Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1910-08-03
Breaking the Air-Pipe.
ALBERT w. ToLs1AN.
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Phil Carswell, chunky and curly
headed. was heaving anthracite from
his firing deck" through the doubl
doors of the Comeback 1000" Il
the right half of the cab forward o
the frebox sat Engineer Dan Thorn
hand on throttle, eyes on the rail
ahead.
Dan had the biggest shoulders 0
any B. and D. engineer. And strong
Phil knew.
One dark night eight years before
a freckle-faced boy, who though
himself a practical joker, hat
stretched two wires across a sidewalk
ankle high and twenty feet apart
Then he had hidden. Dan, hurryins
home, tired and cross after a no
day, had fallen over the first wire
He came up, muttering wrathfully
Freckle-face was not after such bi:
game. He ran, forgetting the SECOND
wire, and fell over It himself. Be
fore he could rise Dan had him. Tha
was why Paul had never set any more
wires for Dan or anybody else.
Well, well, what will not time do!
Here he was, lodge brother to Dan
and firing on his very engine. Odd
est of all Dan had not recognized him
Perhaps it was not SO very odd, eth
er, for Dan had given the licking, mo-
received it. But Phil bore no malice
Some time, possibly after he got hi!
own engine, he would ask if Dan re
membered the boy whose jacket hi
had busted. But that would keep
Meanwhile Phil shoveled coal and ad'
mired the big shoulders.
Behind old 1910" rumbled the
long convention special, packed with
Sir Knights bound to their annual as
sembly. Every man aboard. includ.
ing the entire picked crew, belonged
to the order. 1t was the train that
day. Phil had Just taken his third
degree. He felt proud TO fire" this
trip.
The special slowed down. Phil saw
q red signal at Worumbo flag station
Wonder what Pixies got up his
sleeve for us now?" he grumbled I'M
der his breath. He did not like stop.
ping on the up grade with ten heavy
cars.
He saw Dan reach down and snatch
a yellow telegram from the agent.
Then they put onEspeed again.
Phil shoveled hard a minute. Then
he went along the running board to
see what Dan had. Orders were that
engineers must acquaint their fire.
men With any message.
Dan sat silent, reading the track.
He passed Phil the blank. 1t spelled
out:
Run slow. Wreck near station.
Fisher"
Phil walked back without a word.
A hundred dusty miles of the hos
June day had wearied him. He was
glad the terminal lay just ahead, and
that no more coal would be needed
on the easydown grade.
He was about to start for his own
seat.on the left of the cab when above
the roar(of the wheels rose a sudden
shout:
"Hey, Phil"
Out he leaned to see what Dan
wanted.
Bn-n-ns! rang an explosion, like
the report Of 4 shotgun. So quickly
that the sound seemed almost contin-
uous, followed the crash of rending
metal. A g%littering steel bar, rising
from below, shattered the cast iron
running board and tore through the
cab. The air hummed with ragged
fragments. Involuntarily the fireman
started back to avoid the deadly show
er hurtling down the side of the en-
CINE.
Too late! A terrible pain smote
his right temple; a burst of forked
red flame died into utter blackness,
and he dropped unconscious on the
sloping coaliin the tender.
Phil woke, as n might wake from
ether with the surgeons still at work