The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-04-07

heart burning. all the biterness-and
he dropped, bent, into a chair and COW
cred his face with his hands; only the
sounder clicking iron jargon and the
thunder shaking the Wickiup like a
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 enginel"
"Not-you're not going down there
tonight?" stammered Bucks.
Yes; now-right off Peeto. get out
The foreman Jumped for the door.
Bucks hesitated barely an instant;
then. turning where he sat, cut a 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
stantiy clearing track for a bridge spe-
cial.
In twenty minutes twenty men were
running twenty ways through the
storm, and a live engine doomed under
the Wickiup windows.
Phil, I want you to be CAREFUL It
was Bucks standing by the roadmas-
ter's side al the window as they looked
out into the storm. IT'S a bad night"
HALEY made no answe "A wicked
night" mutered Bucks as the lightning
shot the yards in a blaze a1d a crash
rolled down tbs gorge. But wicked
as it was. he could, not bring himself
to countermand Something forbade
1t. Evans, the conductor of the spe-
cial. ran in.
Here's your orders!" exclaimed
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 too HaiIey's
/ hand rs U047F hermit S8
Forty miles an hour"
Don't stretch it. Goodby, Phil"
he added, speaking to Haley. "IH see
you in the morning."
I'm the morning repeated HALEY.
"Goodby. Nothing more in. Duffy?"
Nothing more"
Come onl'' With the words he
pushed the conductor through the door
and was gone. The switch engine puff
fed up with the caboose- Ahead Of it
Ed Peeto Ia coupled in HI pile driv-
er. At the last minute Callahan asked
Ito go, and as the bridge gang tum-
bled into h caboose the assistant sup
erintendent, Ed Peeto and HALEY
climbed into the engine. Denis Mule
nix sat on the right, and with William
burden, fireman. they pulled out, five
in the cab, for h Spider water.
From Medicine Benz to the Spider
water Is a ninety mile run. Down tbs
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 AXE thirty for 1t; there is hardly g
tangent between. Their orders set a
speed limit, but from the beginning
they crowded It. HALEY. moody at
first, 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 a bit he got down
II md fhraW 1nz1 for nrrdnn mi1R q ffar
mile. and crowded the boiler till the
safety screamed. When burden tool
the shovel HALEY put his hand on the
shoulder of Callahan, who wa 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
the oar catch the words, nodded and
laughed because HALEY hercely laugh
ed. hen going around to the right the
roadmaster covered Denis Mullenix's
fingers on the throttle latch and the air
with his big hand and good naturedly
coaxed them loose, pushed the engineer
back and got the whip and the reins
into his own keeping. 1t was what he
wanted. for he smiled as he drew out
the bar a 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
a. liz 8AC4L AALAhAAAE RAAE AAAACL y
and reel out into the Painted desert
like a drunken man, for Hailey's sched-
ule was the wind and his limit the
wide throttle.
Notch after notch HALEY drew. heed
less of lurch and jump, needless of beds
or curve, needless Of track or storm,
and with every spur at her cylinders
the engine shook like a frantic horse.
Men and monster alike lost thought of
care and drunka frenzy in the deafen-
ing whirl that HALEY opened across the
swimming plain.
The Peace river hills doomed into the
headlight 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 MuIlenix, got
his hands on Hailey's shoulders and
his lips to his ear.
For Gods sake. Phil, let up!"
Haley nodded and chicken the steam
4 little. threw a hatful of air on the
shoes, but more as a test than a check;
the fire was in his blood, M he slowed
into the hills with q speed unsiackened.
From the rocks it Is down grade all the