The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1916-03-01
- - 60 .,

IL: s,oss - i.a.e 's1
| reeIfng machine must be Mmost Oh
her and the thought spurred her to
unnatural strength. The staple gave
way. The excited girl jerked the twist.
ed bow clear and threw the switch,
half fainting beside it as the monster
engine struck madly at the switch
points. Then, with a shock that tore
the heavy roadbed and the roar al
most OF an earthquake, engine, tender
and train lurched heavily into the sid
ing. Car after car jumped and pound
ed at the stubborn rails. On and on
they came, shaking the solid earth
under Helen as she painted and gasped.
But the laundering. jumping wheels
continued to catch the switch in safe
ty and the points held. The long train
made the siding to the very end and
Helen, almost stunned saw, in some
! thing like vision, the passenger
train, its brakes throwing streams Of
fire from the grinding wheels, race
past her down the main track toward
the bridge. The sight meant little to
her now-her senses were too numbed
to realize what it meant-that the pas
senger train at last was quite safe.
The runaway freight was less for
tunate. At the farther end of the
passing track three box cars stood pa
tiently waiting for orders They had
been standing there unmolested for
days; they had tarried one moment
too long. The runaway engine with
| its still obstinate fireman, at times on
the running board and at times in the
cab, was heading viciOusly for them.
But the fireman saw the game was
clearly up. He chose his moment and
jumped, landing violently in the Gin.
der ballast. Bruised and cut, he lay
! GREATNESS, almost insensible. He
heard confusedly the terrific crash
into the idle box cars. The huge en-.
CINE scattered them in dust and
kindling high in the air. He tried to
roll farther from the threatening
wreck-for the head-end of the train
had been derailed by the impact and
the tanning string of cars was zig
tagging wildly across the right Of
way The first realization that came
to the stunned boy was of someone
struggling to help him get away from
the Wreck-some puny strength ex-
erted to drag his heavy body to great
er safety. With breath, the first
lie had been able to draw, he opened
his eyes. A young woman was bend
ing over him.
He was forbidding sight. Blood,
dust and gravel hung in half dozen
cuts on his overwhelmingly feature
Of his face, except his eyes, had es.
capped the smash of the cinders. Some
one with a very little and very wet
handkerchief wiped his eyes and he
could see more clearly when he opened
then again. He could see the face
bent over him and two eyes fixed
anxiously on his-a girls face, strange
and yet-what could it be of recollec-
ton that struggled through his whirl-
ing senses?
Nor had Helen, as she knelt and
worked over the injured man, dreamed
OF seeing any face she had ever
looked into before. Even had it been
uninjured she would hardly have re-
called it under ordinary conditions.
But two people, young man, now,
and young woman, were meeting
under extraordinary circumstances
and their eyes were very close to-
gether. The man caught at her hand
as 1t passed his forehead, stopped it,
and looked keenly into Helen's eyes.
With that look, vision swept across
their memories.
i surely know you," he said, not
taking his eyes from hers, UNEQUAL