened speed little. At
last. He could just distinguish the
steep slope as the road rose abruptly
and leaped off the railway. He dropped
off at the foot. lifted the wheel over
the wooden ratings and stood it care
fully In the shadow Of the bridge wall.
He took the bag from the handle bars
and walked with it down to the rails
A few stars showed TREMENDOUSLY
through the haze A faint metallic
CLEAN came from the rails that
stretched two threads Of light. away
into the darkness.
He took one of the silk handker
chiefs from the bag and shook out the
folds. He drew the cork Of one of the
oil cans with his teeth, soaked the silk |
as full as 1t could hold, and then, bend |
ing down over the near rail, he began |
smearing the smooth metal thickly |
with the oil. So he worked steadily |
and swiftly for over a hundred yards |
down the steep gradient until one can |
of oil was exhausted. He crossed the t
line and came up hopping and daub- |
ing the other rail from the other can in |
the same plentiful fashion. Then he
took his stand right between the rails
at the head Of the gradient under the
bridge.
Il hope I am safe here" he NUT
tered, right in the track of the mail
train. Wen soon see"
Almost as he spoke there came right
before him steady, white star, dis
tant and low. The star all the time
grew bigger and brighter Then came
a curious vibration In the air and the
roar and rattle of the mail train. Low
ut first, 1t grew and grew like strong
tide of sound forcing itself against the
wind. Under full head of steam
the engine of the Lightning Express,
with long train trailing behind in the
darkness. came laundering up the in
cline, Stacking speed little, like a
horse out Of breath, as 1t climbed to-
ward the top. Then all Of a sudden the
wheels struck oil There WAS an in
slant change in the roar of the train.
The rough jar and rattle died out of 1t.