Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-08-11
Tl1iEsREPUBLICAN AiARsHAIL1owN II, 1914

y Now We do git!' he cried, his f1sts
doubled and his nostrils distended.
There's Z fright train Just pullin' In
at the depot, an IL we run like Texas
down the back way, In the shadow Of
the houses, we KIN climb her. There
amt a second. Start runnin', tell
your
Both men were upon their feet and
had grabbed their hats
Nov, what's the matter?" demand
ed Wallingford.
Don't ask me no questions" plead
ed Toad, "Ole Saghorn is just finish
in speech up on Redeye square, an
he's got 'em all to believin' that You
two jes' gave 'em slick talk to gain
time SOS youse could sneak out Of
town. They'll be down here a-sizzlin'
in about three minutes by the way
they was howlin', an this time there
won't be no speeches made. Saghorn,
he says"-Ia
~ don't care what he says" inter
rupted Blackie. II have an important
engagement, and IL you two gentlemen
win excuse me shall just jog upon
my way"
Wallingford marveled at how slowly
he ran for so swift movement Of his
legs. He noticed that Bmckie was
several houses in advance of him, and
he believed that Toad was darting
along somewhere in his neighborhood,
but he took no accurate observations.
He was paying very strict attention
to the stationary headlight of that
freight engine and to the rough ground
that he was traversing. 1t seemed
constantly rising up toward him, and
if he ever let it come up near enough
to hit him in the place which most af-
fected his breathing-well, there was
enough money in the bank to make
Fannie and little Jimmie comfortable.
But he felt that they needed him.
Just before he reached the track the
train began to move. He saw Blackie
run down to meet it and Chamber
upon the nrst car and leap over its
edge with the jerky motion of jump
ing jack. With desperate squirt Wal
Hngford reached the track as that
same car came up to him. He made a
wild clutch at it and marveled to find
his hand gripped tightly upon the hand
bar and his foot resting firmly in the
iron stirrup. For couple Of minutes,
which seemed as many ages, he hung
there trying to regain his breath; then,
summoning all his strength. he brought
up his other foot, stepped to the buff
fer, crawled upon the edge Of the car
and fell in. A groan told him that he
had fallen upon Blackie, but neither
one Of them had the energy or the
breath to move for some minutes.
Blackie was the first to recover, and,
the car being full of slack coal that
pyramided down into the corners, he
managed to wriggle himself out from
under the heavy body that lay partly
upon him, although the effort brought
down rush Of the black pebbly pow
der that enyeloped them both in the
Sitting inky dust.
The thought that had made BIackie
release himself so energetically was
with him yet, however, for as soon as
he could free his tongue from its thick
coating he gasped:
where's Toad?"
Where was Toad? A quick search
around the edges Of the car revealed
the fact that he was not with them
nor. could they see him hanging to the
train upon either side. In chat heart
sick moment they knew how genuine
ly fond Of the boy they were, and at
that moment also the train gave for
ward lurch as it left the top of the up
ward pull and started upon the down
grade, and the water tank that had
Just been filed stopped part of its con-
tents back upon them, wetting them
to the skin. 1t was a refreshing bath,
and it washed OFF some of the coal
dust in streaks, though it made the
dust that they acquired in the balance
of the ride stick to them better.
1t was SO that Wallingford left Dou-
galville, and he gladly saw its lights
cading behind him as they jolted away.