Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1914-11-20

nostrils as NJ stepped out 20 OpeaA
with the guards, and as be stood there
waiting for the full daylight the mas
ter mechanic joined him.
He wal a full-blooded, round-headed
little man with determined views on
life, and he began the day, as usual
with his private opinion Of Mexicans
They were the same uncompllmentary
remarks to which he had given voice
on the day before. for the rebels had
captured one of his engines and ne
knew 1t would come to some harm.
"A fine bunch of hombres, yes" ne
ended, and may the devil fly away
with them! They took No. 8 at the
summit yesterday and I've been lis
tening ever since. Her pans are all
burned out and we've been feeding
her bran like a COW to keep her from
leaking steam. II some ignorant Mex
gets hold OF her you'll hear a big noise
-that'll be the last Of No. S-her
boiler will burst like a wet bag.
III | was running this road there'd
be no more bran-not since what saw
over at Aguascalientes on the Cen
trail. One Of those bum, renegade en-
CINE drivers had burned out No. 7&5.
but the rebels had ditched four OF our
best and we had to send her out Day
after day the boys had been feeding
her bran until she smelled like a dis
tillery. The mash was oozing out OF
her as Ben Tyrrell pulled up to the
station, and a friend Of his that had
come down from the north took one
sniff and swung up into the cab.
Ben came down at the word he
whispered-for they'd two Of EN-
blowed up in the north-and they sent
out another man. Hadn't got up the
hill when the engine exploded and
blew the poor devil to hell! asked
Tyrrell what his friend had told him,
but he kept 1t to himself until he could
get his time. It's the fumes, boy
they blow up like brandy-and old No
9 is sour!
She'll likely blow up, too. But how
can we TX her with these ignorant
Mexican mechanics? You should have
been over at Aguas the day they fred
the Americans.
mo more Americanos,' says Ma
dero, let EN- all out and hire Next
cans! The national railroads OF Mex
leo must not be In the hands OF for
eigners.' :
80 they fred us all in a day and
put a Mexican wood-passer up IN tho
cab Of old No. 313. He started to pull
a string of empties down the track.
threw on the air by mistake, and
stopped her on a dead-center. Pulled
out the throttle and she wouldn't go,
80 he gave 1t up and quit
Called In the master mechanic then
"a Mexican. He tinkered with her
for an hour, right there on the track
until she went dead on their hands
Then they ran down a switch engine
and took back the cars and called on
the roadmaster-a Mex. He cracked
the nut-built a shoofly around No.
313 and they left her right there on
the main track. Two days later ar
American hobo came by and set down
and laughed at 'em. Then he throws
off the brakes, gives No. S13 a boost
past the center with a crowbar, and
runs her to the roundhouse by gravity.
When we left Aguas on a handcar that
hobo was running the road.
'Tgnorantest hombres In the world
these Mexicans. Shooting a gun OF
running an engine. it's all the same
they've got nothing above the eye
brows."
That's right" agreed Bud. who had
been craning his neck; but what's
that noise up the trackT
The master mechanic listened. and
when his ears, dulled by the clangor o.
the shops, caught the distant roar he
turned and ran for the house.
Git up. Ed" he called to the rtad
master, they're sending a wild Gal
down the canyon-and she may b
| loaded with dynamite!"
Dynamite or not" r9Embled the
grizzled roadmaster, as he reused uI
from his couch, there's 6 derailer
put in up at .ilometer seventy the irs'
thing yesterday morning. ThatIl sent
her into the ditch!"
Nevertheless he listened intently
cooking his head to guess by tn
sound when it came to kilomete,
seventy.
TO BE CONTINUEDS