Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1920-04-23

lntlonS was seated, apparently quite
oblivi0us OF the fact that he was back
once more In the haunt Of his enemies
although knowledge that the double
bitted AK he had so unceremoniously
borrowed OF Colonel Pennington was
driven deep iato the log beside him
with the hiatt convenient to his hand
probably had much to do with Bryces
air of detached indifference.
Shirley told herself that should he
move, should he show the slightest
disposition to raise his head and bring
his eyes on a level with hers, she
would dodge away from the window
In time to escape his scrutiny.
She reckoned without the engine.
With smart bump 1t struck the Gu
boose and shunted 1t briskly up the
siding at the sound of the impact
Bryce raised his troubled glance just
In time to see Shirley's body, yield
Ing to the shock, sway into full view
mt the window.
With difficulty he suppressed grin.
an bet my immortal soul she was
peeklng at me-" he soliloquized, Con
! found the luck Another meeting this
afternoon would be embarrassing"
Tactfully he resumed his study Of his
feet, not even looking up when the
caboose, after gaining the main track,
slid gently down the slight grade and
was coupled to the rear logging truck.
He heard the engineer shout to the
i brakemnn-who had ridden down from
the head of the train to unlock the
siding switch and couple the caboose
to hurry up lock the switch, and
get back aboard the engine.
Cant get this DANCED key to turn
in tile lock" the brakeman shouted
presently. Locks rusty. and some
things gone bust inside"
Minutes passed Bryce'S assumed
abstraction became real for he had
many matters to occupy his busy
brain. and ii was impossible for him to
sit idle without adverting 10 some Of
them. Presently he was subeonseious-
~ aware that the train was moving
gently forward; almost Immediately,
it seemed TO him, the long string of
tracks had gathered their customary
speed. and then suddenly 1t dawned
upon Bryce that the train had started
off without single jerk-and that II
was gathering Roadway rapidly.
He looked ahead-and his hair grew
creepy ut the roots. There was no To-
connective attached to the train 1t
was running away down two per
cent grade, and because of the ire
mendous weight of the train, 1t was
gathering momentum at fearful rate,
The reason for the runaway dawned
on Bryce instantly. The road, being
privately owned. was, like most log
ging roads, neglected as TO roadbed
and rolling stock; also 1t was under
manned, and the brakeman, who also
acted as switchman, had failed TO set
the handbrakes on the leading truck
after the engineer had locked the air
brakes. As a result, during the five or
six minutes required to spot in the
caboose. and an extra minute or two
lost while the brakeman struggled
with the rccalctrant lock on the
switch. the air had leaked away
through the worn valves and rubber
tubing. and the brakes had been re-
eased-so that the train, without
warning. had quietly and almost noise
lessly slid cut OF the log-landing ard
started on its mad career, There was
nothing to do now save watch the wild
runaway and pray, for of all the mad
runaways IN a mad world, loaded
logging train is by far the worst.
For an instant after realizing his
nredicament, Bryce Cardigan was
tempted to Jump and take his chance
on few broken bones, before the
train could reach greater speed than
twenty miles an hour. His next i'm
pulse was to run forward and set the
mandrake on the leading truck, but
n glance showed him that even with
the train standing still he could not
hope to leap from truck TO truck and
land on the round, freshly peeled sur
face of the logs without slipping. for
he had no calks in his boots. And to
slip now meant swift and horrible
death.
Then he remembered. In the wildly
rolling caboose Shirley Sumner rode
with her uncle while less than two
miles ahead. the track swung In
sharp curve high up along the hillside
above Mad river Bryce knew the
leading truck would never take that
curve at high speed. even If the an
clent rolling stock should hold togeth-
er until the curve was reached, but
would shoot off at tangent into the
canyon, carrying trucks, logs, and ca
boose with it, rolling over and over
down the hillside to the river.
'rhe caboose must be cut out of
this runaway" Bryce sollloquized,
"and it must be cut ont In devil of
a hurry. Here goes nothing In par
ticular, and may God be good to my
dear OLD man.
He jerked his axe out of the log.
drove 1t deep into the top log toward
the end, and by using the haft to cling
TO. crawled toward the rear of the
load and looked down at the caboose
coupling. The top log was a sixteen
foot butt; the two bottom logs were
eighteen-footers. With a silent prayer
Of thanks to Providence. Bryce slid
down to the landing thus formed lie
was still five feet above the coupling,
however; but by leaning over the