The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1908-11-11
seat, arose, smiled, bowed and walked

seat, arose, smiled, bowed ana walked
away.
Always after that the manager car
ried about with him haunting dread
Of the wind crank. he would turn a
corner In a crowded street and meet
him face to face, and for the briefest
moment the man would search the
soul of the manager. Once In the city
that was headquarters for the compa-
ny they held great exhibition, and
the general manager was chosen to
welcome the president of the United
States. The moment he came to the
edge of the platform and faced the
waiting multitude, waiting not to hear
the railroad man, but the president, he
became embarrassed. "Ladies and gen.
tlemen," he began, ~ see before me-
Here the speaker paused awkward
ly, like schoolboy who has forgotten
his lines. Before him rose the gaunt
face of the wind crank, who stood In
the front row, towering above his
neighbors.
Pulling himself together, the rail-
road man went on. His friends began
to tremble for him. What he said had
nothing to do with the exhibition, the
president or the people there assem-
bled. 1.-THE company has always en-
deavored to keep abreast of the times.
We have adopted every safety appli-
ance that has been invented, but 80
long as human hands, guided by the
brain of man
At that point man who was intelli-
gent when he was sober broke in on
the orator. ooh, come often tn perch
an let som'on' talk at can talk senseW
Blushing to the very roots of his
hair, this local orator, the man who
had been called "the Demosthenes Of
the west" stumbled from the stage.
At last the long winter came to an
end, and the inventor went away with
the snow. At all events, the manager
had been rid of him for long while
when one day his special stood upon
short spur near the mountain top walt
ing for tho eastbound overland ex-
press. Presently the party were made
aware of the approach of the opposing
train, but instead Of the low singing
of the rail, for which they had been
listening, they heard suddenly the roar
of a runaway train and the frantic cry
Of locomotive for brakes. The hag-
man who had opened the switch to let
the special back In on the spur stood
there waiting to let them out again
whom the express should pass, All the
people had climbed down from tho
waiting train to stretch themselves.
The engineer was oiling his engine. The
fireman had climbed up bank to gath
er some wild flowers that grew where
little stream of clear cold water CUR
gled from the rocks. Seeing the flag
man still holding to the switch, the
general manager ran toward him, call
ing to him to let go and stand back.
What might have happened II the
manager had remained quiet no man
knoweth, but when tho fiagman saw
him coming and heard him shouting
without understanding what no was
saying he glanced nervously In the d.
rection of the approaching train. The
wild engine at that moment rounded
curve and headed down short tan
gent straight for the switch. The flag
man was seen to glance back again Mt
his own train, which stood we'll In the
clear, then throw his weight on the
switch lever. Over went the rail for
the spur, and across 1t went the flying
| train.
An afr hose had blown of just rs
they tipped over the top Of the hill
| Cthis was before the days Of the self
acting, self adjusting automatic air
brnke), and tho few hand brakes at
the crews command had served only
to steady the train. They could not
hold the big mountain engine, and now
she shot in on the spur, wide open,
splitting fire and screaming like wild
fend. She hit the special with crash
that shook the very hills. The special
train, with It's lighter locomotive, was
driven back three cars or moro ana
crushed like an eggshen against the
rock cliff that rose perpendicularly NJ
the far end of the spur. The heavy
sleepers crushed the mall and express
cars against tho wrecked locomotives.
There were the old familiar shrleks of
the broken engines, the means OF the
mangled and the excited shouts OF the
rescuers. The general manager had
succeeded In dragging man FROM the
ruins and placing him In an easy posi-
ton. The man appeared to be quite
dead. AS the manager was about to
turn away something tugged feebly Mt
his sleeve. The manager stopped down,
put his ear to the mans breast, peercd
into his face and then stepped back
with startled expression. Now, with
the superhumnn strength that some
times comes to dying men, the wreck
lifted his head and looked with
strange, wild eyes into the face of the
manager.
"Oh, you murderer! Do you still
argue that you can hold n train with
mountain air2 Now, with system OF
air pipes-runnlng up from the valley
all this reck-and-death"-
The general manager put his ear
down again, but the troubled heart
wns hushed.
Tho Road to Success.
| John a. Johnson Philadelphia'B IA