Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1921-07-01
The WreckerS
Blu FRANCIS LYNDE
Copyright By Charles Scribners Sons.

taking race to the old ~" In the hills
beyond Banta.
Knowing, from what Mr.. Norcross
had said. the point at which we were
going to siGe-track and wait for the
special and the wild engine, l grew
sort Of nervous and worked-up after
we had crashed through the Banta
yard and the day-coach began to sway
and lurch around the hill curves. What
II the special had been making bet
ter time than the boss had counted
upon? In that case. we'd probably hit
her In head-ender somewhere on one
Of those very curves. And with the
time we were making, and the time
she'd be making. there wouldn't be
enough left for either train to be
worth picking up.
A mile or so short OF the ~" sid.
Ing went up ahead and handed my.
self out to the forward platform to
see II l couldn't get sQuint past the
stOrming engine. I got 1t now and
then, on the swing Of the curves. but
there was nothing In sight. Just the
came 1t was mighty scary. and I took
a relief breath so deep that 1t nearly
made me sick at my stomach when
l finally realized that Kirgan had shut
of and was slowing for the stop at the
farther switch Of the old ~"
What was done at the switch was
done swiftly, as men work when they
have the fear Of death gripping at
them. II the special should come up
while we were making the back-in, the
result would be just about the same as
It would have been II we had met It
on the curves.
With our own engine silent. l could
hear faint sound like the far-away
iuttering Of safety-valve. We were
not ten seconds too soon. The special
was coming.
Mr.. Norcross, who was still in the
engine cab, shot an order at Kirgan.
"Fling your coat over the headlight,
and then be ready to snatch 1t and
get OF I" he shouted. IF they see 1t
as they come up. it may stop them I"
Then. catching a glimpse Of me on the
ground: Break the coupling on the
coach, Jimlnie-Quick!
As jumped to obey understood
what was to be done. The fireman at
the switch was to let the special 60
by, and then the boss-just the boss
alone on the engine-was to be let
out on the main track to put himself
between the chaser and the chased. i
was hair-raising proposition, but per-
haps-just p6rhaps-not quite SO sui
cidal as It looked. With skilful ham
ding the interposed engine might pos
sibly be kept out Of the way by back
ing. and Its warning headlight shin
ing full into the eyes Of the men in
the 416's cab would surely be enough
to stop them-if anything would.
] had Just finished uncoupling the
day-coach and the boss was easing our
engine ahead a bit to make sure that
she was loose, when the car door
opened behind me and the major and
Mrs. Sheila came out In the front
vestibule. It was Mrs. Sheila who
spoke to me. and her voice had bor-
roweA some Of the big terror that
had seen In her eyes while she was
sitting in the once at Portal City.
'*Where-whereabou are we, jim
mie1" she asked.
Before could open my mouth the
black shadows Of the crooked valley
beyond the switch were shot through
with the white. shimmering glow Of
= headlight beam. and second later
the special licked into view on the
curve Of approach.
AZ we looked. there was a short.
sharp whistle yelp, the brakes gripped
the wheels, the one-car train, with fire
grinding from every brake-sh0e, came
to jerking stop short car-length on
our side Of the switch, and a man
dropped from the engine step to 60
sprinting to the rear. And 1t was
| plain that neither the engineer nor
the man who was running back saw
our outfit waiting on the leg Of the old
.Y.". M
Kirgan was the first one to under
stand. With d shout Of warning, he
| jumped and ran toward the stopped
train. yelling at the engineer for Gods
sake to pull out and 60 on. Back in
the hills beyond the curve Of approach
another hoarse murmur was Earring
upon the air, and the specials fire.
man, who was the man we had seen
jump on and go running back, and
Who, Of course, didn't know that we
had our man there, was apparently
trying to reach the switch behind his
train to throw It against the following
engine to shoot 1t of on the "Y."
BY this time the boss was of Of our
engine and racing across the angle Of
the ~" only a little way behind Kir-
gan. He realized that his plan was
smashed by the stopping of the spe-
cial, and that the very catastrophe we
had come out to try to prevent was
due to happen right there and then.
Whatever our man waiting at the
| switch might do. there was bound to
| he collision IF he left the DOfntS