The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-09-10

oDii'iOuS VI TIE ldCt tIiut lie was Duct
once more in the haunt of his enemies
although knowledge that the double
Dltted AK he had so unceremoniously
borrowed of Colonel Pennington wa:
driven deep Into the log beside him
with the haft convenient to his hand
probably had much to do with Bryce's
air of detached indifference.
Shirley told herself that should he
move, should he show the slightes,
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 it struck the ca
boose and shunted 1t briskly up the
siding; at the sound of tire impact
Bryce raised his troubled glance just
In time to see Shirley's body, yield
Ing to the shock, sway into full view
at the window.
With difficulty he suppressed grin.
"I'll bet my immortal soul she was
peeking 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
brakeman-who had ridden down from
the head of the train to unlock the
siding switch and couple the caboose
Ito hurry up, lock the switch, and
get back aboard the engine.
"Can't get this DANCED key to turn
in the 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 it was impossible for him to
sit idle without adverting to some of
them. Presently he was subconscious-
ly aware that the train was moving
gently forward; almost Immediately,
it seemed to him, the long string of
trucks had gathered their customary
speed; and then suddenly it dawned
upon Bryce that the train had started
off without single jerk-and that it
was gathering Roadway rapidly.
He looked ahead-and his hair grew
creepy at the roots. There was no 10
connective attached to the train! 1t
was running away down two per
cent grade, and because of the ire
mendous weight Of the train, it 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 it was under
manned, and the brakeman, who also
acted as switchman, had failed to set
the hand-brakeS on the leading truck
after the engineer had locked the air
brakes. AS 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 recalcitrant lock on the
switch, the air had leaked away
through the worn valves and rubber
tubing, and the brakes had been re-
leased-so that the train, without
warning, had quietly and almost noise
lessly slid out of the log-landing and
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, a loaded
logging train is by far the worst.
For an instant after realizing his
predicament. Bryce Cardigan was
tempted to jump and take his chance
on a few broken bones, before the
train could reach a 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
a 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
cient rolling stock should hold togeth-
er until the curve was reached, but
would shoot off at a tangent into the
canyon. carrying trucks, logs, and ca
boose with 1t, rolling over and over
down the hillside to the river.
'4The caboose must be cut out of |
this runaway" Bryce soliloquized, |
"and it must be cut out in devil of |
q 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 it 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 sixteen
foot butt; the two bottom logs were
eighteen-footers. With silent prayer
of thanks TO Providence, Bryce slid
down to the landing thus formed. He
was still five feet above the coupling,
however; but by leaning over the
swaying. humping edge and swinging
the axe with one hand, he managed to
cut through the rubber hose on the
air connection.
After accomplishing this, axe in
hand. he leaped down to the narrow
iedgs formed b, the bumper in front