The Washington herald., 1915-01-31
POOR OLD JIM

| gossip said, and left it to him whether
\ he shouldn't stop before the home was
wrecked. He laughed in contempt. When
l became indignant he became defiant.
I and the result was n fight, in which
| battered him up until he was in bed for
a week. Old Jim was sure to hear of the
/ row. OF course, and the day after IL hap
| pened he looked at me in a queer way
| as We took our engine out OF the stable.
l felt sure he was going to speak about
! the fight, but he checked himself after
! a word or two. He had not only heard
! about the scrap. but was told what led
/ up to IL as Well. and there was only one
OF two courses for him to take. He must
| either bid me mind my own business and
| let him take care OF his own. domestic
/ affairs or take II for granted that was
! acting in a friendly spirit and be put
upon his guard for the future. When he
\ remained silent, / knew that he had
| adopted the latter course.
I do not knew what man or woman my
chum took into his confidence, but it was
some one who kept him thoroughly post
| ed. He must have reprOved, argued, and
commanded, but the girl wife either
! openly defied him or slyly deceived him.
| Frazer was less bold after the row, and
| for a time 1t seemed as ii harmony and
happiness might be restored. 1t was all
| a trick, however, on the part Of an in
fatuated, vain-minded young wife on the
one hand and an unprincipled man of
the world on the other, a man who cared
not what he left behind him
We were just leaving >our western ter
minus one morning when Jim received
telegram. He opened it with a steady
hand, read it without tremor, and then
twisted it up and lighted his pipe with
II. And yet came to know that the tel
egram told him that Frazer and his wife
were clipping together and had tickets
for the day express bound west. His i'm
perturbability deceived me- and l did
not give the message a second thought.
a man must have nerves OF steel to read
message like that and never blanch- At
noon when We reached Townsville, we
Ordaru IN 70, Elaa nd fhara
sidetrack for the express.
We could do II with three or four min
utes to spare. Bascomb's was not even
station, but a siding half a mile long
on the prairie. and we must do our own
switching. For three miles beyond II
waS straight track, and then 1t went
curying and turning in and out among
the hills and over bTawling creeks. When
we came within a mile OF the siding /
looked for Jim to begin TO slow up, but
he made no move. Half a minute and he
increased the speed, and when shouted
In his ear he waved me back. We passed
! the siding at clip of forty miles an
hour and gaining on that every minute.
and as / at last grabbed Jim's arm he
pulled revolver from his breast and mo-
toned me to stand back. The man had
gone crazy; he had not misunderstood his
passing the siding? In a run OF three or
four miles We must meet the express.
For second thought OF attacking him
with the poker. He decreased the speed
half and then looked over his shoulder
with a grim smile on his face and mo-
toned for me to jump. 1t was soft
prairie for the fan, but IL seemed to me
that i turned over and over 800 times
before the breath was finally knocked
out OF my body. When nv senses re-
turned I heard the Kissing of steam and
the screams and cries of injured men and
women, and i had staggered along the
track less than mile when came upon
the frightful wreck.
The engines Of the express and freight
had met head-on. and fifty-two people
had been killed and seventy injured in
the awful smash. IL was the most ter
rible railroad wreck for a score Of years.
helped get the crushed and uutilated
body OF old Jim out. and helped to get
ciIt the mutilated bodies Of his wife and
Frazer, but Il was days before got all
the true facts in the case. Finding him
self betrayed, the old man had deliberate-
~ brought about the collision that he
might have revenge on the guilty pair
and be wiped out himself at the same
time If he thought Of the innocent that
would suffer, heIhad no pity. He must
have hated the whole world as well as
those who had directly Wronged him 1t
as an awful thing he did. but he offered
his own life with the sacrifice and sone-
how I have always felt that even though
he presented such a cool. calm front to
me. the fires OF insanity must have been
burning in his brain every minute after
reading that telegram