Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-12-19
Builders
BY FRANCIS LYNDE
| Copyright Ie0s-By Francis Lyade.
Copyright reos-By Francis Lyade.

By FRANCIS LYNDE

need to put him on his mettle. The
word was spoken while he was oiling
around for the man-killing extra
service.
Pretty well knocked out, Michael?''
asked Leckard. by way of perface.
Il am thot, Misther Leckhard. 'Tis
the good half Of lasbt night, all day
yesterday, and thin some"
It's tough. But if any of the other
were III, | should still ask you to go.
Mr.. Ford is in a pinch, and MI. Adair,
your passenger, is going TO help him
out. He can do it if you get him to
Horse Creek in time; and / know
you'll get him there if the $50 and
the OF will stay or the steel
TO help Misther Foord out? Thot's
me- said Gallagher simply.
Not having a wire, | can't boost
you any from this end. You'll meet
Folsom and Graham with the other
two sections of empties where you
can: you'll run as fast at the LordlI
let yon on such a track as you have:
but above all, you'll stay on the rails.
If You ditch yourself, it'll go hard with
Mr.. Ford"
I'll do all thin things and wan
more-and thot wan is the shtiffest av
thin all: the saints adm me. Misther
Leckhard, I'll shtay awake"
There was a short siding at the
summit of the pass, and by good hap,
Gallagher met Folsom with the first
string of empties at that point. or
rather, giving the bit of good luck full
credit, he heard the roaring OF Fol.
SONS exhaust as the first of the on.
posing trans pounded up the dan.
gerous western grade, and hastily
backed mp and took the summit sid.
ing.
Pitching over the hill with the t'o1a
the moment Folsom's tail-lights had
passed the outlet switch, Gallagher
had a sharp attack Of memory. The
day before, in the Horse Creek yard.
he had seen and remarked a Jagged
scratch on the side of the Nadia.
Hence, he was watching for the mar
row cuttings. and the three passages
perilous on the cliff side were made
in safety.
Once off the mountain, however. the
greater pertal began 10 assert itself.
For a time the Irishman kept himself
fully awake and alert by pushing the
e56 to the ragged edge of hazard.
scurrying over the short tangents and
lifting her around the curves in
breath-taking spurts. Later this ex-
pedient began to lose it's fllip. Since
the train was running wholly on the
air-brakes there vas noting for the
hreman TO do, and jackson, the
loyalest understudy Gallagher had
ever known, tumbled from his box.
in q doze, staggered across the gang
way into the half-illed tender, and
fell like q man anaesthetized full
length on the coal. Gallagher did not
try to arouse him.
"'Tis hell for wan. and twice hell
for Two" he muttered; and then he
shifted his right hand to the brake.
cock and grasped The hot throttle
lever with the ungloved left. And for
a time the pain Of the burn suf1ced.
1t was another piece of luck, good
or bad, that made Ten Mile station
the special trains meeting point with
the second train of empties. This
time 1t was Graham, the other en-.
gineer, who heard. IIe had stopped at
Ten Miles on the bare chance that.
the wire between that point and
Saints Rest had been repaired; public
opinion to the contrary notwitbstand-
ing, an engineer does not run wild
when he can help it.
The engineer of the third section
had come out Of the night operators
Office disappointed, and was climbing
to- his engine to pull out. when he
heard. or thought he heard. the dull
rumble OF a train racing down the
canyon. 1t came in sight while he
listened, and the yellow flare told him
that 1t was either Gallagher or Fol
som doubling back on one of the con-
struction engines. What startled him
was the fact that the coming train
appeared to be running itself; there
was nc warning whistle Shrek and
M slackening of speed.
Graham was a Scotchman, slow of
speech, slow to anger, m%ethodical to
the thirty-third degree. But in an
emergency his brain leveled itself
like a ships compass %gimbaiIed to
hang plumb in the suddenest typhoon.
Three shrill whistle calls SEN a
sleepy flagman racing to set the switch
vi iiS StuiiiS. VAIN Il SlduS t1lS re-
versing lever came over and the
steam roared into the cylinders
The ScOtchman had the grade TO
help him, which was fortunate. When
he had the string of empties fairly in
retreat, the beam of Gallagher's head
light was shining full in his face and
binding him. For a Misunderstanding
second he feared that the opposing
train would follow him in on the sid
ing; there was but an instant for the
Ticking of the switch. But by this
time the sleepy dagnan was wide
awake, and he jerked the switch lever
for his life the moment Graham's en-.
CINE had cleared the points. 1t was
the closest possible shave. Gallagher's
cob licked the forward end of the
other engines running board in pas
sing, and if Graham had not been still
showing backward with the throttle
wide open, the "01," being wider than
its plotting engine, would have had
its side ripped out.
Graham had a glimpse into the cab
! re tho 0El. nc ID p,rpnI ,~J -.r, TS-1