Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1912-07-11

The porter was panic-stricken: "Oh,
I'm turrible sorry, boss, | wouldn't
have lost dat dog for a fortune. II
you was to hit me with a axe l
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 a 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-
%Drehensive: "Snoozleums Is III. He
did bite the darkey."
Worse than that-he-he-4el out
Of the window"
"When!" she shrteked, in heavens
name-when?"
He was there just a minute ago,
the waiter says"
Marjorie went into instant Mysteries,
wringing 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.
e<. He vas getting his education in
advance. He tried to calm her with
inexpert words: How can I stop the
train? Now, dearie, he was q nice
dog, but after all, he was only a dog"
She rounded on him like a panther:
only a dog! He was worth a dozen
men like you. You find the conductor
at once, command him to stop this
train-and back up! l don't care If
he has to go back ten miles. Eun,
tell him at nee. 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 1t, jumped for 1t several
times In vain, then seized a chair,
swung it into place, stood up In it,
gripped the rope, and came down on
1t with all her weight, dropping to the
floor and jumping up and down In q
~frenzied dance. In the distance the
engine could be heard family whist.
ling, whistling for every pull.
The engineer, far ahead, could not
imagine what unheard-of crisis could
bring about such mad signals. The
fireman yelled:
II bet that crazy conductor ls at
tackled with an epilettio 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 "Mur
der!" In the night, The women among
the passengers echoed the screams.
The meD 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.
Il don't see a beastly thing ahead"
said Wedgewood, except the heads
OF other fools"
We're slowing down though" said
Ashton, 'she stops! We're safe.
Thank God" And he collapsed into
a chair. Wedgewood collapsed into
another, gasping; "Whateyah 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 num-
bling:
1T would have been such a good
shansh to shave my life's wife--I
mean MY don't know what l mean"
He sank into a chair and ordered a
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 oniciaTs bewil-
dered wrath at the stoppage and had
a fearsome intuition that Marjorie
had somehow done the deed. He huE-
ried back to the observation room.
where he found her charging up and
down. still distrsught. He paused e.
. safe distance and said:
The train has stopped, my dear.
Somebody rang the bol-"
II guess somebody didi" Marjorie
answered, with . proud toss Of The
head. where's Tie CONDUCTOR .
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