The Press., 1914-08-19

Yo1T be fried Ike a pancake on a griddlew
 But Lannigan only grinned and leap ed aboard the old engine. We didn't know what he was up to until he'd coupled on the three empty box cars and rattled away over the switches and out of the yard.
 "He's making a bluff." some of us said.
 Others who respected the pluck lt took to approach the fire thought he'd never get through. but would waste his steam for nothing.
 'Well, Jimmy, it's going to be hOi run," the long legged Yankee told his stoker as they neared the first belt ot fire. You fill up the furnace. and I'll slow down so you can jump. I don't want to take another man to perdition with me-"
 "Oh, guess I'll stop" says SlossOn kind of shamefaced.
 Then they shook hands on it. and from that moment neither questioned the others intention of sticking to his job.
 But Jimmy had loaded the old en- zine for bear all right before they reached the fire line. She was whirl. 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.
 Were getting there. Jimmy! sings out Lannigan at last. ''Shin over into the water tank and fling a pail or SC over me when you get a chance"
 He stood out on the running board with a 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 his long figure.
 Suddenly the engine seemed to run into a veritable wall of flame. It ex- tended far across the rOadbed. and il 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
  right at the lever.
 His sparse mustache. his eyebrows his shock of sandy hair were gone. He was as bald as a parrot. and his cloth ing was afire in a dozen spots. But he turned a horrible grin upon Jimmy and waved his hand.
 ''Give us another bucket!" he croak' &O11 o1i E.a1 nV1f of h6 tank, more dead than alive himself and put out the burning garments.
 Then they reached Yardsley.
 I guess if any two men were ever welcomed as angels straight from heaven it was Lannigan and his stOker, though they must have looked deal more like devils from the pit.
 Two hundred and ninety people, who had given up their last hope of con- tinued existence, piled into those three box cars like cattle. The doors were closed, and then it was up to Lannigan and Jimmy to run them back to Lat tell.
 The old engine was reversed, and back through the awful belt of flame
  boxes.
 Lannigan certainly showed that day what he could do when he had the right of way.
 Scorched almost to a cinder one in stant and saturated the next. Lannigan stood at his post and brought the res cue train through to Lattell. The box cars were afire and the passengers half suffocated when they arrived.
 Jimmy was pretty nearly drowned in the tank, and we picked Lannigan of the engine just as he caved completely Daddy LongIegs'' was some time in the hospital and came plaguy near los ing his sight. and all because of that run. But if a man was ever popular along the line of the old M. and s. P, his name was Lannigan.
 The first day he got down to the yard the super happened to be there him self. The line was open again and everything running smoothly by that time. only the miles upon miles of charred forest and the heap of ashes where Yardsley had stood telling of the forest fire.
 "Humph!' said the super. trying to Aick out the engineers hand which was least bandaged to shake. "1 hear you've been doing some tall running down here. Lannigan."
 And the driver grinned sheepishly, as though he had done something to be ashamed of.
 "DOnaldsOn's got your record chalk ed up on his office wall over the Limit ed. Guess we'll have to find you some thing better than a freight to pull out when you're well enough"
 And Lannigan got the mail train the next fortnight