The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1915-01-22

1 meant. THESE were men VINO nad DeCl
discharged. They wanted to have th,
dynamite blow itself up on the track
and so get even.
He had the charity to believe tina
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 o.
dynamite and fire, and of burning
wood and burning fieshl Dead people
everywhere along the right of wayl
He struck his fallen foe 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
tom of it, 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. 1t 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 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 cum
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 a curve to make
his plan effective. Suddenly his eve
caught the coveted curve barely 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 a 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 it
was an earthquake or a volcano that
had broken loose and disarranged the
they found him lying in
the middle Of the right of way.
thrown there by a strange trick Of
rate, 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 1aI': 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 a few more
words:
swanson, yez have no more Until.
ict than a jack-rabbit, although yez
have improved it, but yez do be havin'
an amazin' intilligince now, an there's
no denyin' it. OF have changed the
moind of me about yez, an ME frind
the prisidint of the Raypublic of Mex
leo will have to take back safe ontil
the prisidint of this railroad caan
have a thry for yez.
swanson, be gobs, yea caan hav
yer job back if yez kill aal the dagoes
On the division"