The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1909-11-18

EE-N"E - NIEN
sounder. it came so quick, and the
dispatcher began giving the pay-car at
Sumner orders TO run TO Sturgess.
As Tommy indoIsed the 20. K" on
the hold order. two belated passengers
began beating on the ticket window
demanding tickets and checks for
their trunks. In the insistent rush
Of the moment, Tommy did the ia
tai thing; he forgot to turn the hold
signal for the Mail.
He was exceedingly busy through
out the next ten minutes with tickets
and baggage, and when the Mail
rounded a curve with screaming whis'
tie, and brought her string Of glowing
coaches On the signal box. 1t should
platform, his head was swimming in
a sort Of dizzy panic. There was hur-
ried loading and unloading of bag
gage, the showing of express packages
from a car door into Tommy's arms,
the throwing OF a mail sack upon the
wet platform, and the finging of an
other into the mail car, the laughter
and scrambling aboard of passengers,
a rumble of thuhder up in the black
sky; then the train creaked and
Kissed and drew aWay=prospectively
to crash into the pay car some two
miles east OF S%turgess.
Tommy, wet with Precipitation and
the falling rain, began picking up
some fallen packages. AS he rose his
eye caught sight of the green light
burning on the signal box. Il should
have been redi
Like a binding flash the forgotten
order rushed upon his memory. 1t
staggered him like a blow, and for an
instant all the blood in his veins
seemed to rise and boil and roar in
his ears.
He whirled about, and express bills
and packages dropped from his hands
as if they had stung him. The rear
lights Of the train were perhaps 100
feet from the platform. Like a crea-
ture suddenly smitten with madness,
he rushed after them, shouting shril
ly. If he could only catch hold Of
the handrail and swing himself up and
pull the bell cordi
20, Father in heavenl Father in
heaven. help met" came gasping from
his white lips as he ran.
But the train was running faster
than he. Still, onward he tore along
the ties, shouting Il pleading. He
tripped and fell prone upon his face,
rose and slipped and staggered; but
at that moment the world was sud
denly wrapped in fire, and a shatter-
earth had opened TO its core. The
Eastern Mail lurched wildly, there
came a battering crash of drawbacks.
and the long stringof coaches stopped.
Tommy scrambled to his feet, for he
had fallen with the electric shock. His
hair seemed to crackle as with fire;
there was an odd singing in his ears.
Despite the strange happening, how
ever, his mind did not loosen its grip
on the paramount idea-the mad ne
cessity of holding the train. Onward,
as fast as his feet could carry him,
he few, leaped UP the rear steps and
rushed through the coaches shouting
for the conductor. He found the
~blue-coated individual by the locomo-
tive.
The ray cars coming from Sum
nerl l got orders for youl Get back
on the siding, quick Tommy cried.
Jim Dwyer. the engineer, was get
ting up from the fuel deck, looking
dazed and strange. The fireman
hung pale and soot-streaked against
the banked-up coal in the tender. The
conductor himself seized the throttle
lever and put the drivers on the back
turn.
Dwyer crept weakly back upon his
high seat and rubbed his forehead like
one just waking from sleep.
What happened, Andy?" he said,
Where are we?'
lightning struck the wire and hit
the engine somehow, tool We are
wanted for orders back at the depot"
said the conductor. I'll run her
back; guess you're hurt!7
81 feel kind of queer all over. Some
thing seemed to hit me here at the
back OF my head. But I'll be all right
in a minute, / guess" said Dwyer.
Tommy jumped off with them at
the station and ran into the Office.
The telegraph table was splintered
and thrown away from the wall. The
instruments We're torn apart and por-
of them were fused and melted.
A glance revealed what the boy had
escaped. Had he been at the table
getting the trains order, or reporting
it, he would have met instant death.
His error, strangely, had proved a
Of good fortune.
The conductor looked at Tommy's
white face with a softening light in
his own. q guess God must be taking
of b%lundering children like you"
he said. He turned to the engineer.
Jim, how did you come to shut off
steam?' he asked.
Il don't know replied the engineer
still rubbing his head. Il had hold of
The throttlelever, and | suppose the
must have made me grin and