The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1907-04-19

noiseess and mpercepy moved ahead expelled mighty
breath then another and another quicker and quicker shorter
and shorter until its respaons lost continuous flow
Of steam. The Overland was once more under
The locomotive responded Sylvas touch with aacrity
with the work thrilled her through and through She
glanced the timetable They twelve minutes behind
time The twenty miles between the Junction and Grafton lay
straight level line Sylvia determined good pur
e d anu speed reourd by the memorable schedule She threw
the throttle wide and pushed the reveseeve into the
last notch The great machine seemed suddenly animated with
denonac energy and they shooting through the black
storm beaten night like avengng bolt from the hand OF
from behinddanced feeby ahead the driving
cloud snow all The track illuminated for
scarcely fifty feet and the night yawned beyond like some en-
quilting abyss Sylvia moenary closed her and prayed
that unfortunate creaure-hrman brute-migh wander
that night between the rails.
The fireman danced attendance the fire watching his heat
and jealousy doctor might watch the pulse Of &
verd patient Now the furnace door closed hung
latch closed again, and when the
within cried og COAL flung wide Open lighting
glare
sylvia worked with the fireman with fine intelligence which
only the initiated could understands for engine Is seed
whose speed depends upon driver She opened closed the
injector to economic heat and water and eaed the steam when
ened and goaded the wheeled until like vertab thing
whired them faster and faster Yet as they flashed through
Gaftoscarcey distnguab in the darkness and the storm
Athey still minutes behind time Sylvia shut her lips
tAhty If it to DEFY death on the curves and
gNdes ahead, defy death she would
Me sticky snow on her glass off syvas vision ahead
hattered little for her life and the lives Of the sleeping
segps behind were i'll higher hands than hers and only the
Aseng Eye could that night Another tram ahead an
witch, fallen rock awful crash and the en-
CINE wd grdron for her tender flesh while the
latial cas- behind full OF warmth and light and comfort
would Suddenly be turned into sapeess heaps OF death
Yet Sys cautiously opened her door little and held hrmy
against tn hurricane while she brushed OIL the snow At the
time he noticed that the headlight was burning dim
"The heaNigh is covered with r she called to the FIRE
The yougfelow instantly his tighter braced him
SELF and SWIM open his door the first cruel blast the speed
Of which nat Of the gale added to that Of the train he closed
his eyes and el his breath then taking his life in his hands ne
slipped upone treachcrcus runnngDoard OF the pitch
ing locomotive Made his way forward and cleared the glass
Sylvia waited wiz bated breath until his head appeared IN the
door again
FIRE up please ahc exclaimed nrvousl, for the had
fallen off pound
AS the winlng reetlamps Of Nancyvle into view,
Sylvia drew long bat Bnt there sneu reverberaion
among the hills that Aght for the wind, like some erocious
beast prey pocedpon the sound and thoted It IN the
teeth the whistle he Foxes shopped in Nansyile-they
could shop fifty miles fpm home easily fifty rodsand
the town. comparison With Valley Junction. was beginning to
seem like little to Silvia But tonight sitting at the helm
IF that tranconuenta w which burst upon the town like
Sra Nshscarce the place and It seemed little
and rural and to her mere eddy in the worlds great
current
gone and still the Overland vas minutes behind and
Seemed as if human Guild make up the time They
ooed as a sepens trail Theengine jeried viciouy from
side TO side II angrily eseninge pess goadng be-
Wheels savaaey ground the rails Very curve and made them
shrek in agony One side Of the chine first mounted upward
instant sylvia was lifted high above herenan the dropped
far below him
VI she dared not sIacken speed TRcry Of "Tme Time
Timer dinned into her ears with Nry stroke Of the pis
wheelin and complicated maee OF transportation
Yet slip Of that would rndey jar delicate mech
anisu, from coast Ideed in Syv excited fancy the
snrt Of world wide conneraisr rp IN the Gale
above her, ike odin Of old in the Wildh urging her
and on