Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-06-05
[cUNT1NuED.l

lNSANAA~so6Ssl
He stared at the running words till
they burnt his eyes, and then, with an
oath frightful as the thunder that broke
down the mountains, he dashed the clip
to the floor. His eyes snapped greenish
with fury. and he cursed Omaha.
cursed It's messages and everything
that came out of it-slow at first, bu.
bitter, then fast and faster until all
the sting that poisoned his heart in his
unjust discharge poured from his lips.
1t flooded the room like spilling
stream, and no man put word against
it, for they knew he stood wronged
man. Out it came-all the rage, all the
heart burning. all the bitterness-and
he dropped. bent, into chair and cov-
cred his face with his hands; only the
sounder clicking iron jargOn and the
thunder shaking the Wickiup like u
reed filed the ears about him. They
watched him slowly knot his fingers
and loosen them and saw his face rise
dry and hard and old out Of his hands.
"Get up an engine!'
"Not-you're not going down there
tonight:" stammered Bucks.
"Yes; now-right of. Peeto. get out
your crew."
The foreman jumped for the door.
Bucks hesitated barely an instant;
then, turning where he sat, cut tele-
phone plug into the rOundhouse. Gala
han saw him act and. leaning forward,
spoke low to Duffy. The Dispatcher,
snatching the train sheet, began In
stantly clearing track for a bridge spe-
cial.
In twenty minutes twenty men were
running twenty ways through the
storm, and live engine doomed under
the Wickiup windows.
Phil, l want you to be careful" 1t
was Bucks standing by the roadmas-
ters side at the window as they looked
out into the storm. Its bad night"
HALEY made no answer. "A wicked
night" muttered Bucks as the light
ming shot the yards in blaze and
crash rolled down the gorge. But.
wicked as 1t was, he could not bring
himself to countermand. Something
forbade it. Evans. the conductor of
the special, ran in.
Here's your orders! exclaimed DUFF
fy. Evans. pulling down his storm
cap, nodded as he took the tissue.
HALEY buttoned his leather jacket and
turned to Bucks.
"Goodby."
Mind your track" said Bucks warn
ingly to Evans as he took Hailey's
hand. whats your permits"
Forty miles an hour"
Don't stretch 1t. Goodby. Phil" he
added, speaking to HALEY. "I'll see
you in the morning"
In the morning" repeated Hailey.
'tGoodby. Nothing more In. Duffy"
Nothing more"
"Come onr' With the words he push
ed the conductor through the door and
was gone The switch engine puffed
up with the caboose. Ahead Of 1t Ed
Peeto had coupled In the pile driver.
At the last minute Callahan asked to
go, and as the bridge gang tumbled
into the cabOose the assistant superin-
Ed Peeto and HALEY climbed
into the engine. Denis Mullenix sat
Oh the right. and with William burden,
fireman. they pulled out. five in the
tab, for the Spider water.
From Medicine Bend to the Spider
water Is a ninety mile run. Down the
gorge, through the foothills and into the
Painted desert that fills the jaw of the
spur we intersect again west Of Peace
river. From the Peace to the Spider
the crow flies twenty miles, but we
take thirty for 1t; there Is hardly q
between. Their orders set
speed limit, but from the beginning
they crowded 1t. HALEY, moody at
frst, began joking and laughing the
minute they got away. He sat behind
Denis Mullenix on the right and poked
at his ribs and taunted him with his
heavy heels. After bit he got down
and threw coal for burden, mile after
mile, and crowded the boiler till the
safety screamed. When burden took
the shovel HALEY put his hand on the
Of Callahan. who was trying
to hang to big Ed Peeto on the fire.
mans seat.
callahan" he yelled In his ear. "a
mans better off, And Callahan.
though he couldn't, in the pound and
he roar, catch the words. nodded and
laughed because HALEY fercely laugh
ed. Then going around to the right the
covered Denis Mullenix's
fngers IA the throttle latch and the air
with his big hands and good naturedly
foaxed them loose, pushed the engineer
back and got the whip and the reins
into his own keeping. It was what he
for he smiled as he drew out
the bar q notch and settled himself for
the run across the fat country. They
were leaving the foothills. and when
the lightning opened the night they
could see behind through the blasting
,sln the great hulking pile driver nod
md reel out into the Painted desert like
a drunken man, for Hailey's schedule
was the wind and his limit the wide
throttle.
Notch after notch HALEY drew, heed
less of lurch and jump. needless Of bed
or curve. Needless Of track or storm.
and with every spur at her cylinders
the engine shook like frantic horse.
Men and monster alike lost thought OF
care and drunk frenzy in the deafen-
Ing whirl that HALEY opened across
the swimming plain.
The Peace river hills loomed into the
like moving pictures; before
they could think It the desert was be-
hind them. Callahan, white faced.
climbed down and. passed from hand
to hand by burden and Mullenix. got
his hands on Hailey's shoulders and
his lips to his ear.
"For Gods sake, Phil, let up!'
Kailey nodded and choked the steam
n little threw hatful Of air ON the
II