Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-01
The Daily Story
Breaking the Lirnit-By Jared L. Fuller.
Copyrighted 1914. BY Associated Literary Bureau.

ward the sidetrack.
Donaldson NODDED.
I'm going to hitch my engDs :,
'em. Jimmy and NEIL see If us
git down there ana beat that bsyba,ea
Gimme clear switchr' y
The roundhouse foreman only s,.
but, after Lannisan had disspnaa'H,
from the window. he rushed 10 ~
door and yelled after him: 'De
Hey, You. Grandfather rono,.-.
You'll be fried ike a pancake y, - :.
griddIep Va
BUT Lannigan nly grinned and Loo,
60 aboard the Cd engine. We djsn.,
know what he vas up to until bss
coupled on the aree empty box esrs
and ratified away over the switcha.
and out Of the yard.
He's making blur" some Of ma
said. VI ~
Others who respected the pluck q
took to approach the fire thought ba's
never get through. but would waste H.
steam for nothing.
Wen, Jimmy, it's going to be hot
rum the long legged Yankee told H.
stoker as they neared the first beIt AZ
nre- You I'll up the furnace, and TN
SLOW down so you can jump. l dom.
want to take another man to perditton
with me-"
"Oh, I guess I'll STOP" says slosson.
kind Of shamefaeed.
Then they shook hands on fl. aud
from that moment neither questioned
the others intention Of sticking to his
Job.
But Jimmy had loaded the old an.
CINE for bear all right before they
reached the fire line. She was whirI-
ing miles under her drivers at a rate
to beat even our one fast train. and
the empty boxes behind were dancing
like mad over the rough roadway.
We're getting there, JimmyP sings
out Lannigan at last. "Shin over into
the water tank and fling a pail or SO
over me when you get chance"
He stood out on the running board
with hand on the lever. his cap visor
shielding his eyes from the smoke and
flying sparks, peering ahead as best he
could at the rails. Jimmy, up to his
neck in the tank, flung pail after pail
of water over bis long figure.
Suddenly the engine seemed to run
into a veritable wall of fame. 1t ex-
tended far across the roadbed. and 1t
wrapped the train about in a living
seething mantle as she rushed on.
It seemed as though no man could
go through that sea of fire alive. but
when the old engine staggered out Of
the fire belt Lannigan still stood up
right at the lever.
His sparse mustache, his eyebrows,
his shock Of sandy hair were gone He
was as bald as parrot, and his cloth
ing was afire in a dozen spots. But he
turned horrible grin upon Jimmy and
waved his hand
p Give lis ssaosfsc.- buclze-,..<ksa c-oak-
ed. And the stoker climbed out of the
tank, more dead than alive himself,
Ind put out the burning garments.
Then they reached Yardsley.
I guess if any two men were ever
as angels straight from
heaven it was Lannigan and his stoker.
hough they must have looked deal
more like devils from the pit.
Two hundred and ninety people, who
ad given up their last hope of con-
inued existence, piled into those three
OK cars like cattle. The doors were
losed, and then 1t was up to Lannigan
nd Jimmy to run them back to Lat
ELL
The old engine was reversed. and
ack through the awful belt of fame
al ta nil, hn
oxes.
Lannigan certainly showed that day
hat he could do when he had the
ght of way.
Scorched almost to a cinder one in
ant and saturated the next, Lannigan
God at his post and brought the res
lie train through to Lattell. The box
RS were afire and the passengers
IF suffocated when they arrived.
Jimmy was pretty nearly drowned in
e tank. and We picked Lannigan off
e engine just as he caved completely.
Daddy Longlegs" was some time in
e hospital and came plaguy near los
g his sight. and all because Of that
II. But If man was ever popular
ong the line OF the old NJ. and S. T.
5 name was Lannigan.
rhe first day he got down to the yard
g super happened to be there him
lf. The line was open again and
erything running smoothly by that
ne, only the miles upon miles OF
AIRED forest and the heap of ashes
here Yardsey had stood telling OF
e forest fire
'Humphp' said the super. trying TO
k oct the engineer's hand which was
st bandaged to shake. II hear
1--WE been doing some tall running
wn here, Iannigan."
And the driver grinned sheepishly,
though he had done something 10
ashamed Of
Donaldsonis got your record chalk
up on his office walt over the Limit
Guess we'll have to find you some
ng better than a freight to pull out
len you're well enough"
md Lannigan got the mail train the
It fortnight