Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-01-03

attained and must maintain to win and
his Keeling, laundering machine, seeming
awake to the relentless energy of its
driver, was responding like a thing alive
to his iron will A cry from Storm made
her look across toward him. She saw
his eyes regarding her but he was point
ing silently ahead and looking again
through her own window Helen's strain
ing vision caught far ahead the faint
CLEAN of the red tail-lights.
From the top Of the distant sleeping
cars Spike and Hyde had seen the threat
ening chase. Without a quaIm, and
crawling along the swaying cars. they
made their way forward to the engine
They held up the engineer and fireman.
Spike understood enough of an engine
to take the throttle and he tried TO run
away from Storm; but this proved a game
in which he had no advantage. Striving
desperately to increase his speed he found
himself, as he glanced back from the cab
window. steadily losing ground. The race
was now more like the effort OF pillow
horse to run away from n thoroughbred.
A last resort remained for the criminals,
and Hyde, at Spikes direction, climbing
back over the tender, cut off the coaches.
The engine pulled away from the train
The air went on and the string OF sleep
ers stopped abruptly. Close behind them
the freight engine was pounding and
lurchIng. Storm had barely time TO apply
his air and pull up as he stopped and he
was nearly into the hind-end of the OBJ
servation car.
When the passenger crew got outside
knowing every foot of the line, saw that
they had reached the longest passing
track on the division and that by running
around the stalled train he still had n
chance TO overtake his quarry. Throwing
his engine into reverse he backed down,
took the passIng-track switch and tore
past the standing cars after the fast-dis-
appearing engine. with all of It's lights
extinVuished. and still maintaining ter
rifle speed. It was at a hopeless dtsad-
vantage against the skill of the man at
the throttle of the engine behind
Overhauled and with defeat in sight as
the nose of the huge freight engine
crowded them. Hyde from the ,gangway
and Spike. turning from the useless
throttle, opened fire with their pistols on
their pursucrs. Hyde. firing his last shot
without effect. in his rage. hurled his
heavy gun back at the other cab. II
crashed through the window where Helen
had sat an instant before. but she was
now up and back over the engine tank
As Storm drew steadily abreast OF the
runaway. she watched her chance and
with reckless daring sprang from where
she stood over to the tank of the pas
senger engine. The safe-blowers turned
10 meet her. Stack and stack the engines
were rushing toward the little San Pablo
BRIDGE. But with Spikes and Hyde's at
tention turned from the passive engineer
and fireman in the cab, they were sud-
denly attacked by both from behind. A
furious mlxup followed. Hyde. as Helen
Jumped down at him. grappled with her.
Storm. eager in the jumping gangway op-
posite to them. saw her peril. Catching
up a wrench he hurled II with all his
force at Hyde's head; It flew true and
the thug sank under the heavy blow like
bullock. Spike in the interval. tearing
loose from his asssilants. gained the foot
plate and leaping up on the coal defied
them.
II was for no more than a moment;
the engineer went pluckily after him.
Cornered. Spike looked ahead. They were
reaching the river and the engines were
making dizzy speed. With the reek-
lessness of a mailman the criminal leaped
from the tender far out into the stream
below. The slightest miscalculati on-a
mistake OF tenth of a second in his
recxoning-would have cost him his life.
Yet he made his jump without injury.
struck out for shore and gained the river
bank
Escape was first in his thoughts. He
remembered the stolen survey In his
pocket. On the safety of this. his money
from capelle dependent and his first act
was to secret II near where he landed.
The two engines In this time had been
brought TO stop and backed to the
bridge. Get after the man that jumped. Z"
cried Helen. I'VE must find him. Take
both banks of the river
With one OF the firement left to guard
Hyde. Storm and the other fireman hur-
ried down one river bank as the passenger
engineer took the other. Neither side af-
forded more than a slight chance OF con-
cealment and Spike. starting from where
he had cached his stolen document, was
bounced on by storms fireman. But
Spike. powerful man. had almost fought