The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-08-11

lev MINUTES ihAFf W iN.sNN W
and the night run vas begun Like
every other car the boss had evei
owned. the '05s was fitted up as q
working ofice and since be had me
along. be opened up q LOT Of claim
papers upon which the legal depart
ment was giving him the tnal say-so
and We went 20 work.
For the next two hours ! was ~
busy that / didn't know when w
passed the various stations AZ half
past nine. Mr. NorcrOss snapped a
rubber hand over the last OF the claim
files lighted a pipe and told me
might 20 TO bed II wanted TO; said
that he was going himself after he'd
had a smoke. Just then, Chandler
whistled for a station, and, looking
out of window. | saw that we we're
pulling into Bauxite. the little wind
blown junction from which the Strath-
coma branch led away into the north
ern mountains
Wanting o bite OF fresh air before
turning I'm. | got on when We made
the stop and strolled up TO the en-
gine. MaclIse was In the Office, get
ing orders for the branch, and
Chandler was squattlng In the gang.
way OF the s15 and waiting Up ahead
Of us. and too far away for me TO
read the number on her tender, there
was light engine. ! thought at first
n was the pusher which was kept at
Bauxite 10 help heavy freights up the
branch grades and wondered what
II was doing out on the branch y"
and in our way.
"whats the pusher out for, Buckr
! asked
Chandler grinned down at me.
"you amt so much OF railroad
man as you might be- Jimmie" he
said. THAT amt the pusher. It's
our first section. runnin' light to
Strathcona."
Maybe Chandler was right, that !
wasn't much>af a railroad man, but
sawed the Short Line operating rules
well enough 10 know that II wasn't
usual 10 run a light engine, deadhead-
Ing over the road, as a section Of a
special. Also, | knew that Buck
knew H.
with that last little talk over the
club dnner-table fresh In mind. be-
gan 20 wonder. but instead Of asking
Chandler any more questions about
the engine out ahead. | asked him IL
might ride a piece with him up the
branch: and when he said "Sure."
climbed up and bumped myself on the
fireman's box.
Maclise got lis orders in due time
and we pulled out ! noticed that
when he give Chandler the word he
afso made motions with his lanfarn
20 'ie giue ~ ahead and Il prompt
~ steamed away speeding up until Il
had about p halfmile lend and then
holding e. Thaf seemed funny. too.
Though II Is rule that Is often
broken on all railroads. the different
sections of train are supposed 20
keep at least FIVE minutes apart, and
our first" wasn't much more than a
minute away from US at any time.
Another thing that struck me as be-
Ing funny was the way Chandler was
running II was only sixty mountain
miles M the branch 10 the big gold
camp. and we ought TO have been
able 10 make n by one O'Clock. taking
n dead easy But the way Buck was
nlggling along II looked as II IL might I
be going 10 take us all night.
Just the same. nothing happened
The first ten miles was across desert
stretch with only slightly rising
grade. and II was pretty mach all
tangent-straight line Beyond the
ten-mile station OF Nippp we hit the
mountain proper. climbing II through /
d dry canyon. with curves that blocked /
OF everything fifty feet ahead Of the
engine. and grades that would have 4
made pretty good tobogean slides The
night was fine and starlit. but there .
was no moon and The canyon shadows
ioomed Ike huge walls 20 shut us In /
on the reverse curves could &C f
casionally get glimpse ~ the red 1
TAN lights ~ the engine which ought +
hy rights 70 have been five fun min +
uies ahead of Us n was still hold 1
ing Is short lead Jogging along as
leisurely as we were.
With nothing 20 do and not much 1
70 Sc. got sleepy after q while
and about the time when was think
ing that I might as well climb hack
over the tender and turn 10. dozed
~ right there 90 the fireman's box
which was safe enough. AZ the snairs
pace we were running. when awake
L was nearly one o'clock in the morn.
lnF and We had worried through the
'hIrty-miies of canyon run and were
climbing the steep taius of Slide mo1n-
tain
Wh1e ] was rubbing my eyes the
aieht.wtee'er gave another little ierk.
and saw that Chandler was slowing
,or stop saw this and rof a glimpse
8f somebodv On The track ahead tag.
ring ~ down with g lantern.
A n1inUte later me brakes had been
se' and BUCK an1 were a. As ue
su-u~r Aaua~ frnr- fhe engine sen