Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1921-12-29

worth picking up.
A mile or so short OF the "Y".sfd
ing / went up ahead and handed my,
self out TO the forward platform to
see IL / couldn't get q squint past the
storming engine I got II now aud
then. on the swing of the curves, but
there was nothing In sight. Just the
same 1t was mighty scary, and | took
a relief breath so deep that 1t nearly
made me sick at my stomach when
/ finally realized that Kirgan had shut
OF and was slowing for the stop at the
farther switch of the cid ~"
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 1t
on the curves.
With our wi engine silent. / could
hear a faint sound like the far-away
fiuttering of a 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.
Filing your coat over the headlight,
and then be ready to snatch 1t and
get of I" he shouted. "If they see II
as they come up. 1t may stop them !"
Then. catching a glimpse of me on the
ground: Break the coupling ON the
coach. Jimmie-quick I"
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. Il
was a h~air-raising proposition. but per.
haps-just perhaps-not quite so sui.
cidal as II looked. With skilfuI han.
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's1 cab would surely be enough
TO stop them-if anything would.
/ had Just finished uncoupling the s
and the BOSS was easing our
engine ahead a bit to make sure thai
she was loose, when the car door
opened behind me and the major and
Mrs. Sheiln came out In the front
vestibule. 1t was Mrs. Sheila who
spoke to me- and her voice had Dor.
rowed some OF the big terror that ] ,
had seen in her eyes while she was
In the office at Portal CITY
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. are we, Jim. :
she asked. I,
Before l could open my mouth the
black shadows of the crooked valley
the switch were shot through :
the white. shimmering glow OF :
headlight beam, and a second Inter !.
he special ficked Into view. on the :
urve Of approach. =
As we looked, there was a short, :
harp whistle yelp, the brakes gripped {
ne wheels, the one-car train, with fire !,
from every brake-shoe, came :
} a jerking stop a short car-length on
ar side OF the switch, and a man =
ropped from the engine step to 90 =
printing to the rear. And Ii WAS :.
ain that neither the engineer nor !"
lie man who was running back saw .
ir outfit waiting on the leg of the Ofd I
T." q
Kirgan was the first one TO under %
and. With q shout of warning. he =
mped and ran toward the stopped :.
ain, yelling ut the engineer for Gods :,
Ike to pull out and go on. Back in q
e hills beyond the curve of approach :
lother hoarse murmur was Earring
on the air, and the specials fire r
an, who was the man we had seen k
mp OF and 20 running bark and \
no. of course, didn't know that we +,
d our man there, was apparently
ring to reach the switch behind his
lin to throw II against the following =
CINE to shoot 1T of on the ~" n
BY this time the boss was off of our
CINE and racing across the angle OF N
e "Y" only a little way behind kir- n
n. He realized hat his plan vas W
by the stopping OF the spe- 4
Il, and that the very catastrophe we y
d come out 10 try to prevent was !
to happen right there and then /:
hafever our man waiting at the /,
itch might do. there WAS bound to !
a collision. III he left the points u
/ for the main line, the wild engine
,uid crash into the rear end Of the I
,pped special and IL he did the 9TH l.
thing, our engine and coach stand !
on the @Y' would get H. {,
Get the people out of that car =. I e
ard the boss below. but even as he
ID 1t the pop-yalve of the stepped l.
xtsf went oA WITH q roar. fitting the :
0tsQk valley with clsmorings that
thing could drown.
Two minutes. two little minutes
,ee, end the sieep-sodden bunch OF
~ Ia De specials car smight have
n rouoed and turned put and saved 10
4 ~ minutes were not given IN. al
ld1e fke fnfine fireman WAS still 10
= feet nhort n tbs switch the throw 20
! - Uhjrh would have saved the o.
--- 80. 49, - - <k~ ru~Awususa n