The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1909-07-24

line. but the men On the head end
did not know this In going II On
the siding the pusher had injured her
pilot, so now she could noe push She
would have to change places With
the head engine
The conductor sisnaIed the had
engines they each blew three short
blasts. the pzsher answered and the
train began to back away TIE
moment the head engines BE-
gan to hack ossr the conductor
realized that he had made mistake
that the men ahead did not know
that the pusher was detached Ina
mediateEy he scrambled to the top
! of the train and made another mis-
take Instead Of giving them a slow
signal he gave them a stop signal
They shut OF, but the rear end Of
| the train had been pushed back BE-
yond the level track that lay in front
of the little way station Five loads
snapped OF and went roaring down
| the mountain behind the superin-
tendent's train The one brakeman
was almost Immediately thrown from
the train as It lodged round q sharp
curve. and now the cars were run
ming wild
| The engineer on the special saw the
runaway cars coming. and instantly
/ let OF the air and began to fall out
of the way Nine hundred and ninety
nine men out OF every thousand
would have done the same thing Il
IS of piece with the rule that says
when you train has parted keep going
/ keep out Of the wayb until you are
/ sure that the detached portion Of the
/ train has stopped The other mzr
would have stopped at once Unioaded
1 his passengers scrambled cut OF the
| right OF way. and let them hit BUT
! that is not according to the book cf
rules nor II keeping with the instinct
of an engineer His first thought IS
OF his people, his train his engine
to remain in the cab and die II need
be, and he usually does it
The man on the special being full
of the book rules. kept going but =
car loaded viii outrun a locomotive
with her links and rods and all her
machinery to hold her back Any
way, car viii run faster than any
sane man would dare run down a txo-
hundred-foot grade and IN a very few
moments the special crew saw that
if they all held the rails the loads
would soon be on the top cf them
The old man, who had never known
fear before, put an arm aTectionatesy
about the slender waist of each Of
his helpless children The speed Of
the special was something frizhtfuI
but the cars were gaining on them
Farley, standing on the rear plat
FORM turned and looked into the car
He saw the strong. rough man. who
had always appeared as dry of tears
as one of the rocks that made these
mountains, bending over his weeping
children, weeping ike q woman
For two or three seconds (seco16s
are like hours in the face OF deathy
he had been contemplating q more
that would result IN his Immediate
death or the salvation of the special
Now the sight Of this strong man IN
tears settled the matter he would
make the effort
A few miles below the point where
the freight train parted there was
short siding in a sag When the
special car passed the switch target
Farley stepped on just as he would
drop from train At twenty miles an
hour but the special vas making
forty or more
The old man saw him jump All
WE'LL thought he. the poor devil Is
only trying to save his life don't
Lame him
When Farley stopped rolling he
scrambled to his feet near the east
end of the siding In his torn and
bleeding right hand he held the
switch key. that he had taken from
his pocket before making the fright
full jump Staggering to his feet he
found the lock. thrust the key in
and swung back on the target but
at that instant the wheels struck the
ends of the rails, the car Ieaped into
the air and glanced OF into the side
of the shallow cut, while the other
cars came piIins uD IN q heap
Presently. when the driver. looking
back, saw nothing following. he began
to slow down and stopped
The Superintendent sent the fireman
back. and tagged slowly TO the scene
of the wreck When he had come
upon the heap OF spIfntersd cars he
jun ped from the train and ran back
to look for Farley. who had jumped
OF near the other end Of the siding
AS he passed the wreck he glanced
back and saw that the switch now
broken down had been unlocked
Looking closely. he found the big
brass lock with FzrfsJ-s switch key
sticking in the key1oIe- Now he sax
what had been done. but where was
Farley They searched and soon
h s-srN-S
When the broken freight had been
removed the old man bent over the
dead conductor and -wept as no man
on the mountain had believed him
capable OF weeping for this nzan had
saved his life, and had died doing IL
Not long ago passed over the road.