Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-29


deed heat and cold nosed aside rain and steed
upon whose haunch weighed light as thistledown
and yet to whose closing hand fexng she yielded
instant obedience.
His heart quickened the blood flew to his face and he
heard himself saying remote unfamiliar voice. major
Maxim can pull this train through to Tehachapi."
THE general superintendent whirled about and
fixed the speaker upon humorous, half-contemptu-
Gus glance.
eyes; but I'm also locomotive engineer"
Maxim studied the young moment, incredu-
lously, but with the CLEAN Of hope that drowning
man casts at straw. "What were you discharged
for?" he asked
Il wasn't discharged l resigned
Bland hesitated. But in that exalted moment lie
would have been pollution Il lost my nerve" he an
swered steadily.
The confession seemed to catch Maxi's fancy. 3Yet
you volunteer to pull of the fastest trains in Amer
ica stretch of the devils country and that
without knowing the track"
Il know the track l fired freight over this division
for year and I'll pull this train into Tehachap time
if you'll give me the chance"
Again Maxims fancy caught, this time by the
young mans lips set tight as the jaws Of steel trap
and metallic hardness OF eye. @By heavens, Bland
I'll accept your challenge But, mark you, III ride
the cab, where can keep eye you. Yes and III
fire too' he added exuberantly stripping off his coat
aFiring's mans job, suggested Bland.
3And I'm man. retorted the official. Besides,
don't suppose there's anyone else this train who
knows how to steam engine.
He recalled the brakeman who was shining up a
door asked for the caps and bouses of the injured
He slipped set and handed the other to
Bland Then he started for the boulder which, as solid
chunk of iron ORE successfully resisting the at
tack of the passengers.
zone minute, Major" interposed Bland. 4Idon't
object to your firing I'm glad to have you, for that
chllds play to haul this train through better than
schedule time If anything happens the law will hold
me, not you, responsible. Is that understood?'
Maxim eyed him searchngly half suspiciousy, for
an Instant then, smiling he answered with his first
show of cordialty,. Nov know you're engineer.
l accept your stipulation.
THE boulder was finally shunted down the embank-
ment, and the passengers warned aboard Jesse,
followed by Maxim, clambered up the gangway ladder
and spent half minute familiazing himself with the
intricate system of controls the herculean driver
being type he had never driven. Then throwing the
reversing lever forward and easing off the brakes he
laid steady hand upon the throttle. The long, gsten-
ing line OF Pulmans began to gently pro-
PEELED by the breath of zephyr.
Incing the throttle and notching up the reverse
to shorten the valve motion in the steam chest-"cut-
ting off for speed in the vernacuar,-he forced the
Pathfinder into faster and faster pace until dropping
the rim of the great Barren Basin she sped down
the straight, gentle gradient like projectle fired from
a colossal gun.
The telegraph poles, stretching endlesslv ahead,
weaved and reeled weirdly in their swift and threaten
ing advance, and fitted past the cab window like spec
trail exclamation points of Brobdngnagian size while
the sagging webs of wire between and fell with the
regular stroke of wing
Behind the red impalpable dust was sucked up in a
vertical, wrlthing cloud, forming comet whose head
was chained to the observation platform, but whose
coneshaped tail higher and higher from earth until
it proclaimed the passing Of the Pathfinder the desc
late mining camps in the Lesser Mapdalenes thirty
miles to the north.
The locomotive, scarcely pressing the rails lateraly
on this stra1ghtaway stretch steadily spin
ming top, with slow, gradual declnation and recover
real or apparent to side, the other
Except for the hoarse continuous of the exhaust
and the throb and chatter of revolving and recprocating
parts would not have suspected her of Keeling
off better than ninety miles hour.