Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-04-21
CHAPTER x.
WITHOUT BENEFIT OF CLERGY.

manager on the Union station track
platform beside the engine which was
to make the flying run to CASTOR.
Nine hours Of sharp work lay be-
tween the hurried conference In Lor-
ing's bedroom and the drive to the
station at q quarter before II. Boston
had been wired; divers and sundry
friends of the railway company had
been interviewed; some few affidavits
had been secured; and now they were
waiting to give Boston its last chance,
with q clerk hanging over the opera
tor In the station telegraph oftice to
catch the first word Of encouragement.
'1f the advisory board doesn't send
us something pretty solid, I'm going
into this thing lame," said Kent, du-
biously. ''Of course, what Boston can
send us will be only corroborative;
unfortunately we can't wire afidavits.
But 1t will help. What we have Sc
cured here lacks directness."
Necessarily" said Loring. But
I'm banking on the board. II we
don't get the ammunition before you
have to start, can wire 1t to you at
CASTOR. That gives US three hours to
go and come on"
Eyes; and II 1t comes to the worst
If the decision be unfavorable-it can
only embarrass us temporarily. This
Is merely the preliminary hearing,
and nothing permanent can be estab-
lished until we have had hearing on
the merits, and we can go armed to
that, at all events"
The general manager was looking
at his watch, and he shut the case with
q snap.
Don't you let 1t come to that, as
long as you have leg to stand on.
David" he said impassively. IAN in
terregnum of ten days might make 1t
exceedingly difficult for US to prove
anything" Then, as the telegraph office
watcher came to the door and shook
his head as . sign that Boston was
still silent: your time Is up. On
with you, and don't let oleson scare
yon when he gets 219 in motion. He
is a good runner, and you have clear
track"
Kent's after-memory Of that dis
tance-devouring rush was blurred
picture of plunging, rocking, clamor-
ing engine gounding over mile after
mile of the brown plain; Of the end
less dizzying procession Of oncoming
telegraph poles hurting like great
side-flung projectiles past the cab
windows: of now and then lonely
prairie station with waving semaphore
arms, sighted, passed and left behind
in a whirling sand-cloud in one and
the same heartbeat. And for the
central figure in the picture, the one
constant quantity when all else was
mutable and shifting and indistinct,
the big. calm-eyed Norwegian on the
opposite box, hurting his huge ma
chine doggedly through space.
But at Juniberg, q miles out of Cas-
ton, there was delay. Train No. II,
the eastbound time freight, had left
Juniberg at one o'clock. having ample
time to make Lesterville. the next sta
tlon east, before the light engine could
possibly overtake 1t. But l.esterville
had not yet reported its arrival; for
which cause the agent at Juniberg
was constrained to put out his stop
signal, and Kent's special came to a
stand at the platform.
Under the circumstances. there ap-
peared to be nothing for 1t but to wait
until the delayed No. II was heard
from; and Keut's first care was to re-
port to Loring, and to ask II there
were anything from Boston.
The reply was encouraging. A COM
plete denial of everything. signed by
the proper officials. had been received
and repeated to Kent at Gaston-was
there now awaiting him. Kent saw
y in anticipation the nicely calculated
scheme of the junto crumbling into
small dust in the precise moment OF
fruition, and had a sharp attack OF
ante-triumph which he had to walk
OF in turns up and down the long plat
form. But as the waiting grew longer
and the dragging minutes totaled the
quarter hour and then the half, he be-
gan to perspire again.
Half-past two came and went, and
still there was no hopeful word from
Lesterville Kent had speech with
Oleson, watch in hand. Would the en-
gineer take the risk of a rear-end col
lision on a general managers order:
Oleson would obey orders If the heav-
ems fell; and Kent flew to the wire
again. Hunnicott, at CASTOR, was be-
sought to gain time in the hearing
by any and all means; and Loring was
asked to authorize the risk OF a rear
end smash-up. He did it promptly
The light engine was to go on until II
should pick up" the delayed train be-
tween stations.
The Juniberg man gave Oleson his
release and the order to proceed with
due care while the sounder was Still
clicking further communication from
headquarters. Loring was providing
for the last contingency by sending
Kent the authority to requisition NO
It's engine for the completion OF the
run in case the track should be
blocked, with the freight engine free
beyond the obstruction.
Having his shackles striken on the
Norwegian proceeded with due care
which Is to say that he sent the eight,
wheeler darting down the line towaro
Lesterville at the rate OF a mile min
ute. The mystery of the delay was
solved at a point halfway between
the two stations. A broken hange mac
derailed three cars Of the freight ane
the block was impossible.
Armed with the general manager
mandatory wire, Kent ran forward te
the engine Of the freight train ane
was shortly on his way again. But II
the 20-mile run to CASTOR more tlms
was lost by the numbering freight 10
comotive, and it was 20 minutes pas
three o'clock when the county sea
came in sight and Kent began to oscil
late between two sharp-pointed horn'
of a cruel dilemma.
BY dropping off at the street crossing
sEwN@A Ill