The Greeley tribune., 1907-03-07

ont of our caboose! Quick. man! I'm
aoi,o TO throw Cameron into the cat.
tie"
IT was IL chance-single. despernta,
but vet chance--the only chance that
nffered to save the helpless passengers
in his charge.
If he could reach the siding switch
ahead of the runaway train he could
throw the deadly catapult on the sid.
Ing and into his own train and so
save the unconscious travellers. Be
fore the words were out OF his mouth
he started up the track at topmost
speed.
The angry wind staggered him. II
blew out his lantern, but he flung II
AWAY for he could throw tho switch
in the dark. A sharp gust tore half
his rain coat from his back. Ripping
off the rest, he ran on. When the wind
took his breath he turned his back and
fought for another. Binding sheets
of rain poured on him. Water stream
Ing down the track caught his feet A
slivered tie tripped him, and, falling
headlong, the sharp ballast cut his
wrists and knees like broken glass In
desperate haste he dashed ahead again.
The headlight loomed before him like
a mountain of flame. There was light
enough now through the sheets of rain
that swept down on him, and there
ahead, the train almost on 1t, was the
switch.
Could he make it?
A cry from the sleeping children rose
in his heart. Another breath, an In
stant tioundering, a slipping leap, and
he had 1t. He pushed the key into the
lock. threw the switch and snapped it
and, to make deadly sure, braced him
self against the target rod. Then he
looked.
No whistling now. 1t was past that.
He knew the fireman would have
Jumped. Cameron too? No, not Andy,
not if the pit yawned in front of his
pilot.
He saw streams of fire flying from
many wheels, he felt the glare OF a
dazzling light, and, with a ratting
crash, the ponies shot into the switch.
The bar in his hands ratified as If it
would jump from the socket, and,
lurching frightfully, the monster took
the siding. A flare of lightning lit the
cab rs it shot past, and he saw Cam
eron leaning from the cab window with
face of stone, his eyes riveted on the
gigantic drivers that threw a sheet of
fire from the sanded rails.
| "Jumpw screamed Ben, useless as
he knew it was. What voice could live
in that hell of noise7 What man es-
cape from that cab now?
One, two, three, four cars pounded
over the split rails in half as many
seconds. Ben, running dixzily for life
to the right, heard above the roar of
the storm and screech Of the sliding
wheels ripping, tearing crash, the
harsh scrape Of escaping steam, the
hoarse cries of the wounded cattle.
And through the dreadful. DARK S.s
in gale and the heavens poht56 4
food.
Trembling from excitement and sx-
haustion, Ben staggered down the
main track. A man with lantern ran
against him. 1t was the brakeman
who had been back with the torpedoes.
He was crying Historically.
They stumbled over body. Selling
the lantern, Ben turned the prostrate
man over and wiped the mud from his
face. Then he held the lantern close
and gave great cry. 1t was Andy
Cameron-unconsciou true, but soon
very much alive and no worse than
badly bruised. How the good God
who watches over plucky engineers
had thrown him out from the horrible
wreckage only he knew. But there
Andy lay, and with lighter heart
Ben headed wrecking crew to begin
the task of searching for any who
might by fatal chance have been
caught in the crash.
And while the trainmen of the
freights worked at the wreck the pas
senger train was backed slowly-so
slowly and SO smoothly-up over the
switch and past, over the hill and past
and so to Turner Junction and around
by Oxford to GAINESVILLE.
When the sun rose the earth ploved
IN the freshness of its June shower
bath. The flier, now many miles from
beVerly hill. was speeding In toward
omaha, and mothers, waking their III.
tie ones In the berths, told them how
close death had passed while thew
slept. The little girls did not ou,te
understand 1t, though they tried varv
nard, and were very grateful to mat
man, whom they never saw and vho,,
they would never SEQ p,,t a., 80,
uoys-hever 10y mind the little boys-they |
understood 1t, to the youngest urchin
on the train, and fifty times their papas
hna TO tell them how far Ben ran and
not, mow iast 10 save their lives. And one
httle BOY wish I knew his name
wen. with his papa to the depot MASTER
al omana when the flier stopped and
gave MIN his toy watch and asked him
pasase pas.n', 10 give IL to that man who had