The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-12-31

slowly coming down toward him. Oh
sudden he realized what it al
meant; these were men who had been
discharged. They wanted to have the
dynamite blow itself up on the track
and so get even.
He had the charity to believe that
they did not think Of the possible
consequence to the express.
| Suddenly his imagination filled with
a sickening spectacle. A passenger
train smashed all to bits, the smell of
dynamite and fire, and Of burning
wood and burning flesh! Dead people
everywhere along the right of way!
He struck his fallen foe a sharp
blow across the head with the sledge,
and with an awful sense of fear and
horror he caught the side ladder of
the passing car, and with the sledge
still in his hand, swung himself
aboard. He hurriedly clambered up
and sticking the sledge under the foot.
deck tried to set the brakes as he had
so often seen the brakeman do.
The wheel spun around easily, but
it seemed to have nothing at the bot
tom Of 1t. The car was now humping
merrily along, like an irresponsible
calf broken from its yard He ran
back to the rear end, and stopped
there irresolutely.
Swanson's first impulse was to leap
from the car, but the ground below
was flying back very fast now. He
saw that he had done a very foolish
thing in getting aboard
He looked down at the flying earth
beneath and at the ragged blur of rock
and cacti rushing by. To leap meant
certain death! To ride on meant
death in the explosion that must
come when the flying car should dash
against the engine!
AS his eye roved down the flying
track and back to the car again the
CLINT of the sun on the face Of the
drill-hammer arrested his attention.
He looked at it. It was an ordinary
eight-pound sledge. and a plan like
an inspiration came to him-a plan
not to save his own life, for he looked
upon that as lost, but to save the train
below him.
He hurried to the forward end and
peered over. Like a narrow ledge,
barely as wide as the sole of his heavy
shoe, hung the forward brake-beam,
and down to that led the iron rod of |
the brake-staff. He looked only for !
a moment. nodded his head confident.
ly, and reaching back for the sledge,
gripped it firmly and slid down the
rod. His feet touched the swaying
brake-beam, and he exulted in the Gun.
ming of his plan.
The wind whistled in his ears and
drove his long yellow hair into his
eyes. The jolting jerks seemed al.
ways about to throw him off. He
waited, for it needed curve to make
his plan effective. Suddenly his eye
caught the coveted curve barely q hun.
dred yards away.
Just at the middle of the turn he
thrust the maul-head down on the fly.
Ing rail just forward of the wheel.
There was sudden, tremendous jerk;
he had feeling of being thrown a
mile, and that was all!
Afterward, when the crew of the ex.
press came up to find out whether 1t
was an earthquake or a volcano that
had broken loose and disarranged the
landscape, they found him lying in
the middle of the right of way,
thrown there by a strange trick of
fate. while the box car, with its dead.
ly cargo. had been hurled clear into .
the canyon below.
They poured water on his head and .
listened to his story. Then they took ,
him with them to the end of the run.
When the superintendent heard his
tale and found that it was really true
he asked him what he could do to
square" the business. Swanson, !
whose mind was simple, and who still :;
feared mines and dynamite, made an !:
swer:
"Ay tank Ay like to go back to ]
Meester McQuirk. Ay taL': hay !
might haaer from his frand by dis ::
tame."
So, he went back, and McQuirk ]
shook him by the hand and put heart !
and hope into him with few more :;
words: I
Swanson, yez have no more Until :
let than jack-rabbit, although yez Z
have improved it, but yez do be havin' {
an amazin' intilligince now, an there's
no denyin' it. Oh have changed the
noind Of me about yez, an me frind
he prisidint of the Raypublic of Mex
co will have to take back safe ontil
he prisidint of this railroad caan
ave a thry for yez.
Swanson, be gobs, yez caan hav
yer job back if yez kill aal the dagoes
IN the division"