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

the front of the cabOose. His chin
was bruised. skinned, and bloody; his
nose had been broken, and twin rivn-
lets of blood ran from his nostrils. He
wiped it away, swung his axe, drove
the blade deep into the bumper and
left 1t there with the haft qulvering;
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 the hrake-wheel and drew
1t promptly but gradually around
until the wheel-blocks began to
bite, when he exerted his ire
mendous strength to the utmost
and with his knees braced doggedly
against the front of the caboose, held
the wheel.
The brake screamed, but the speed
of the cabooSe was not appreciably
slackened. ITS had too good a 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 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 quarter of
a mile, he might get the demon Gu
boose under control!
After what seemed an con of wait
ing. he yentured another look ahead.
The rear logging-truck was hundred
yards In front Of him now. and from
the wheels of the cabOose an odor of
something burning drlfted up to him.
ave got your wheels locked !" he half
sobbed. "I'll hold you yet, you brute.
Slide That's 1t! 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, burn"
With shrek Of metal scraping
metal, the head of the Juggernaut
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 deafenlng crash, a
splash, cloud Of dust
With a protesting squeal. the ca
boose came to the point where the log
gng had left the right Of way,
carrying rails and ties with 1t. The
wheels on the side nearest the bank
slid into the dirt first and plowed deep
into the soil the caboose came to
an abrupt stop, trembled and ratified,
overtopped its center of gravity, and
fell over against the cut-bank, YEARLY,
like drunken bag
Bryce still clinging to the brake,
was fully braced for the shock and
was not flung off. Calmly he descend
ed the ladder, recovered the axe from
the bumper, climbed back to the roof,
tlptoed off the roof to the top of the
bank and 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 wild ride and rare
fright, and he was curious to see how
Shirley Summer 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 Of the car, looked down the
track, and swore feelingly. Then he
darted back to the rear of the ca
boose.
.All clear and snug as bug under
chip, my DEAR" he called TO Shirley.
'sThank God, the caboose become UNI