Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-27


Richard also guessed the terrible
hands, then Richard spoke: "Do we
stop at any station near here?"
Don't know" replied Harold.
"Guess not, though, for most Of this
lumber goes west hundreds Of miles.
Before we get to moving too fast.
let's get out, We can open the door
and drop to earth"
But the car door had been securely
locked from the outside! Then the
boys dropped back on the lumber and
gasped. They realized their dilemma.
1.-THE train is obliged to stop some
time today" declared Richard. "They
have to change train crews and en-
gines. At least, that's what I've al
ways heard. know the engineer
works only certain hours, so when the
train stops at some point to take
another engineer, we'll yell with all
our lungs and they'll let us out"
But their yells did not suffice to
bring help. When the train did stop
that evening, Harold and Richard
cried out with all their lungs. But
theirs was the last car of train half
q mile long. And the engine stood at
q little landing where the crew was
changed, and water taken.
But they were brave, hopeful boys,
and made their food and drink 60 as
far as possible. well be in this pal
ace car for several days, perhaps" said
Richard. $50 we'll have to string out
the grub and water"
THE thing that worries me most,
hn% Pofh
will be almost beside themselves over
our strange disappearance" said Har-
old. "And ten to one. they'll wire your
parents all about it. Then there'l be
two sets of them frantic. Gee! it was
q foolish thing to do-getting into
a box car and closing the door. How
poor dear mother and father will
worry. They'll drag the lake; the
whole town will be out searching for
Us, and worst Of all, mother will really
be Ill. Oh, If only mother and father
could be told.''
"WeIl wire the moment we again
set foot on terra firma," said Richard.
On the evening of the second day
The train slowed down, then stopped.
And after vainly calling out. the boys
had decided the time Of their free
dom had not yet arrived. Then OF
l sudden they heard voices, and some |
one seemed to be at the fore end OF |
The car. The boys pounded violently !
On the car-door, shouting till their |
voices became hoarse. Then they
relt thump, and bit later they
were shot of from the main track
and stood quite still.
They've side-tracked u.s." said
Richard. But even as he spoke a
noise at the door of their car was
heard: than the door slid open and
a man looked in. Come out, you |
he yelled. 1t was plain that
be thought he had pair of weary |
inside the car, stealing ride.
What was his establishment when two |
fine lads appeared over the boards,
out. Then the boys told
their story, and the man grew SYM
pathetic. "Well, we'll" was all he
could say for some minutes. Then he
led the boys down the track to the
station, and Richard wrote out a tele-
gram to send to his parents while
Harold wrote similar one to send
to his.
safe and sound at Harden Falls,
where we were carried by mistake in
box car. where we sought shelter
from storm last Saturday" This was
the message that went flying over the
wires to two distract d families, for
the Jacksons had communicated by
telegram with the Peterses. And all
were busy searching through two
counties. The lake had been dragged,
every nook and corner Of the hills
had been explored, and the mothers
had given up. mourning their boys
as dead. The fathers, however, kept
UP the search, Offering a reward for
any information of their sons where
abouts.
Well, the boys reached Harold's
home as soon as the east-bound ex-
press could take them there. They
had no money to pay their way, but
the railroad company had received
orders from the fathers to send their
boys along. And when at last the
young travellers arrived, they found
all four parents there to receive them.
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