The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-03-05
THE SAVING of THE
MIDNIGHT EXPRESS

BY Wlil Case carey


/ pawson's DeIls: the date the midnight
express was saved from destruction
/ by sylWa-sylvia of the Dells!
Lest there be even a m0mentary
misapprehension of existing facts and
conditions it may be just as well to
state right at the start that Sylvia
was gentle, dreamy-eyed, common
COW; no, not a common cow Gould
q common COW display an intelligence.
a realization Of an impending danger
and then withal, possess the moral
courage and stamina to stand stead
fast and alone to ward on disaster
TO save the lives OF a hundred imper-
lied human beings? Well, hardly
Night had closed ii dark and rainy
DER the clustered homes Of Dawson's
Dells The wind howIed dismaily
along the narrow, deserted streets
driving In ftful gusts the sharp rain
against the Window-panes, causing the
inmates Of the fowly, modest homes
70 draw closer to the blazing fire.
places, while feeling Of genial
warmth prevailed Ger all.
Outside nothing was stirring; yea
there was one syIvia-Sylyia Of the
Dells was stirring.
AS she stood patiently chewing her
cud in the back lot the thought
came 70 her Of a certain hay stack In
an open field several miles up the
railroad track True. the stack did
not belong to the same man that
Sylvia belonged to; but why squabble
oyer a minor point like that
she could readily find her way to
the stack on the darkest night; she
had been there many times before
IN fact, 80 persistent. SO palns-taking
had been her attack upon the leeward
side Of the stack, there was now a
great hole wherein she could crowd
her whole body.
What could be more delicious On 4
night like this than to crawl into the
hole and sheltered from wind and
rain, contentedly chew the fragrant
timothy till morning? Nothing-abso-
lutely nothing!
With Sylvia Of the Dells, to plan
was to put into immediate execution.
Climbing through the bars Of the back
lot, she started for the stack; to OK.
pedite matters she took to the rail-
road track.
Scarcely had she gotten beyond the
yard limits Of DawsoD's Dells when
she paused, horroF-stfuck
The long trestle had been washed
away by the foaming torrent that
roared and ragged beneath!
She glanced hurriedly back at the
town clock! Heavens! In 15 minutes
the midnight express would pass Daw.
sons Dells
But a moment she hesitated; then
quickly she retraced her steps, head
ing hurriedly toward a red switchlight
burning Just beyond the depot
Would she be in time? She must
must save the expressl
Rushing frantlcally up TO the switch,
she caught the red lantern over her
horn, then started bravely down the
track again for the wash-outl
A low, rumbling sound behind her
reached her ears-the express was
coming!
She knew the express would not
even slow up for Dawson's Dells; In
all her life she had known 1t to stop
there but once-once when Ii broke
an axle on the forward coach.
On, on she rushed, the red light
swaying with her 1.-THE, graceful move
ments, and the rapid beating Of her
heartl
The rumbling behind her grew
louderl the fash Of headlight |
pierced the murky darkness as the
great engine rounded the curve!
Quickly she turned and swung the |
red signal back and forth across the
track; she was answered by shrill |
blast Of the whistle, with the roar Of /
escaping steam and the grinding Of
air-brakes the heavy train came to
sudden stop within hundred feet OF
the yawning chasm!
The train crew came running for
ward to ascertain the cause Of the
danger signal, accompanied by many
Of the frightened passengers. In mute
horror they gazed on the raging tor
rent before them, into which they
would have plunged but for the intel
ligence, the intrepid courage of Sylvia
OF the Dellsi
Loud were the praises showered
upon her; but she took all modestly. Il
even coolly she had but done her
duty
In the excitement Of the moment
Sylvia had unfortunately swallowed
her eud 50 she gratefully accepted
chew Of tobacco from the engineer
then, swimming the torrent she con
tentedly made her way on to the hay
stack.
April 2d-cloudy; more rain.