La Junta tribune., 1910-08-20
Take the
Siding
A Warning BY Which an Acci-
dent WAs Averted.
By EMMA ARCHER OSBORNE
Copyright 1910. by American Press
Association,


OF the railroad and had married Lib.
bic Nelson. The wedding was only
yesterday, and now that II WAS over
and they had started for the east the
villagers had time TO revert TO the
story. The Nelson's were SO proud OF
their new son.in-Iaw that they could
not restrain themselves from telling.
despite the prorestations OF Libbie and
Jim
Shortly after the night of the church
concert when Casey heard I.ibbie Mel.
son sing that song which had some
thing In 1t about angels In charge"
he commenced TO think things about
angels. ana one day his Imagination
evolved an angel. or something as near
like one as he could picture When
tasey's mental vision bcheld II he
broke into IA satisfied grin. II brought
forth to visual observation 1t would
have appeared strikingIy like Libbie
Nelson.
Things went along quietly for two
months and thcu something hap.
pencd.
While Casey was on his way to the
yards at Buffalo TO board 800 for
the return trip an ambulance went
galloping past him. Ambulanccs pass
people frequently In big city. aud
there was nothing about this one In
particular 10 apprise Casey that Nat
Taylor. fireman for Bin Whalen. who
was running SRI. was Inside, II was
nasty night, ana Taylor had slipped
ON the Icy tracks aud broken u leg.
When Casey. with few extra min
uteS on hand. Sgiuutprpd into the train
disparcher's office he found that insti-
tuition In vuluble frrmcut. OF course
everybody was sorry for Taylor. but
IA fireman with broken leg was of
small concern In comparison with the
awkward situation In which he had
left them
special. carrying the president of
the road from New York to Chicago
on business OF vital Import was at
that moment only ten miles from the
station aud coming at the rate of a
mile a minute
Bill Whalen, one OF the best en-
gineers on the road. and 500. the
pick and pride of the roundhouses.
were out In the depo, yards waiting to
relieve the incoming and already over
heated locomotive. Whalen and 500
were ready TO couple on at a moment's :
notice. bur no substitute had yet been
found for Taylor. aud there were pre-
cious few minutes TO spare.
Casey was not given long TO ponder
on the excitement OF the office. He
had no more thnn crossed the threshold
when Thompson. the train dispatcher.
literally icaped across the room and
grasped him by the arm.
Get out TO 500 ms quick as you cam
he shouted. Hurry. For Gods sake
hurry! Don't stop for anything. Run.
Whaien n tell your
Casey peeled otY his coat as he was
climbing Into the cab. and he had
menced 10 throw coal when the special.
strnining and wheeling. crunchcd on
the track alongside.
Switching aud coupling were matters
OF seconds only. and, although the
night was intensely cold. two men
stood on the platform of the single
coach anxiously watching proceedings
ON. WIS n large. stern yisaged person
He was restless. He cbcwed nt his
short white mustnche. buttouej and
unbu,ton-d his fur Goa, and never took
his eyes OF the engine until they were
getting under headwuy.
DO your best boys" he shouted
across the tender to the men In the cn.
gine rs they shuntej on the main track
and set on The determined mods he
received In reply were assuring
WHkrful farmers nnd bclntcd VII.
layers were puzzled by the unusual
traveller as So9 with her single con.
sort mnmentarily flashed on their view
III" monster one eyed demon wrath
sliding. cleaning, screeching ncross
country.
The special had left murky Clcv..
lnnd aud had climbed th. long west
grade 20 the blun land bordering the
lake. The snow had turned to sic.t.
and everything indicated thnt II had
been slc"ting Tor some tim, In that 10.
enlliy. III. landscape glistcnej. tele.
graph poles and fences shonc like crys.
tai spectcrs. wires were thick with In.
crustntions. and after n distance they
were sHgging. and then som. wer.
broken aud dragging ON the ground,
There's no use talking" growicd
Wbsi.p. rive goi to slow down some
or wen b. blown Into the middle OF
nowhere. Get rwny from this dcyili-h
lake. then We can make up"
lie ea."d sJo bit. Yet she putTcd
aud pulled and stuck nobly TO her task.
10 orders To clcnr the tracks didn't
Get through before those wires went
down We may he MI In" observed ca.
ses.
You're about right" replied wbnicb
glun,iy. but the only thing can do
In In which for sirunIs'