American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-03-28

Put nowhere in the long nne WIZ
,hera a sound or sign of life, although
the little faring wick in the red lamp
at the rear of the train still burned
The tramp pulled the lamp from lS
fastening and walked along the wreck
age. until, from under a pile OF boards
at his feet, lie heard Il groan.
The hobo kicked the boards and the
groan sounded again. He leaned over,
and, with a queer, silly feeIlnS at ms
weakness, tugged Intellectually at me
thanking. His fingers kept letting go
! their hold and he sat back helplessly,
but he knew the man underneath was
conscious now, for the mutteringS were
I audible, though still ineoherent.
Number ten ten
ten ten damn .
zen ten ten" the
man underneath was saying as the
hobo tugged over him.
The tramp tore a board free and
the man below s~huddered and twisted
his mead in the ragged hole.
Number ten, damn you" he gasped
in pain from the weight of which his.
lungs were relieved.
stop ten ten . YOU
damned hobo he gasped as the pain
gripped him again, stop ten-the eX-
press train behind u.s." he explained
madly, stop it . . stop II :
lantern there run UNI
rum
The hobo understood at last, and
Harring sank back again unconscious
The tramp was running mechanical
ly, automatically, at the trainmans
bidding. From far away the whistle
of No. 10 came TO him, half startled him
from his automatism, and he raced On
more consciously. Ills legs wobbled
queerly ms he forced them and he
stumbled between the ties, sometimes
staggering two or three steps back
ward to save his balance before he
could lunge madly forward again.
The second screech from No. 10
echoed past him. and, as he looked
fearfully ahead and did not see the
engine, IN suddenly recalled that he
, was on the curve and Spurred on more
desperately, throwing himself forward
now IFS he stumbled and pressing him
J, self up again with his free hand when
he fell. 1t was quite two hundred
q yards to the beginning of the straight
e stretch which he must reach to signal
the train.
y Again No. 10 whistled, but now the
g sound, instead of coming around the
o crescent ahead, seemed to the tramp
to come through the woods at his side,
k and, as he glanced aside, 1t seemed 10
d come directly through the opening
IS where a path ran through the trees
1t Spontaneously facing about to the di-
is recti0n of the shrek, the tramp raced
T. into the cutoff.
The pound of the train now came to
lie him clearly as he ran but the smooth
n. dirt of the path spread before him.
~ Yet he lurched over it with high, strain
~ ed strides, and, still feeling for the
treaclerous ties when they were ne
IS, longer there to trip him, he slipped al
st first. But his stride DOR adapted it
IS self and he reeled OF to beat the train
Ie- 70 beat the train! The exhaust o
the Transcontinental's great engine al
N ready Missed through the trees abOu
er, him, yet he had to beat the train. I'll
ne had to beat it, but he could hear i
or coming so fast that his little step
seemed nothing. He could feel tn
IN pain of his muscles and the beat of hi
feet upon the path, hut compared wit
the tremendous rush of the train, h
30. seemed held by "a weight.
ng In the opening ahead he saw tn
on. track where it crossed his little patti
zen and he had to beat the train to tina
track! Madly, thinking only to wi
of the race, and to tighten himself, h
the hurled the signal lantern from hil
out and seemed to gain a little.
A The track showed plainly before hin
gap almost at his feet, so plainly that +
the knew the headlight of the engine u
almost over the spot where the pa
crossed it. To beat the train there
I a beat the train. He didn't know whet
the his strength came from or that 1t can
go at ali till il Stiffened his legs ar
steadied him. He was ten feet fro
but the track, but the train was almost
ern. near the crossing.
Ned To beat il now-tO win Mt the iniS
The white glare of the headlight smO
his eyes but he shut them and thre
ms himself forward blindly. with his arr
'heu thrown out.
a 1t was the end Of the race, u
had wildly. madly now, the engine-the b
must pounding engine beaten by the lit
ne m~an-roared to try to frighten h
Of a away and win after all hut the lit
man wouldn't be frightened OF cheat
lunu With the blind, reckless burst of
irce~ triumph he gathered himself, hurt
mac forward-and beat the train to
~ u track.
ioose = e
u OF The crazy, damned hobo" the
gineer OF No. 10 sputtered TO the gre
bhed which gathered about the pilot. IS
/, but eide suicide. that's what II is. JumI
ana right out of the bushes. there 1
train threw himself under the wheels. He
me whistle, didn't you? But he
heen bound To kill himself.