The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-03-24
sumner orurrs GO rim 70 Sturgess.

| sumner OruerB 70 rim 10 Hturge6e.
Az Tommy Endorsed the 20. X" 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 "a
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 curve with screaming whis-
tie, and brought her string OF glowing
coaches on the signal box. 1t should
platform, his head was swimming IN
sort of dizzy panic. There was hur-
lied loading and unloading Of bag
gage, the showing of express packages
from a car door into Tommys arms.
the throwing of mail sack upon the
wet platform. and the flinging Of an
other into the mail car, the laughter
and scramblng aboard Of passengers.
Il rumble OF thunder up In the black
sky; then the train creakcd and
Kissed and drew away-prospectively
to crash into the pay car some two
miles east Of Sturgess.
Tommy, wet with perspiration 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. 1t should
have been red'
Like a binding flash the forgotten
order rushed upon his memory. It
staggered him like 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 il they had stung him. The rear
lights of the train were perhaps 100
feet from the platform. Like q 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 cord.
20, Father in heaven! Father in
heaven. help mel" 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 and 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-
ing peal split downward as If the
earth had opened to its core. The
Eastern Mail lurched wildly, there
came 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 erackle 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 flew, leaped up the rear steps and
rushed through the coaches shouting
for the conductor. He found the
biue-coated individual by the loeomo-
tive.
1.-THE pay cars coming from Sum.
ner. | got orders for you' 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
urn.
Dwyer crept weakly badk upon his
high seat and rubbed his forehead like
Oh just waking from sleep.
What happened, Andy?" he said.
Were are we?"
lightning struck the wire and hit
the ugine somehow, too. We are
wanta for orders back at the depot"
said tie conductor. I'll run her
back; mess you're hurt"
Il fee. kind Of queer all over. Some.
thing semcd to hit me here at the
back of ny head. But I'll be all right
In minue, guess" said Dwyer.
Tommy Jumped off with them at
the station and ran into the office
The telegram table was splintered
and thrown ,way from the wall. The
instruments we're torn apart and por-
lions of them we're fused and melted.
A glance reveaed what the boy had
escaped. Had &c been at the table
getting the trai1s order, or reporting
it, he would hav, met instant death
His error STRANGELY, had proved a |
marvel of good fortune.
The conductor Looked at Tommy's |
white face with a softening light in |
his own. Il guess God must he taking