The log cabin Democrat., 1909-10-07


 was urged to tell his dream.
 T dreaGsed last night that my brother was killed in a head-on colli- sion near Topeka" he said, and later l dreamed that old cos blew up.' As eos vas his engine, he resisted the laughter Of lis friends and would not take her out and another man was sent for to take the job
 That afternoon the boiler of sos ex- ploded on the road killing the substi- ute engineer and the fireman. A week later the engineers brother was killed in a collision, as he had dreamed.
 The horror that engineers have for running over human being is not di- rected to smaller creatures, and it is considered very unlucky to have small animal run in front of an en- zine while it is going, unless ihe en- gineer succeeds in running it down and killing it, when the hoodoo de parts
 One night an engineer on a western road left a division point with spe- cial train running on time to station up the line, there to meet and wait for a through passenger train.
 As he pulled out of the yard and struck the open track in the country he observed a small animal running and leaping along the track ahead of the engine. It ran and leaped like squirrel, and it stuck to the track with such persistency that cold chill coursed down the engineers back. It meant disaster if he could not chase it from the track. and he let out spasmodic blasts of the whistle in the hope that 1t would be frightened and leap off.
 But it stuck to the track, leaping from tie to tie, keeping the same dis tance from the engine, never letting up it's stride. The engineer now thor oughly exasperated and somewhat frightened. let out notch or two in the throttle, and the engine increased it's speed. But so did the 'squirrel.'
 Soon the engine was making 50 miles an hour, and in front of it, in the path of light made by the head light, the squirrel" bounded, never losing or gaining an inch.
 Faster and faster went the engine, in its endeavor to catch up with and run down the bothersome little ami nal. which increased its speed ahead of the engine with remarkable ac- curacy and with a tirelessness that was remarkable.
 The engineer was so intent in try ing to run down the little animal that he was not paying much attention to where he wcs and thundered past the station at which he was to stop at the rate of GO miles an hour. He looked back and saw the station agent wa wing his red lantern like mad. But he had becomes so obsessed with the idea of running down his "squirrer that he paid no attention to it. When he looked at the track again the squirrel" was gone. It had leaped the track or had tired and gone un- der the wheels. In front of him up the track the engineer heard the en- zine of the approaching passenger train screech a warning from it's whis- tie. and he shut off the steam and ap- piled the brakes and sand
 He had just time to run back to the siding at the station when the passen- ger thundered past.
 When he climbed down from the cab to look at the front of the engine to learn what had happened to the little animal that had outrun him he chanced to glance up at the headlight On it was the wet shape of maple leaf that had blown against the glass as he left town. and it was the sha- dow of it that had danced along the track ahead of him. The suction of wind as the engine flew past the sta ton had dislodged it, and probably prevented a terrible disaster by di- recting the engineers attention from the chase.-Railway and Locomotive Engineering.