The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-01


 told me I could not do 1t, and l was young. and he was 10 years older than l, and the curve of his lips. as he said l could not do 1t. exasperated me, writes Frederick Niven. in the London Daily News.
 Despite the incentive my heart came up into my throat when l took the first step in the adventure. The train stood at the railway platform in Vancouver, and as looked at 1t felt so drawn about the glll5 that I recalled, urgently, the curling lips of the man who said I couldn't. There were a good many people about on the platform, and on the other side was the man who taps the wheels with hammer and Hicks up the lids of the oil boxes. l could hear him going past; among the hum of talk on this platform could near him because l was listening for him. walked down to the end of the platform, and there discovered a brakesman who was watching me- so l paused to light up, blew smoke, tossed the match away, and went on in businesslike fashion.
 There were various kinds of cars in the string, but some 1 thought I had bet ter not attempt l had, indeed. been warned against going under certain kinds us l WOQiu lllit iiOthlilo lO iiaiiS oii ec once I got there. Anyhow, I went for ward to the colonist car, of the under side of which 1 had received full eXplana- ton from a man who had "held her down" into Vancouver from up the line.
 The man with the hammer, now away ahead turned to look at me. Suddenly l was hailed from the off-side window of the car which l was passing, and. look ing up, saw a friend sitting there.
 .anly yfy,sr fO,. al, 1,a ding over at the white-painted Japan Vancouver steamer that lay at the wharf. probably thinking that l was on my way across to see if truckers were required. Whatever he thought, he served my pur- pose, for the man with the hammer, talk ing 1t for granted that I was there to talk to a friend. paid no further atten- tion to me. As I stopped I glanced back and saw that the brakesman was still watching me; I gave him but a casual glance, and when next I glanced rear wards he had gone. As for my friend at the cab-window, l often wonder if he did not find me somewhat queer. My heart was going up and down in my throat like pea on fountain.
 Somebody in the aisle of the car spoke to him, and he withdrew his head. l looked forward and back Nobody. swallowed my heart and made one dive of it under the car, down on hands and knees. and crawled to the front axle. It was just as l had been told it would be- saw a brace-rod foot from the ground the great timber of the truck, with the springs on it, behind. But as l ap- preached voice said: Full up, partner!" 1 wanted to yell. Yet it bucked me to hear that voice. I scuttled back to the rear truck, crawled under its front axle, and there. again. was a brace-rod. There was drumming in my ears, and through that drumming l heard a bell ring. I went on to that rod in a cold sweat, perched on 1t. leant backwards SC that my shoulders were against the truck The rod seemed thin as match as the car received a bump, and then was twitched ahead and jerked slightly back again as the one behind received its tug. My feet. stretching out in front, just grazed a tie Cor seeper), and drawing them up cautiously I got the heels to catch on the rod on which I sat, taking care, you may be sure, to lean back against the truck with some force, remem- berng that the whole point was for me to make rmyself into 8 wedge between rod and truck.
 We got up speed. We went over the criss-cross of terminal lines in a dance with a rebounding motion. Then we slowed down. stopped, puffed back. took 1t for granted then that I had been seen, or that the man ahead had been seen, and that she had stopped so that we might be hauled out and committed to prison. Then the bell changed again, l set back. took the jerk forward safely and VIC were off once more. don't know what she backed for. l don't care. We were off in earnest this time. The sleepers kept drawing lines in haste, more l haste, frantic haste. to dazzle my eyes They charged on me and slid under sick A m f1xy thA xrhn / | seemed going from under my feet | wanted to lean forward and grab 1t. dus flying in my face, prcl<ing in my ears tingling on my cheeks ns flies do on sum
 mer nights when motoring. For safety sake I looked up to the floor of the cal over me, and glared at it steadily for ths next quarter of an hour perhaps, though
 1t seemed lifetime. The next thing had to protect myself against was try 1 ing to balance the cars! At curves tn, ! solid body of the car overhead moved like a ship going against the wind whel
 the wind suddenly thrusts her point o two off, and before the steersman bring her up again.
 After little while, however. I began
 to feel Gas they say out vest good" 4 great hilarity filled me. My heart wal
 down again where 1t should be-" 1t wal not going to burst after all. l puckeres my eyes because of the dust and wins
 that rushed at me. Ever and again. il some rocky cutting, the sound went u) from deafening to awesome But it wa the long trestle over the Fraser that gav me the greatest sense of being attache, to life by a mere thread. These bridge are not filled In underneath; between tn ties one looks down on the river.
 l. ''held her down. to Yale. where dropped from the rod and crawled ou feeling as if I had been beaten all over or as if had the severest symptoms o Influenza. I crawled out and stood up, an, then went down on my knees. hauled my self up again, and with wobbly knee lcrossed to the bushes south of the tracl and sat down there. A brakeman. step