The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-03-10

ballast and trotting over to the ditch.
where the hand car lay.
Looks as II it might work" he an
nounced. Come along and lend me
hand"
Half q minute" Barcus answered,
lodging suddenly back into the car.
When he reappeared, after some i've
minutes, Rose accompanied him, and
Barcus was smiling as brilliantly as
though nothing whatever was wrong
with his world.
Sorry to keep you waiting, old top"
he explained; but was smitten with
an inspiration. There didn't seem to
be any sense in letting the amiable
Judith loose upon this fair land, SO
found q coil OF, wire in the porter's
closet and wired the handle OF the
drawing room door fast to the bars
across the aisle. It'll take her some
time to get out, now. without assist
ance."
Ten minutes more had passed before
the two grimy and perspiring gentle
men succeeded in placing the hand car
upon the tracks.
ITS a swell little hand car" Bar
Gus observed grimly: mo wonder they
threw it away"
What's the difference how it looks.
as long as It will GOT"
"But will it," Barcus doubted.
Somewhere far back along the line
locomotive hooted mournfully.
ITS got to-" Alan replied, helping
Rose aboard. III we can only get out
of sight before they get here"
Don't worry" Barcus advised:
that's freight whistle"
Maybe you can distinguish the
whistle of freight from that of pas
senger train-I don't say you can't;
but I'll take no chances on your judy
ment being good. Hop aboard here II
you're coming with u.s."
Slowly the hand car stirred on its
grease-hungry and complaining axles;
slowly 1t gathered momentum and
surged noisily up the track as Alan
and Barcus, on opposite sides Of the
handlebar, alternately rose and fell
back; slowly 1t mounted the slight
grade to the bend in the track. rounded
1t, lost sight of the stalled Pullman
on the siding and began to move more
swiftly on moderate down grade.
Behind it the thunder Of an ap.
preaching train grew momentarily in
volume, lending color to the theory Of
Mr.. Barcus that what they had heard
had been the whistle Of a freighter
rather than of the light engine. But
just as Alan was about to advocate
leaving the tracks and taking the hand
car with them, to clear the way for the
train, its rumble began to diminish,
grew less and beautifully less, and was
stilled.
what do you make of that?" Alan
painted across the racking bar.
1.-THE obvious" Barcus returned.
"The freight has taken the siding to
wait for some other through train to
pass. Well have to look sharp and be
ready to jump"
The grade became a trace more
steep; the car moved with less reluc-
lance.
"Let CO." Alan advised: It'll coast
down the balance Of this incline-and
we'd better save our strength"
But they had barely regained their
breath and mopped the streaming
sweat away from their eyes when a
second whistle, of a different tone,
startled both back to their task.
Catching the eve Of Barcus Alan
nodded despairingly.
Afraid it's all up with us now" he
groaned; that sounded precisely like
the whistle Of the light engine"
Sure it did" Barcus agreed. 1T
wouldn't be us If we had any better
luck. The saints be praised for this
grade!"
For all its age and decrepitude the
hand car made very fair pace at the
urge Of the two who rose and sagged
again without respite on either side
the handlebar; and the grade was hap.
PLY long, turning and twisting like a
snake through the hills.
A little grace was granted them.
moreover. through the circumstance
(as they afterward discovered) that
the light engine had stopped at the
siding long enough to couple up Trine's
Pullman-thus automatically ceasing
to be a light engine, and becoming a
special.
It was fully quarter Of an hour be.
fore the growing rumble of the latter
warned the trio on the hand car, Just
as 1t gained the end Of the grade and
addressed itself to q level though tor
tuoue stretch Of track.
And at this point discovery of the
switch OF spur line that shot off
southwark into the hills furnished Alan
with his independent inspiration.
Stopping the hand car after 1t had
1olted over the frogs, he jumped down.
set the switch to shunt the pursuit off
to the spur. and leaped back upon
the car.
Hardly had they succeeded in work.
ing the hand car up round the shoulder
OF the next bend when the special took
the switch without pause and the roar
OF its progress, shut off by an inter.
vening mountain, was suddenly stilled
to a murmur.
But even so. there was neither rest
Tor the weary nor much excuse for
self-consratulation: the rumble of the
special was not altogether lost to hear.