News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1909-10-13

apart seven cars down. leaving thirty
three detached Before the mogu
could gather herself to back up an(
catch the breakaway the fugitive sec
ton was moving off very slowly dowl
the head end of the Long Misery.
Back up, Irish. Back up and catct
'em!" screamed Bitters.
"You can't do it," yelled a breathles'
brakeman who came up from the rear
because the gears just completely out
O. the head o. that section and there
wouldn't be nothin' to make couplin
to If you caught 'em. which it ain't
likely you'll do anyway"
Bitters was thinking of Hennessy
and No. 8. If No. 8 were on time she
was Just leaving Lyshon. Chances
were she was late. He knew Hennes.
sy. 1t was for him to reach Oldtown
in time to stop No. 8 at Lyshon. Bit
ters sickened at the thought Of the
Saturday night rush of women and
children which had given Hennessy's
train the name of the nursery ex-
press"
They worked quickly then. In thirty
seconds Bitters was in the cab and
was giving the mogul steam enough
and some to carry. Bitters figured it
was four miles to the good. and the
way they paced 1t off made it impos-
sible for him to say he was disappoint-
ed when he jumped off at Oldtown.
mo. s, hold her at Lyshon. My
freight's busted. an thirty-three of
'em are on the grade, goin' to beat
thunder"
mo. 81" The dispatcher's face was
pie crust. "She left Lyshon six min
utes ago, late" He went back to his
instrument and sent Seventeen" the
clear out signal. to warn the road
south of him. but as he did so he knew
that No. s was coming up the Long
Misery ten minutes late. straight into
the teeth of the worst runaway the A
and B. bad known.
u
Hennessy was tuning at Lyshon, for
he couldn't afford another second, yet
Oldtown had seen nothing of the wild
freight.
Better wait for another report from
Oldtown," said the operator. But
Hennessy was six minutes late then
and resolved to 60 on up the grade.
He signaled his engineer and jumped
on the rear. The brakeman was there
and grinned when the conductor
cursed bis luck.
Hennessy. halfway through the door.
wheeled. There, away back by the
station platform. only fading bit of
dismal detail in the familiar view, was
old Tympan standing in the middle Of
the track and waving crossed arms.
Left and signaling us to come back
for him, said the rear brakeman.
Hennessy spoke eloquently. looking
at his watch. The time frightened
him. "I'lI not go back for him." he
cried. 81 can't be-
There was that in the rear brake
mans eyes which stopped Hennessy.
Suppose he should leave Tympan at
Lyshon over Sunday, with no trains
either way, and suppose the old mans
pull With r. IL. L. were still working,
and suppose the young husband of her
who was Nell Tympan, he who worked
in the G. P. AS office, should
And there was old Tympan himself
standing in the middle of the track and
Back up. back up, back up"
Could be afford to ignore the old fell
low? Though it hurt him to do it, he
said:
mo; believe I'll go back for the
old guy, Bill"
The rear brakeman pulled the cord,
and Henne Fsy went in to reckon just
how much over thirty minutes late he
would be into Oldtown.
There was no denying that old Tym-
pan was exceedingly drunk. Hennessy
smot hered his wrath with difficulty as
No. backed into Lyshon, for he hadn't
relished what he had heard going
through the day coaches. He leaned
out toward the dirty figure Keeling
across the platform and heard Tym-
pans idiotic laugh as he boosted of
having called back the biggest train on
the road. II JUS went out there-ri'
out there-and signaled. Back up and
yer backed up. didn't yer? l tell yer,
gents. there. amt er man O. the rod
darst ter dis-disobey my orders"
There vas scramble on the plat
form behind them, and the dispatcher
came shreking like a plow train at
blind crossing.
j"Back up, Hennessy, for all you're
worth be shouted. Runaway freight
THIRTY something cars off the wild
brain coming down the grade-be here
BIN less than q minute. Oldtown wired.
bh, Heunessy, look up the linev'
l 1t was a cloud of sand and dust at
Me first curve in the Long Misery,
firee miles away.
Hennessys knees wavered. The dis
catcher struck him with his fist be-
1een the shoulders. crying: Quick. !
n4n! Run beg back into the siding and
ell the freight go by"
Yhe passengers knew only enough to
.orlnplaiD hat they were horribly shak.
m No that afternoon near Lysbon. II
yas( HenDessy himself who switched
70. 5, into The siding and who thanked
leavep with all sincerity that it was
t1nt, enOuph IN taLa hi. ... |