Middletown transcript., 1910-09-03


half of the cab forward Of the
frebox sat Engineer Dan Thorn,
hand on throttle, eyes on the
rails ahead.
Dan had the biggest shoulders
Of any B. and D. engineer. And
strong! Phil knew.
One dark night eight years be-
fore, q freckle-faced boy, who
thought himself practical joker,
had stretched two wires across a
sidewalk, ankle high and twenty
feet apart, Then he had hidden.
Dan, hurrying home, tired and
cross after a hot day, had fallen
over the first wire. He came up
muttering wrathfully. Freckle-
face was not after such big game.
He ran, forgetting the second
wire, and fell over it himself.
Before he could rise Dan had
him. That was why Phil 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. oldest of all Dan had
not recognized him. Perhaps it
was not 20 very odd, either, for
Dan had given the licking, not
received it. But Phil bore no
malice. Some time, possibly
after he got his own engine, he
would ask &c Dan remembered the
boy whose jacket he had busted.
But that would keep. Mean.
while Phil shoveled coal and ad.
mired the big shoulders.
Behind old 1040 rumbled the
long convention special, packed
with Sir Knights bound to their
annual assembly. Every man
aboard, including the entire pick
ed crew, belonged to the order.
It 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 O red signal at Worumbo flag
station.
Wonder what Pixies got up his
sleeve for us now ? he grumbled
under his breath. He did not
like stopping on the up grade
with ten heavy cars.
He saw Dan reach down and
snatch q yellow telegram from
the agent. Then they put on
speed again.
Phil shoYeled hard a minute
Then he went along the running
board TO see what Dan had. Orders
were that engineers must &C
quaint their firemeu with any
message.
Dan sat silent, reading the
track. He passed Phil the blank.
It spelled ont:
Run slow. Wreck near sta
ton. Fisher.
Phil walked back without a
word. A hundred dusty miles
of the hot June day had wearied
him. He was glad the terminal
lay just ahead, and that no more
coal would be needed on the easy
down grade.
He was about to start for his
own seat on the left of the csh
when above the roar Of the wheels
rose q sudden shout:
Hey, Phil!
Ont he leaned to see what Dan
wanted.
Bn.n.ngl rang an explosion,
like the report Of a shotgun. So
quickly that the sound seemed
almost continuous, followed the
crash Of rending metal. A gilt
tering steel bar, rising from be.
low, shattered the cast iron run.
ming board and tore through the
cab. The air hummed with
ragged fragments. Involuntar-
lily the fireman started back to
avoid the deadly shower hurting
down the side of the engine.
Too latel A terrible pain
snote his right temple; . burst
81 forked red fame died into
utter blackness, and he dropped
unconscious on the slOping GOA
ID the tender.
80 -
Phil woke, as one might wake
frOm ether with the surgeons
stiI1 at work on his head. Great
binding throbs of pain went
over him, as he lay numbly,
eyes stnt trying to puzzleit out.
Why was he lying there with
that specially hard lump Of coal
under his neckY Something
must have struck his head. His
knee, toohow it winged? He
tried u rise, but fell back, sick
and dizzy, everything awhirl
sound him.
.