The Carlisle independent., 1916-11-23

ed on her quivering horse, told the as tonished man in a few hurried words what had happened, and as he hur- ried into the tower agape to lower the draw Helen urged Rocket at a run down the track. It seemed as if her ears bubbled and rang with the rumble of the two approaching trains, but her brain had ceased to take note of anything beyond her one stub born resolve to reach the passing track switch-she could see it plainly ahead The bridgetender was hastily lowering the knife for the freight. De termined, while in the river, to leave | the bridge open and wreck the freight, { Helen believed she could avoid even that, and had given the tender his orders accordingly. The tug, which had been whistling wildly, LOW heeled violently toward the wharf, where the captain, game sport, had resolved to make fast and see the excitement out. With the boat crew ashore and dashing across the wharf to watch Helen, she crouched like a jockey over Rocket as he crushed and scat tered the cinders under his flying feet, and in what seemed another moment so fast had she flown-checking the horse cruelty, she threw her lines and slid from his back beside the passing-track switch.
 Running to it, she grasped the lever only to find the switch locked. She had feared, almost expected, as much but now, how to open it! She looked ahead. A shrill engine whistle startled her, and her cup f1lled-the passenger train, bearing down the long tangent at full speed, was whis- ting for her home crossing, hardly two miles distant.
 She could see smoke streaming from the stack of the engine. Behind, she had no need to look, the rumble of the head-end of the runaway was laundering on the bridge. Desperation cleared her head. She caught up heavy stone from the right of way and pounded fiercely at the switch lock. She struck at the stout bow and hammered in a fury at the resist ing cover.
 No mechanism could stand such an assault for long, The ground under her feet was vibrating with the fear full pound of the great freight engine as it dashed with it's heavy drag over the close-by rail joints. She knew the reeling machine must be almost on 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 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 panted 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 a vision, the passenger train, it's 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 it's 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 cin- der ballast Bruised and cut, he lay breathless. almost insensible. He heard confusedly the terrific crash into the idle box cars. The huge en- zine 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 CT safety. With a breath, the first he had been able to draw, he opened his eyes. A young woman was bend ing over him.
 He was a forbidding sight. Blood, dust and gravel hung in half a dozen cuts on his forehead-hardly a feature of his face, except his eyes, had es- capped the smash of the cinders. Some one with very little and very wet handkerchief wiped his eyes and he could see more clearly when he opened them 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-