Canyon City news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1903-1908, 1904-05-13
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= BY Arhley Towne

lie was followed M 4 short Il! stance
hy several young men. nioI% whom
was the hoy WHO had run To tell him
that woman WAS being roughly
handled hy \cSl"rov. and WHO had
taken his horse 10 shelter He ordered
the boy To bring the horse Mounting.
he was soon ont Of sight. He did not
20 far, however. He rode along the
track until he reached Il siding Il short
distance from the bridge. where thcr,
was an old construction engine.
DcntGn examined the old hulk. II
was iii only for drawing on" or two
cars. Denton carried water from the
river and filled the boiler and built n
fire of wood.
Soon after the villagers were sur
prised to see Il whcoZy. rickcty old en-
gnc coming slowly, with n prodgiOus
noise, into view. DentOn's horse had
no difficulty in keeping up with it.
The old engine WAS coupled 10 the
car, and then Denton went for
Frances.
"Thr train is ready" he said.
"Thc train. What train
"Thc train that is to carry you 10 the
OBJ, where YOU will join your father"
But there is no train"
"Thprr Is II train. and rs the steam
is up and the track clear | suggest
haste. Your father is probably anX-
ious."
She went with him.. At the sight Of
the engine SHE understood.
You are a wondrrful--you are doing
this for mr!" she said.
"Ycs. but Ncslrrov will be Il passen-
ger"
"And youT'
Engineer. conductor. guard-all."
He took her to he car and made her
comfortable
Neslerov was carried TO the car by
the villagers. The backs Of two seats
were turned down. bed was made for
him. and he lay there quiet and SEEM
Ingly content.
"Of course. | know that you are seri-
ously wounded" said Denton to him.
'and the possibility of your doing any
mischief is snail but | want to tell
you before we start that if catch you
at any tricks will kill you as would
a dog"
Neslcrov nodded. and Denton went
on the engine
1t was an exciting start. though the
audience was small. The villagers
stared. then laughed as the little old
engine pulTcd and scrccchcd and scrap
ed as il got under way.
But it had a man in charge Of it who
was accustomed to overcoming difficult
ties. And the way he made it groan
and work would have made glad the
heart of the man who had abandoned
it on the siding six months before.
In the ear was silence. Neslerov
not talk to him il he wished. She re-
mained at her end Of the car, save to
so in mercy to him and offer him wa
ter at intervals. At such times he
would look up at her with an earnest.
inscrutable expression Oh his face. She
would not speak, nor he.
Suddenly ut siding toward which
he had been aiming Denton turned the
engine to the right and brought the lit
tie train to Il standstill. They had been
on the road sixteen hours aud had tray
elod 2iO miles.
Frances and Ncslerov both looked up
as the train stopped and saw the grimy
engineer enter the car.
"There is a village near here" he
said. land just beyond this siding there
is small signal box. have just Wis
tied it. and there Is Il train coming this
way from Tomsk Undoubtedly. as
there Is 10 regular train due, this is n
searching party out after Frances Cor
don. Now. have no wish to start an
international controversy. What story
shall we tell?"
"Tell the truth" said Frances. 1t
does not. as Il rule. harm any person
who is innocent"
NO" said NeSlerov; mot as a rule.
But we are in a part of the world
where customs are different from yours.
If you tell the truth. you will never
make the world believe you. But you
will not understand: cannot tell YOU"
IL know what you mean" said Fray
ces scornfully. You mean that your
reputation is so had that If ii We're
known that you had that car left be-
hind to compel me to marry you every
body will be sure ] am your wife. Is
that it?"
Yes: something like that"
''But. then. there is .uiy word,' said
Denton.
Your story will be believed by your
people. my story by mine" said Nesle-
row. Let us each tell what we please.
] do not care"
Denton nodded and went back to his