The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1920-06-12

tile front of the cahOOSe. His chin
was bruised. skinned. and bloody; his
nose had been broken, and twin rivu-
lets of blood ran from his nOStrils. He
wiped it away. swung his axe. drove
the blade deep into the bumper and
left ii there with the haft quivering
turning, he climbed swiftly up the
narrow iron ladder beside the brake
rod until he reached the roof; then.
still standing on the ladder. he
reached tie brake-wheel and drew
it promptly but gradually around
until the wheel-blocks began 70
bite. when he exerted his ire
mendOus strength TO the utmost
and with his knees bTaced doggedly
against the front of the cabo0se, held
the wheel.
The brake screamed, hut the speed
of the caboose was not appreciably
Slackened. Its had TOO good start ~
Bryce moaned. THE momentum is
more than | can overcome. Oh. Shir-
ley. my love God help you!"
He cast sudden despairing look
over his shoulder downward at the
coupling. He was winning, after all,
for a space OF six feet now yawned
between the end of the logging truck
and the bumper of the caboose. If
he could hut hold that tremendous
strain on the wheel for a quarter of
mile, he might get the demon ca
bOoSe under control!
After what seemed an con Of wait
ing, he ventured another look ahead.
The rear lOgging-trUck was a hund9ed
yards in front of him now. and from
the wheels of the caboose an od0r of
something burning drifted up to him.
1--WE got your wheels locked!" he half
sObbed. '11I hold you yet, you brute.
Slide! That's it! Slide, and flatten
your internal wheels. Hah! You're
quitting-quitting I'll have you in
control before we reach the curve.
Burn, curse you, burnt"
With a shrek of metal scrap'ng
metal, the head of the Juggernmut
ahead took the curve. chung there an
instant. and was catapulted out into
space. Logs weighing twenty tons
were flung about like kindling; one in
slant. Bryce could see them in the air;
the next they had disappeared down
the hillside. A deafening crash.
splash, 4 cloud of dust
With q protesting cQueal, the ca
bOose came to the point where the log
ging-train had left the right Of way,
carrying rails and ties with it. The
wheels on the side nearest the bank
slid info the dirt first and plowed deep
into the soil: the caboOse came to
an abrupt stop. trembled and rartled.
overtOpped its center of gravity, and
fell over against the cut-bank, YEARLY.
like drunken bag.
Bryce, still cIinging to the brake.
was fully braced for the shock and
was not flung of. CALMLY he descend
ed the ladder, recovered the axe from
the bumper, climbed back to the roof.
tiptoed off the roof to the top of the
bank end sat calmly down under a
manzanita bush TO await results, for
he was quite confident that none Of
the occupants of the COMPOUNDED ca
boose had been treated to anything
worse than q wild ride and a rare
fright, and he was curious to see how
Shirley Sumner would behave in an
emergency.
Colonel Pennington was first to
emerge at the rear Of the caboose. He
leaped lightly down the steps. ran to
the front 81 the car. looked down the
track, and swore feelIngly. Then he
darted back to the rear Of the ca
boosa
"All clear and snug a. a bug under
q chip. my DEAR" he called to Shirley.
THANK God, the caboose become uD-