The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-26

toast and a cold baked duck.
 Just SO, responded the waiter with d grin of comprehension, just so; and oys tors is s1 an order, while quail and duc~ ofe a drug on the local market at D cents an order. You ain't on the seashore now. mister, but on the prairie, where every bluff abounds with quail and every s~amp's alive with duck. Oysters comes overland, and we're lucky 'to get them al any old price
 eWhen Bill eomprehended the state of the case he fairly exuded disgust, and ne silently laid three silver dollars on the table, and followed me to the door, where 1 was choking with inward laughter.
 .eThere are meals and banquets, but everything is comparative. and prices are largely a matter of environment"
 Bravery of Brakeman.
 Colonel" said the Lawyer, my knowl- edge of both parties in the Nse at bar censtrains me to say that the Incident wa: fynical of both though your attitude was a apparently one of extreme reclSessness, for which you were answerable only to your companion, and only collaterally to l. m l will tell you of a case of bravery as contradistinguished to your reckless less, though the latter element was pre- dominant in the action of which I shall tel you
 Some years back, many or few makes ho difference, l was on my way from Nashville to Chattanooga, over the oil Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis rail road which made it's dubious and doubt
 sul way along the mountains over a wind ing roadway, sSirting motintainsde, trembling over chasms of fearful depth. or crossing brawling streams on rickety bridges. All this is now as it should be. and the track is quite as sale as that of any mountainous country. But then-well, a second voluntary trip over that road en- titled the maker to the red badge of courage, while five years spent at the throttle disqualified an engineer from service elsewhere this side of Big Muddy he couldn't understand straight track on solid basis as existing for any other purpose than to demonstrate how fast she Gall engines are sheD can run.
 A Never-to-be-forgotte Incident.
 My third or fourth trip-not even the first was voluntary-over the road Wes marked by an incident l shall never for get. Though only the closing of it fell under my observation, l got the whole story, and shall tell it to you consecu | lively.
 "Tom Carthy was brakeman on as freight on the Nashville anu Chattanooga. He was only the average man in all re- sIects. I understand, and was on the carpet often enough to understand that niY job was as precarous with respect to Icrmanence through discharge by the super as by death-and this in the chain brake days of decade since. Not that Tom cared a great deal; he was mo- a family man; no sweetheart figured in any of his equations; there were other roads and other jobs and discharge and injury were only incidents. The event
 was bound to come there on elsewhere in all human probability.
 "Tom with No. 6S was creeping down the mountains one day, clamping his brakes or cutting them as the engineer sgnaled him, when there came the short l blast, the grinding, the shock for which he instinctively braced himself and when l quiet came he able to crawl out of the remains of two cars between which ne l found himself, but he couldn't stand. His l leg was broken.
 Death in the Wreck. 'He crawled forward to the engine, 1 though, clutching his red flag, only to find there was no need there even for a man with two good legs the engine was | spilling it's steam in great throbs, but ! there was no noise from the engineer or | the fireman. When the engine had struck i the great rock which had rolled down l the mountainside, the engineer had re- ] versed her and blew for brakes, and then | he and his fireman had abruptly solved | the great mystery. They were done for in the twinkling of an eye. As Carthy
  the captain Conductor e the traim
 staggered up, his face covered with blood froi a great gash in his forehead and one arm hanging Imply by his side
 How bad it is, Tom? he shouted, for the steam was still screaching its shril glory at it's escape from bondage. "'Couldn't be worse. Sweeney. Whats | in front of us?
 Forty-five, Tom. She's a passenger but 32's behind us Can you flag 4o? | I'll look after 32.'
 "I can't walk, Cap; but I'll do the 1 best 1 can,' replied Carthy, and he thrust | the flag into his shirt and started on his hands and knees westward, while Capt
 Sweeney staggered back the other way
 In the Nick of Time. "We had left the level-I was on 45, | you should know-and were now pushing l our way up and down the foothills mark | ing the approach to Lookout mountain
 rounding a curve here. brakes on to slow ] us down the far side, and ASS engine puIf- l ing hoarsely as we climbed the hither l side We had just ran down hillside | slammed across a flat little meadow, and
 te engine was noisly laboring over tie
 exertion of pulling it's load uphill when ! we heard the down brakes signal, and l the clanking chains as the brake wheels | turned bade us take notice that something out of the ordinary was getting on,, Which l heightened when We SdW lne coH- | dlctor rush through our car and go t9 ! work on brake wheel himself. We were 1 rearly at the crest of the hill, nearing | an abrupt curve, which bore sharply to l the left. A minute of grinding, tremor 1 a shake and we had come to a halt, seem- | ingly clnging to the side of the moun- | tain.
 Immediately upon coming to a halt
 the cars emptied themselves in minuta 1 or two, and we went forward about d l h. ndred yards, where the engineer and conductor were supporting between them l a man still clutching red flag, his head longing Imply to one side and one leg | dragging. It was Tom Carthy. brake l man of 6S. Taking him to tho baggage | car he was stretched upon the floor, the l conductor raised his head tenderly, and | said, Whats the matter with 6S Tom? carthy Modest Hero. "'Shes bunch of junk around the curve, Capen; you'd better creep around t., see if anything can be done; Sweeneys cracked bit, but l think he has held 32. for didn't hear her call for brakes com ing down Slippy.' Slippy' was steep hill or knob, mile or SC behind the wreck.
 . Conductor and engineer bounced out of the baggage car, and l took Carthy head in my lap. Gimme drink of whisky, some of you uns, will you? that d--d leg of mine is hurting like h-l.' When a flask was handed him he took d long and earnest pull at it, and then,