Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-09-13

| Mallory observed. wen, guess ne
gone"
The porter was panic-stricken: "Oh,
I'm turrible sorry, boss, | wouldn't
have lost dat dog for fortune. Ii
you was to hit me with axe
wouldn't mind"
To his utter befuddlement, Mallory
grinned and winked at him, and muir.
INJURED: "Oh, that's all right. Don't
worry" And actually laid half dol
lar in his palm. Leaving the black
lids batting over the starting eyes,
Mallory pulled his smile into a long
face and went back to Marjorie like
an undertaken: ''My love, prepare
yourself for bad news"
Marjorie looked up, startled and ap-
prehensive: ''Snoozleums Is i'll. He
did bite the darkey."
"Worse than that-he-he-fell out
OF the window"
"Whenl" she shrieked. Gin heavens
name-when?"
"He was there just a minute ago.
the waiter says"
Marjorie went into instant Mysteries,
wringtng her hands and sobbing: "Oh,
my darling, my poor child-stop the
train at once!"
She began to pound Mallory's
shoulders and shake him frantically.
He had never seen her this way eth
err He was getting his education in
advance. He tried to calm her with
tnexpert words: "How can l stop the
train? Now, dearie, he was nice
dog, but after all, he was only dog"
She rounded on him like panther:
"Only dog! He was worth dozen
men like you. You find the conductor
at once, command him to stop this
train--and back up! I don't care il
he has to go back ten miles. Run.
tell him at once. Now, you rum"
Mallory stared at her as If she had
gone mad, but he set out to run some
where, anywhere. Marjorie paced up
and down distractedly, tearing her
hair and moaning, "Snoozleums, Snoo-
zleums! My child. My poor child"
At length her wildly rowing eyes noted
the bell rope. She stared, pondered,
nodded her head, clutched at it, could
not reach it, jumped for it several
times in vain, then seized chair.
swung it into place, stood up in 1t.
gripped the rope, and came down on
1t with all her weight. dropping to the
floor and jumping up and down in a
frenzied dance. In the distance the
engine could be heard family whist
limo Uhio&1jp0 for ovorv null
The engineer, far ahead, could not
imagine what unheard-of crisis could
bring about such mad signals. The
fireman yelled:
Il bet that crazy conductor Is at
tackled with an epilettic fit"
But there was no disputing the
command. The engine was reversed.
the air brakes set, the sand run out
and every effort made to pull the
iron horse, as it were, back on its
launches.
The grinding, squealing, jolting.
shook the train like an earthquake.
The shrieking Of the whistle froze the
blood like a woman's cry of Muir
der!" In the night. The women among
the passengers echoed the screams.
The men turned pale and braced
themselves for the shock of collision.
Some of them were mumbling pray
ers. DR.. Temple and Jimmie Yelling
ton, with one idea in their dissimilar
souls, dashed from the smoking room
to go to their wives.
Ashton and Wedgewood, with no
one to care for but themselves, seized
windows and tried to fight them open.
At last they budged a sash and knelt
down to thrust their heads out.
II don't see a beasty thing ahead"
said Wedgewood, except the heads
of other FOOLS"
Were slowing down though" said
Ashton. "she stops! We're safe.
Thank God!" And he collapsed into
a chair. Wedgewood collapsed into
another, gasping: "Whatevah are we
safe from, wondah?"
The train-crew and various passen-
gers descended and ran alongside the
train asking questions. Panic gave
way to mystery. Even DR.. Temple
came back into the smoking room to
finish a precious cigar he had been at
work on. He was followed by Little
Jimmie, who had not quite reached
his wife when the stopping OF the
train put an end to his excuse for
chivalry. He was regretfully mum
bling:
ut would have been such good
shansh to shave my life's wife-I
mean MY don't know what mean"
He sank into chair and ordered q
drink; then suddenly remembered his
vow, and with great heroism, rescind-
ed the order.
Mallory, finding that the train was
checked just before he reached the
conductor, saw that officials bewil-
dered wrath at the stoppage and had
a fearsome intuition that Marjorie
had somehow done the deed. He hur-
ried back to the observation room.
where he found her charging up and
down, still distraught. He paused at
a safe distance and said:
THE train has stopped, my dear.
Somebody rang the bell'
II guess somebody did," Marjorie
answered, with a proud toss OF the
head. where's the conductor"
Hes looking for the fellow that
pulled the rope"
You go tell him to back up-and
slowly, too"
"No, thank you!" said Mallory. He
was brave young man, but he was
- ~ str
ped expresses. Already the conduc-
\ ir ho lit