The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-11-17
The Phantom, Train.
IOriginal. !

|
agent-nothing. no one-On that dismal
winter morning except myself, unshei-
tered. the wind driving the loose
snow past me in sheets. | had TWEEN
ty minutes to wait for the train. which
| must flag myself. The engineer
| however. in so sparselT settled coun-
| try would have no objection to stop
ping for die purpose OF taking on
single passenger.
| Half the time had elapsed when,
hearing a footStep crunching on the
snow behind me. | turned and saw q
man approaching. AS he ncarcd me
noticed that he carried his right arm
! in Il sling and bad his ovcrcoat but
| toned ut the throat over the arm.
| felt hat was drawn down to cover his
| face. so that would not see much OF
! his features. When he came ana
stood beside me. looking up the track
| for the train, saw that he had dark,
sandy hair and red beard, rather
unusual combination,
"Train on time, sirY' he asked.
"Dout know" | replied. Il don't
fancy waiting long for it here"
The man seemed nervous. He cast
q glance ut NE that made me uncom-
Portable. He was an ugly looking fell
low. and if he were prepared to do SC
it would be an excellent place to MUIR
der and rob me- then hide my body in
the snow and escape by the train when
it came.
81 don't like the looks of this mist
in the air." he remarked.
singular, isn't it? l don't know
that ever saw anything just like ii
before. Hello, there's the train com
ing."
1t sprang suddenly into sight with
out Il sound to give us warning |
jumped off the track on which | was
| standing. then waved my handkerchief
for it to stop. which it did, but some
| 200 feet before it reached us. Selling
my satchel. which | had set on the
end of a tie. | ran up the track to get
j aboard. followed by the man who bad
Joined me. But before we had covered
a quarter of the distance the train dis
appeared as suddenly as if it were a
ghost train run by ghost officials. |
stared for few moments at the place
wh're it had been, then glanced at my
companion. He was looking up the
track with the most terrified express
sion | have ever seen on any mans
| face.
Did you see it, / asked.
He didn't hear me. He was mutter
ing incoherently and acting in other
| respects like one demented tried to
reassure him by telling him that We
both We're SO anxious for the train to
come that we had created it in our
imaginations-a very lame explanation.
by the way-but was unable to quiet
him. Suddenly | saw him looking out
over the snow with a new and height
| ened terror in his eye. | followed its
direction. and there out on the prairie
was the train running along as smooth
ly as if it were still on the rails.
SO intense was my aStonishment. SO
eere the feeling the phantom train
gave me. that forgot my companion
completely till. hearing a groan. | look
ed about ana saw him lying writing
in the snow. This startled me- and
forgot the train in the responsibility
of being out Oh ii broad prairie with q
man who might be in death struggle
There was little could do for him
except get his head on my knee and
taking flask from my satchel. pour
a drink of whisky down his throat
While he revived. he did not recover
his head even twelve minutes later
when the train-the real train-preced-
ed by a rafting on the rails and the
usual clatter. steamed up and at my
signal stopped beside us The conduct
or. standing on Il platform. saw me be-
side the sick man and. jumping off. as
| sisted me to get him aboard.
A number of persons were crowding
around the invalid. gaping at him
when one of them. a trainman, ex-
claimed
'I'U bet that's Dan Horgan."
who's Dan Horgan?" | asked.
"One of the men who threw the
train off the track two weeks ago. kill
ing the engineer. fireman and several
| passengers. Then they robbed the
express car One of the gang is in
Jail, has turned states evidence and
named Horgan as their leader"
But why do you suspect this man
to be Horgan?"
1.-THE informer has described him as
| having sandy hair and red beard
Besides. he says that Horgan's right
arm was shattered by a shot from the
conductor. We've had the description
! on this train ever since it was circulat-
ed by the company ten days ago"
The invalid had not reganed his
head when we reached the next town.
where the sheriff. advised by telegraph
entered the train and took him into
custody. He did not know that be
| had been betrayed by his fright ut
| the phantom train. which he doubt
less supposed was the one be had
wrecked coming back to haunt him.
| Had it not been for this he could east
ly have concealed his identity for the