The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1912-05-30

did what they could. And many who
could do nothing else paid the. eloquoG,
tribute Of silent tears. \ batr. It poor
helpless waif from a foreign land. h.@
done what has baH!cd the logic ~
centuries it had broken the "rau..,
barriers o. social caste and captured
the citadel of the common hannah
heart.
The snow blockade was raised. and
the train moved on. And Pacifica rui-
ed her moving autocracy with her
scepter of love as they passed Ogden.
crossed the sagebrush deserts of Ne
yada and climbed the Sierras. She
wanted for nothing that her loyal sub
! jects could supply. As each successive
crew took charge of the train the train
baby was duly and cheerfully accepted
as part thereof. These blunt, rough
men of the iron rails were as gentle
and tender with the orphaned child
whom chance had thrown in their way
as though she had been of their own
| nesh and blood. If she was fretful at
siding or desert watering tank she
| would be taken out of her car and
passed about among the trainmen.
! tram dispatcher. conductor, engineer.
| fireman, brakemen. porters, baggage
men and hotel runners. all taking
| aWkwark turns at holding her or 9th
erwise contributing to her entertain
ment Pacitca owned the train and
| the whole works
The Sierras were crossed. Sacramen-
to was reached and passed, and the
| train headed south toward the San
| Joaquin and Los Angeles.
| A few miles south of Sacramento q
| storm, suddenly blowing in from the
| ocean, was encountered, which in
creased in violence as they neared
| Bakersfield and the Tehachepi noun
| tains.
At Bakersfield the wind was blowing
fifty mile clip and the rain was com
| ing down like a cloudburst.
'Ticklish business up there, Rogers
| yelled the conductor to the engineer as
| he waved his hand toward the storm
swept heights of the Tehachepi. Rog-
| NAo AitANt llO IltNN4 " w lOINl VI lut udI-
ger of landslides in this the first Sc
we're storm of the season.
1t was II o'clock that night when the
| engineer stopped for water a short dis
lance below tunnel No. 3. The night
| was very black, and the storm beat and
roared about the train like an army
of demons. The trainmen. incased in
| their long raincOats. flashed their Ian
| terms about. examining bookings. test
| ing air brakes and otherwise making
| ready for the next run. when suddenly
| Iacitlca'S baby wall from her car just
! back Of the mail car arose above the
| noise of the storm.
1t reached the ears Of the engineer
walking back by the tender. and
| straightWay. instead of the screaming
| wind and peltiug rain, he heard the
voice of his own child calling to him
| from new made grave in Los Ange-
| les, and instead of the two glistening
rails stretching away from the head
| light into the gloom he saw the plead
| ing eyes and outstretched arms of his
| dead boy. And the heart of the brave
man came up in his throat. and he felt
| coming over him the weakness that for
days had incapacitated him after his
| loss.
"Oh, my God." he muttered to him
self as the plaintive cry again smote
| his ears. THAT sounded like little
| Bob"
And then Engineer Rogers did an ull-
! precedented thing. Telling his fireman
he would return in a minute he start
| ed back through the storm to where
Pacifica lay crying and refusing to be
| comforted.
| Dripping with storm water, he edged
| his way through the circle of attend
ants and bent over the train baby's
| crib.
The crying instantly ceased. Wheth-
er it was the play Of the car lights on
his wet raincuat or the hypnotism Of
| love in his presence there was no tell
| ing. But the UlaiHt stopped and was
not RESUMED until he had toyed with
her for moment and turned to go.
Then the wailing began again, nor
did it cease until the engineer turned
| and again smiled down into the biz
| blue eyes.
The moments followed each other
unnoted. ana the Southern Pacific
Overland limited was being held while
| her engineer played with an orphaned
! einigrdnt child. Again and again he
| turned to 80. and again and again the
| baby arms We're held out in irresistible
| appeal.
Suddenly the roar of the storm out
! side was interrupted by Il deeper and
more significant roar, mingled with
! rending. crashing sounds. followed by
a conclusion which shook the whole
| mountain side.
A landslide. Not a trainman but
| recognized these ominous sounds. In
| stantly a handcar was manned and
| went forward to recOnnOiter
! A mile up -she track they found the
mouth of tunnel No. 5 completely bar
ricaded by vast mass of huge bowl
| derS and earth and tree trunks, swept
| from their anchorage ON the heights
| above