Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1916-12-08

/ give way under the fierce assaults
got Spike to the cut-off track. Helen
had reached the engine cab and was
ready to pull out the cars. Together
! the two men threw Spike bodily into
] the open door OF the last car. Climb
ing aboard after Rhinelander, Storm
signaled to Helen in the cab. She
opened the throttle, and just as
Seagrue's angry men reached the car,
! Storm slammed the door shut and
Helen moved the string hastily down
the track.
The incident would have been
closed, with the hind outfit car max
ing rapidly towards safety, had not
the wholly unexpected happened to
upset Storms plan. That very day
Rhinelander's linemen had set in half
a dozen telegraph poles and the an
Choir wire OF one of these placed near
the track, caught. as the Second last
car sped past, on the step. The pole
swayed violently. For moment
Rhinelander's men, watching, hoped it
might clear. But crashing suddenly
| u
cars, struck the coupling heavily and
sprung the knuckle.
Helen, watching from the cab saw
what happened. She hastily applied
the air and feeling they were now far
enough away to be safe from the an
cry men, did not worry about the ac-
cident until she perceived as she
! Hn
outfit car, last in the string, had be-
come detached from the train and was
running away.
Inside this Rhnelander and Storm
were working on Spike. He opened
his eyes after q time and they told
him he was safe, not suspecting them
selves that their car was now
running wild and down a long
grade, to the main line. Indeed,
they felt so relieved at Spikes
return to consciousness that several
moments passed before signs OF the
accident recorded themselves to
Storms experienced ear. The car was
running too far and too fast and
springing TO the door he pulled it open
70 see what Helen was doing in the
cab. A glance told him the story.
Were running away" he cried to
Rhinelander, who joined him. Storm
sprang for the side ladder
Helen was alive to the new danger
to her friends. But how to help them
taxed for an instant, her ingenuity.
To chase them with the engine, as
they were headed for the main line,
might end in a more serious disaster
| than now seemed imminent. The main
! line passenger train was almost due
| at Baird and the thought Of this fact
was first in Helen's mind. Near where
she stood was Seagrue's motor car,
the one her abductors had used only
a few days before. She ran to this
and springing into the seat. turned
over the engine, accelerated as fast as
she dare, and was off in pursuit of the
runaway.
She was sure she must pass Arden
station before she possibly could
catch the wild car and pulling the
cushion from the seat beside her,
scrubbed hastily across it with piece
of chalk:
Runaway car from cutoff on
main line. Stop passenger at
Baird.
With this in her hands as she tore
past Arden station, she rose to her
feet, balanced herself with an effort
and flung the cushion with all the
force she could summon through the
operators window.
On the deck of the runaway car
Storm had seized the brake. With
violent twist he brought the chain
up taut and mindful of the energy
needed to check the disastrous momen-
tum they were attaining, threw his
whole strength against the wheel.
He might have saved his compan-
ions and himself even then. had not
the chain, weakened by rust, snapped
under the tremendous strain put on it,
The deck became impossible and to
avoid being shot off it, Storm climbed
down the swaying ladder again into
the car. Alone, Storm would not have
given his peril a thought. He could
drop off a car step or from a cab gang
with entire safety to himself But
Spike, though conscious, was desper-
ately groggy; in fact, helpless. He
had proved his reckless skill more
than once and unhurt could have fol-
lowed Storm in any leap the railroad
man dare venture. He lay now as
little able to help himself as a baby.
Casting all this up in his mind the
young railrOader decided there was
but one mans thing for him to do and
that was to stay with his companions
whether all lost their lives or not. 4
At Arden station the astonished OPP
orator had just time to dodge Helen's
flying motor car cushion as it
smashed through the window. II land
ed on the floor. The chalk scrawl on
the top caught his eye.
In the dispatchers' office the chief
was sitting at his deck and dispatch
er was on his trick at the instrument.
He answered Arden instantly, took
the startling message, walked hurried