Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-18

sC
| still In the air, sculptured thing with wide-
spread wings. Showers of cinders clicked
win Intellectual force on her protecting
| glasses; but Bess drew back gasping. in an
re PACK ABOVE the waist, while below. in
the sweltering heat of the cab. she felt In
| streaming foot bath. Her face smarted
AT the swift change from frfgid to torrid
zone III Goodie, flushing out the coal dust
| from behind the fire box with his hose,
| reached for her wad of waste and soon a
| GENEROUS GOODNESS swabbed her fevered
cheeks, while merry but soundless
Thanks" was blown back with the sparks.
She gets to goin' some now.'' yelled the
| fireman. trumpeting through his hands.
1codie felt the Infection OF her exhilaration
and new pleasure In his calling.
Back swings the injection lever and the
poar OF sizzling steam, water churnlng into
! the pipe coils of the boiler and DINING
through her young blood. Timidity is
stampeded by a rush of pure elation and-de-
| lirious Indifference as to the issue. Her cap
| is whipped from her head with a tearing
''zip!' Lights streak by and thoughts soar
while the girl thrills body and soul alive
every inch of heri
| The man up in front steals a, brief back
ward look, his will unable longer to resist
| the compass pointing of his true heart In
| red glory which Goodie Accomplishment
affords, Bess CLOVIS upon him rapturously.
radiant tumble of hair, white teeth and
great glinting headlights, through which
the flash of dauntless spirit fires his
heart.
His eyes caress her. Then darkness
sees hell open.
His glance, reaching beyond the girl,
catches the drunken rolling of mo. I's''
| headlight, reeling down a steep curve above
them A second look convinced Sunny that
she was a runaway beyond her drivers con-
tro hurled with the rending force of a pro-
Jectile down upon them to the utter de-
structfon Of all, with the following freight
to pile up at the finish. No. Z" raced about
1000 feet behind him, eternity seemed but
a foot ahead.
Then the man thanked God for that fool
ish squirt Of speed to startle a trustful grill
Intrepid, resourceful, experienced, his all at
stake, Sunny formed his plan OF action in
a second. Heart one agonzed ache for the
young soul behind him, but brain clear and
face steadily to the front, he tried the one
thing with a chance of life-to catch the
runaway.
To do this "40' must be spurred into a
maddened leap toward q probable death
ahead in order that the obliterating power
| behind might crash into her with lessened
shock. If alive after the first impact he
hoped to hold ''7''-gradually slow down.
and bring her to a standstill this side of
Windy Point. The grade was about per
cent one. and as the pursuing monster
seemed to be hitting the grit between
forty and fifty miles an hour. he knew IL
would be all off If she struck before 40
got to going.
A throat-racking yell:
Runaway u us!' electrified the fire.
man into telling, concertive action as the
throttle of "old 40 was thrown wide open.
She leaped. duvering into the night. wise
to the chase and swung steadily into a
mighty. rhythmic pace which rocked the
world. while the great vel W eye OF a death
dealing fate glared gloatingly upon its fly
ing prey in hot pursuit.
Snow sheds streaked by as IL a continuous
shaking line. and the panic-stricken engi-
neer of NO T. sought in vain for an inter-
val toward which to jump. 1t was his first
md log OF ha b fne
But Veteran Scott. with straining eyes glued
to ''old 40" knew a bursting heart swell as
he saw that Sunny was on" and hauling
daZed Bud Wilson back into the cab they
stuck to the machine.
mo. 40 Numbered down the grade with
Its living freight. Swimming the rails in her
mad flight. Bess had a womans part wait
ing. her heart pulsng prayer. but her
spirit one with the chase. the delicate body
tossed about and forgotten as emotonafly
she lived through her lovers ordeal, men,
tally crying. "FaStern'
Death was inevitable If this pace must be
held till they reached treacherous Windy
Point.
''Old 40" took the bit in her teeth and
bolted.
Bess felt herself and Sunny heart to heart
and soul to soul. with the flesh swept away
with her breath into the night. Roar clang,'
thunderous rumblings shook the earth. An
other life dawned to a resigned but ,exultant
soul, launched to conquest or death with
the one dearest on earth.
crash! The walls of being knew the birth
pang of a heaven-sent hope as "4g' shot
down the line like cannon ball for fifty
feet or more. when ''7'' smashed her again,
but to feel the clamping grip of her master,
Yelling for sand. Sunny reversed like one
possessed. A fiery blaze OF protesting color
flashed from the tortured rails in angry dis
play as the steel shrieked like thing I'm the
death throes beneath the grinding wheels.
Clinched with iron hold the huge cyc.oDs
slid down grade in their death grapple for
fully 5000 feet though Goodie threw sand
by the bushel and Sunny had a full head of
steam on the reverse"
At last. in massive rest. they painted TO a
standstill wide unblinking eyes yellowing
the night one hundred feet this side of am
Inhalation and Windy Point.
An aching peace settled en- the three, while
the physical reclaimed their immortal part
through the tyranny of tortured nerves and
sore flesh.
From a sooty corner of the cab, where she
had been thrown. a bruised but glorfed
girl lifted adoring eyes to Sunny, her stiff
fered fingers still locked about roll OF
waste.
With a grating sob. a blackened, white
faced man gripped her roughly to him, his
throat closed to adj words.
"'My-Man!
Sunny's hand shook on her roughened hair
as his stammering tongue CROPPED for speech:
Little girl. 1t was-the Master Engineer
that saw rs thrOuRhi'