Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-05

Are you full awake now. We red-hot
| blastoderm?" gasped Graham. struggling
to free himself VIXEN Gallagher gave him
leave.
Il am thot. thanks to you. Sandy. lad.
Twas foine bit av a scrimmage an I'm
OWN We wan. Good night to ye."
we've got a clear track from this -
called Graham. swabbing his battered
face with piece Of cotton waste drawn
from one of the pockets of method But
Go one with ye. we wild Irishman; we're
obstructin' the traffic"
Fer twenty miles below Ten Mile Gal
lagher sat on his box like a man re-
poned beset him again. Once more the
fireman was asleep on the coal and to the
little Irishmans bombardment OF
wrenches and other missiles he returned
himself to fight it through alone Mile
after mile of the time-klling track swung
slowly to the rear. and there was not
even the flick of speed to help In the
grim battle.
Dawn came when the end-of-track camp
was still forty miles away. but the break
ing day brought no surcease of strug-
gllngs. When il came to the bitter end,
when his eyelids would close involun-
tarily and he would wake with a start to
wonder dumbly how far the $50 had come
mas:erless. Gallagher took chew Of to-
bacco and began to rub the spittle into
his eyes-the last resort of the Sleep
tormented enginemen. Like all the other
expedients IL sufficed for the time; but be-
fore long he was nodding again. and
dreaming that a thousand devils were
burning his eyes out with the points OF
their red-hot pitchforks.
Out of one of these nightmares he came
with a yell of pain to see what figured
for the moment as another nightmare.
Three hundred feet ahead the track
seemed To vanish for three or four rail
lengths. 1t was second nature to Jam on
the brakes and to make the sudden stop.
Then he sat still and rubbed his smarting
eyes and stared again. The curious hal
lucination persisted strangely. Fifty feet
ahead of the stopped engine the gistening
lines OF the steel ended abruptly. begin
ming again a car length or two beyond
Without disturbing the sleeping Jackson.
Gallagher got down and crept cautiously
out to the break. Ii was break. He
stopped and felt the rail ends with his
hands.
When he Strengthened up his passenger
was standing beside him.
What is it?" asked Adair. Have we
lost something's
Gallagher waved grimy hand at the
gan.
The thrack.' he said. Twas there
whin | pulled me stirring av empties out
over ut lasht night 'Tis gone now, else
I'm thot near dead for sleep 1 can
navther see nor feel straight"
Adair was calmly lighting a cigarette.
Your senses are still I'm commission"
he saiG: There is a good-szel piece OF
track missing. Who sniped it. do YOU
suppose?"
The engineer was shaking his fiery
head
IT'S beyond me. Misther Adair."
That's the deuce of it" smiled the
young man. ITS beyond the train How
Is Your engine-pretty good on the broad
jump"
Gallagher was not past laughing
Shell not lep thot his day. But who'd
be dom this job betune dark an mornin',
dye think?''
You will have 20 ask me something
easy. m not up i'm all the little practical
jokes OF. the country. But IL / should
venture guess. I should say il was some
one who didn't want me to answer the
first call for breakfast at your end-of-
track camp this morning. What do We
do?''
Gallagher was thinking.
CTo be continued tomorrow