Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1911-04-21

flyer. Already the last coach was past
the station, and in a moment it was
disappearing pthe track. Handon,
seeing all clear at the tiny station, had
turned his eagle eyes ahead, so he did
not see Shaugnessy.
As the last car swung out of sight
around the shoulder of the mountain,
poor Shaugnessy threw up his arms
to heaven, letting out yell or despair
that would have reused the entire sta
ton had not all the men been out al
work on the line. At that monument,
! up the track, Torrance 0'Heagan
stood of the rail, looking in astonish-
ment after the vanishing train.
The ould fool" he said aloud. Hes
let the flyer through"
But in a second a grayer though.
I sobered him.
Ills you're Irresponsible, Torrance
: OHeagan," he added, "wid your up
sedn' av the little mans dignity.
Twill cost lives at the bottom O. He'll
Mouth and break Shaugnessy's heart.
TN u Ugh scramble, but here goes"
TING young Irfshman settled his old
hat on his head, spat on his hands
and catching the rocky lip of the gorge
dropped down. There was just one
thing to do-cross He'll Mouth, down
one side and up the other which no
man did so long as there were four
miles of track to be walked instead.
Down, down, down, from rock to
rock and ledge to ledge, went Ter
rance, hurrying nightly, that he
might be on hand when the flyer care
crawling back along the loop.
The loose stones ratified beneath his
feet, and small precipices yawned here
and there. AS Torrance worked down,
toiling with his young strength. a.
sound above caught his ear. High
above him, scrambling in panic haste,
falling, leaping, sliding, there came
the little form of the station-master,
and if Terance could have seen the
pitiful despair of his ugly old face, his
good-natured heart would have been
wrung. Shaugnessy was trying to
save the train he had imperilled with
his first blunder. At the bottom, Ter
race looked up again. The WORK was
just commenced. The climb Of He'll
Mouth Canyon was feat to speak of
with respect. Torrance set himself 10
the face of the cliff and started. Inch /
by inch, he crawled up the breast of
the crevassed rock. Clinging into
riffs, drawing his body over bullying
stone, toiling with all his strength, K |
was a task for youth. When he could
look down, he marveled at the rate
at which the older man was fighting
has way up. Torrance could hear the
breath whistling in his throat. twas
a cruel task. But dull roar from
the cliffs above drew young Terrace
from idle thoughts. The train was
coming! Only last shelf interviewed
between him and the top, but it vas
the steepest of the lot, the rim ot the
canyon. At it he went, digging into
the climb with the energy bred of
danger and catastrophe. Inch by
inch, he went up it, the heart bursting
in his breast with sickening fear as
the roar increased.
AS he crawled over the edge, the
flyer turned the last loop. Torrance
tore off his shirt and waved it fran
tically. There was an angry shri9k
from the whistle, an order to get off
the track, but when he disobe! ed,
Handon pressed lever, and the heavy
train slowed down and stopped with
hiss and a protest.
An explanation was needed, and
Terrance's quick Irish mind picked
out and arranged with lightning-like
swiftness a neat row of lies to save
poor old Shaugnessy.
otis close shave we've had, Han
don," he gasped, "a specials out av
Skytop-message came as We thun-
dered by-somethin' wrong wild the
ould telegraph instrumnt-was wor-
rukin slow, and poor ould Shaugnessy
crossed He'll Mouth to head yez off.
Yes, sor, savin' yer prisence," said Ter
rance, turning at an exclamation from
huge man in patent feathers and
diamonds, who had hurried from a
private coach, Eyes, sor, l was wor-