The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-05-21
A RACE F0R A WIFE.

father-didn't like me near as well as
he did Jim, but SEEM that Mollie
preferred me I wasn't carin' much
about her dads opinion. It wasn't
no use for us to try to get spliced IN
Columbia, for everybody knew that
her father had ordered her not to be
seen with me; so the only thing for
us to do was to watch our chance and
go off on the quiet to some place along
the line. / thought it over for sew
eral days and got the whole thing in
shape. I told Mollie to come down
to the roundhouse about 7 o'clock
one night and I would take her for a
little ride on my engine. She afraid!
Well, guess you don't know her.
81 had given the hint to Jack, my
fireman, and he was on hand when I
backed out on the main track, 1eavin'
Jim engine in the roundhouse. Mol
lie was waitin', and she jumped on
the tank like an engineers sweet
heart ought to do. Just as we were
pullin' out Jim came around the cor
ner. His eyes opened, / tell you.
"'Where you goin', Bill? he
shouted.
lust out for little ride,' I re-
marked coolIy, putin Mollie on the
box in front of me so / had to put my
arms around her to reach the levers.
saw Jim gasp and start on run to-
ward Mollie's house, where he knew
her father was.
In two minutes we were spinnin' +,
in three hummin', and in FIVE min
utes we were tearing through the val
ley like a cyclone. It was a pitch
dark night, and not thing could be
seen ahead.
+" 'There they come = yelled Jack
before we had gone ten miles.
"Lookin' back, we saw shower of
sparks just visible above the tree tops.
We concluded at once that it was Jim
and Mollie's dad and that we would
have to do some pretty tall travelin'
to avoid capture. Mind you, Jim
carried a gun. The engines were
pretty we'll matched, but of course !
was somewhat nervous. Just ahead
was a heavy grade FIVE miles long,
and / knew it would be a tough pull
to get over It, but once on the other
side of the hill our chances for gettin'
away would be good.
do your best, Jack, to keep up
steam 7 I called across to the fire.
man.
"All of sudden we heard whis-
tie, and it sounded right behind US.
/ jumped with dismay and looked
back. There was Jim less than half
a mile away, comm like house afre.
Mollie looked, too; then her eyes fell
on Jack, whose wood was gettin' low
and who had rolled a barrel out from
the back part of the tank and was
tryin' to bust the head in. She slid
out of my arms and holdin' on to the
levers, got down beside the fireman.
The first I knew of it was when
saw her fishin' out big fat hams from
the barrel and passin' them to Jack,
who was feedin' the furnace with 'em.
1 didn't stop to ask any questions.
'Well, that did the business. We
reached the top of the grade without
Jim gainin' another inch, and then we
begun to slide downward. Great Ju-
piter, how we did drop down that
hill ! The noise was terrific, and the
old machine rocked like a cradle.
Lookin' back, I saw Mollie standin'
her dress lutterin', her hair BLOWN
and her eyes shinin' like stars. I'll
never forget that sight.
ct knew that as soon as Jim reach
ed the top of the hill he'd be after us
lickety split, and 1 begun to fear we
couldn't make the rifle this time /;
but all at once thought struck me.
shut off steam and yelled to Jack to
put on the hand brakes. He jumped
to the wheel, Mo!lie helping him,
and in few minutes we had nearly
stopped.
"'Jump down quick, Jack, and
open the SWITCH I said. I'm goin'
to run up the bark sidin'.'
I'm less time than it takes to tell it
we were on the sidin', the switch re-
reset for the main track, and then /
run up in the woods and stopped.
We shut off all lights and waited.
I'm a minute or two we heard a
faint, faint rumble, which changed
into roar. Then we could distin-
guish the clickety click of wheels
passing over the ends of rails, the rat
tie of machinery and the hissin' of
steam, while the putin of the ex-
haust was so rapid as to blend into
hollow thunder. A whirlwind of
sparks became visible, and then with
a hop, skip and jump Jim's engine
passed us like streak of runaway
lightnin', the occupants never dream
in we were in the sidin'.
I'VE hunted up the nearest preach
er and got married-me with my face
all black and grimy and Mollie with
out any hat, for the wind had blowed
it away. Jack was witness, and let
him kiss the bride, for l thought he
deserved it. We got back to Colum-
bia about midnight, and next morn
in took out the express as if moth
in had happened.
"What became of Jim? Why, the
blamed fool actually run right straight
ahead all night till he reached Char
lotte the next mornin'. He was the
worst surprised man in the State when
he found we had given him the slip.
Then the superintendent wanted to
know what he meant by takin' out
his engine without orders, and the
end of it was that Jim not only lost
the girl, but got suspended as well. "
Chicago Post.
"I THINK I ought to put some
thing in the plate this morning,
Titus" said his wife, who was getting
ready TO 90 to church.