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

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 it was either Gallagher
or Folsom doubling back on one of the
construction engines. What startled him
was the fact that the coming train ap-
peared to be running itself; there was nc
warning whistle shrek and no slackenine
of speed.
! Graham was a Scotchman. slow OF
| speech. slow TO anger. methOdical to the
thirty-third degree. But in an emergency
his brain leveled itself like "A ships com
pass gimbaled to hang plumb in the sud
denest typhoon. Three shrill whistle calls
sent sleepy flagman racing to set the
switch of the siding. With clang the
reversing 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 headlight was shin
ing full in his face and binding him. For
| Misunderstanding second he feared that
the opposing train would follow him on
the siding: there was but an instant for
the Ticking of the switch. But by this
time the sleepy fiagman was wide awake.
and he Jerked the switch lever for his
life the moment Graham's engine had
cleared the points. 1t was the closest
possible shave. Gallagher's cab licked
the forward end of the other engine $
running board in passing. and if Graham
had not been still showing backward with
the throttle wide open the ''o1." being
wider than its plotting engine. would
have had its side ripped out.
Graham had a glimpse into the cab of
the 900 as it passed and saw Gallagher.
sitting erect on his box with wide staring
eyes. He knew the symptoms and feared
that he had only postponed the catas-
trophe. The siding was short one. and
he knew that in backing down he must
inevitably have showed the rear end of
his train out upon the main line at the
lower switch. Once again the level br lin
righted itself to the emergency. Four
sharp shriekS of the whistle for switches,
a ia mming of the whistle lever to SET the
canyon echoes yelling in the hope of
arousing Gallagher. and Graham slammed
his engine into the forward motion w:th-
out pausing to close the throttle. There
was a grinding of fire from the wheels, a
running jangle OF slack taking down the
long line of empties and the freight train
shot ahead. snatching its rear end out of
harms way just Gallagher dreaming
that his boiler had burst and that all the
fiends of the pit were screeching the news
of it. came to life and snapped on the
air.
When the stop was made the little
Irishman reused his fireman got off and
footed it up the line to see what he had
done. trail2m ilau stopped his engine
when lie was sure his train was clearing
the lower switch and was on his way
back to find out what had happened to
Gallagher. The two men met in the
shadow of the hal;ed material empties
and it was the Irishman who began it.
paste me wan. Scotche'' he said.
'''Tis OWN to me-
Without word the Scotchman gave the
blow. catching the little man full in the
chest and knocking him half car leng: H.
That was enough. Gallagher picked him
self up out of the gravel. the lust of
battle hot upon him.
IVAN more like thot. We divvle. and 1
can hex We If We wor Fin Coul him
self. he painted: and Graham gave il
1udiciously. this time on the point of the
jaw. For five bloody minutes it went on.
give and take. down and up; methodically
on Grahams part. fiery hot on Gal
lagher's. And in the end the Irishman
had the heavier man backed against the
string of empties and yelling for quarter.