The Greeley tribune., 1907-02-21
..,u,,r ,rrr,,r ahead there"

| "Run II. Are YOU wv w '' -.
"NlcWilliams? wish l was FOR just
me minute. I'm one of his clerks.
"Where is hef'
az left him on La Sale street yes
terday afternoon
whats your name?
"Just plain Ferguson
"Wen Ferguson. it's none OF my
business, but as long MS were eo,ns
to nut YOU into Denver or into the
river in about minute I'm curious 10
know what the blazes you're hustiine
along this way for
ME? I've got $1.2O0,00O in gold coin
in this car for the Sierra Leone VA
tionnl bank-that's all. Didn't you
know that five big banks there closed
their doors yesterday? Worst panic
In the United States. That's what III
here for and five huskies with me eat
ing and sleeping in this car continu-
ed Ferguson, looking ahead. You re
not going to tackle that bridge, are
your
1--WE are and right of. If there's
onv Of YOUR huskies want to drop out,
now's their chance" said Pat FRANCIS
ms Sinclair slowed up for his run.
Ferguson called his men. The fve,
with their rifles, came cautiously Tor
ward.
"Roys." said Ferguson briefly,
"there's a bridge afire ahead. These
guys are going to try to run 1t. It's
NOT in YOUR contract, that kind OF
chance. Do you want to get of? l
stay with the specie, myself. You can
do exactly as you please. Murray,
what do you say?" he asked. address
ing the leader of the force, who appear
ed to weigh about 26O
"What do l say?" echoed Murray,
with decision, as he looked for soft
place to alight alongside the track. Il
say I'll drop out right here. l don't
mind train robbers, but l don't tackle
burning bridge-not if l know It,"
and he jumped of.
WELL Peaters," asked Ferguson Of
the second man coolly. do you want to
stay?"
"Me?" echoed Peaters, looking ahead
at the mass of flame leaping upward.
"Me stay? Well. not in a thousand
years. You can have my gun, Mr.. Fer
guson, and send my check to 439 Mil
waukee avenue, if you please. Cen
tlemen, good day" And off went
Peaters.
And off went every last man Of the
valorous detectives except one lame
fellow. who said he would just as lief
be dead as alive anyway and declared
he would stay with Ferguson and die
rich.
Sinclair, thinking he might never get
another chance, was whistllng sharply
. for orders. Francis, breathless with
the news, ran forward.
. Coin? How much? Twelve hun
\ dred thousand. Wheww cried Sinclair.
! "Swing up, Pat. We're of"
) The Five-Nine gathered herself with
a spring. Even the engineers heart
' quailed as they got headway. He knew
: his business, and he knew that II only
: the rails hadn't buckled they were per
1 fectly safe, for the heavy truss would
! stand lot Of burning before giving
% way under swiftly moving train
? Only, as they flew nearer, the blaze
e rolling up in dense volume looked hor
< ribly threatening. After all, it was
/ foolhardy, and he felt it, but he was
+ past the stopping now, and he pulled
l the choker to the limit. 1t seemed as II
. she never covered steel SO fast. Under
: the head she now had the cracking
r bridge was less than FIVE hundred
four hundred, three hundred, two hun
dred feet, and there was no longer
) time to think. With stare, Sinclair
shut off. He wanted no push or pull on
the track. The McWilliams Special
: was just tremendous arrow, shooting
through truss Of fire and half dozen
r speechless men on either side of the
! river waiting for the catastrophe.
Jerry MacElroy crouched low under
l the gauges. Sinclair jumped from his
! box and stood with hand on the
5 throttle and hand on the air, the
glass crashing around his head like
, hail. blast Of fiery air and flying Gin.
l ders burned and choked him. The en-.
, slne, alive with danger, flew like n
great monkey along the writhing steel.
t so quick, SO black, so hot the blast and
SO terrific the leap, she stuck her nose
, into clean air before the men in the
l cab could rise to it.
: There was heave In the middle like
the lurch Of seaslck steamer. and
with 1t the Five-Nine got her paws on
cool iron and solid ground, and the
Mattaback and the blaze, all except n
ooZen tongues which licked the cab
: ana the roof of the baggage car min
ute. We're behind. George Sinclair,
shaking the hot glass out of his hair
: looked ahead through his frizzled eve.
| lids and gave her full head for tbe
! western bluffs of the valley: then look-
ed at his watch.
, ~ was the one hundred and nine
ueth milepost just at her nose, and
the dial read s:55 to second. There
was an hour to the good snd saventr-