The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-06-19


cans! The national railroads of Mex
leo must not be In the hands of for.
eigners.'
$50 they fred US all in a day and
put Mexican wood-passer up In the
cab Of old No. 313. He started to pull
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 60,
30 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 vent 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 shoo-fly around No.
313 and they left her right there on
the main track. Two days later an
American hobo came by and set down
and laughed at 'em. Then he throws
off the brakes, gives No. 313 boost
past the center with a crowbar, and
runs her to the roundhouse by gravity.
When we left Aguas on handcar that
hobo was running the road.
"Ignorantest hombres In the world
these Mexicans. Shooting a gun or
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 track?"
The master mechanic listened, and
when his ears, dulled by the clangor Of
the shops, caught the distant roar he
turned and ran for the house.
cit up, Ed" he called to the road
master, they're sending a wild car
down the canyon-and she may be
loaded with dynamite!"
Dynamite or not" mumbled the
grizzled roadmaster, as he reused up
from his couch, there's a derailer I
put in up at kilometer seventy the first
thing yesterday morning. Thatll send
her into the ditch"
Nevertheless he listened intently,
cooking hts head to guess by the
sound when 1t came to kilometer
seventy.
Nov she strikes it," he announced,
as the rumble turned into a roar; but
the roar grew louder, there was a
crash as the trucks struck q curve,
and then a great metal ore-car swung
round the point, rode up high as It
hit the reverse and. speeding by as If
shot from catapult. swept through
the yard; smashed into freight car.
and leaped, car and all, into the creek.
They've sneaked my derailer!" said
the roadmaster. starting on a run for
the shops. Who'll go with me to put
In another one? Or we'll loosen rail
on the curve-that'll call for no more
than a clawbar and a wrench"
I'll got" volunteered Bud and the
man who stood guard, and as startled
sleepers reused up on every side and
ran toward the scene Of the wreck
they dashed down the hill together and
threw handcar on the track
Then, with what tools they could
get together, and spare derailer on
the front. they pumped madly up the
canyon. holding their breaths at every
curve for fear Of what they might see.
If there was one runaway car there
was another, for the rebels were be-
ginning an attack.
Already on the ridges above them
they could hear the crack of rifles, and
Jet or two Of dust made it evident
that they were the mark. But with
three strong men at the handles they
made the handcar jump. The low hills
fed behind them. They rounded
point and the open track lay before
them, with something
Jump shouted the roadmaster,
and as they tumbled down the bank
they heard crash behind them and
their handcar was knocked into kind.
ling wood.
1t was close call for all three
men, and there had been but an in.
slant between them and death, a
death by the most approved fighting
methods of the revolutionists, methods
which kept the fighters out of harms
way.
Now up to the track" the roadmas-
ter painted, as the destroyer swept on
down the line. Find some tools
we'll take out a rail-"
With frantic eagerness he toiled up
the fill and attacked a fish-plate, and
Bud and the young guard searched the
hillside for tools to help with the work.
They fell to with sledge and clawbar,
tapping off nuts, jerking out spikes,
and heaving to loosen the rail-and
then once more that swift-moving
something doomed up suddenly on the
track.
up the Hill" commanded the road.
master, and rs they scrambled into a
gulch a wild locomotive, belching
smoke and steam like fire engine,
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