The Ordway new era., 1921-05-13

thing around her neck, and her Socky,
chunky little arms were elbow deep in
big pillow muff TO match. though the
April night wasn't even halfway
chilly.
The boss stepped out on the plat
form to close the side trap door which,
with the railing gate on that side. had
been left open by a careless rear flag
man. Just then the big Pacific type
that was pulling us let out whistle
screech that would have walked the
dead, and the air-brakes went on
with jerk that showed how beauti-
fully reckless the railroading was on
the Pioneer Short Line.
Mr.. NorcrOsS was reaching for the
catch on the floor trap and the jerk
didn't throw him. But 1t snapped the
young woman and the girl away from
the railing so suddenly that the little
one had to grab for hand-holds; and
when she did that, of course the big
muff went overheard.
At this. bunch of things happened,
all in an eye-wink. The train ground
and jiggled TO stop; the girl squealed,
"Oh. my muff,'' and skipped down
the steps to disappear in the general
direction of the Pacific coast; the
young woman shrieked after her.
'Alaisie Ann come back here-you'll
be left!' and then took her turn at
disappearing by the same route; and,
on top of 1t all, the boss jumped off
and sprinted after both of them, leav-
ing string of large, man-sized com
ments on the foolishness of women
as sex trailing along behind him as
he flew.
Right then it was my golden moment
TO play safe and sane. With three of
them off and lost in the gathering
night, somebody with at least a grain
of sense ought TO have stood by to
pull the emergency cord if the train
should start. But, of course, l had to
take a chance and spill the gravy all
over the tablecloth. The stop was at
a blind siding in the edge of a noun
tain desert, and when | squinted up
ahead and saw that the engine was
taking water. it looked as if there
were going to be plenty of time for a
bit of promenade under the stars. So
1 swung off and went to join the muff
hunt.
Amongst them, they had found the
pillow thing before / had n chance to
horn in. They were coming up the
track, and the boss had each of the
two by an arm and was telling them
that they'd be left to a dead moral
certainty if they didn't run. They
couldn't run because their skirts were
too fashionably narrow. and there were
still three or four car-lengths to go
when the tank spout went up with
clang and a clatter of chains and the
old Pacific type" gave couple of
Kisses and snort.
They're going!' gritted the boss,
sort of between his teeth and with
out another word he grabbed those
two hobbled women folks up under
his arms, just as If they'd been
couple of sacks of meal, and broke
into a run.
1t wasn't a morsel of use, you know
Old Hercules himself couldn't have
run very far or very fast with the
handicap the boss had taken on, and
in less than half minute the "Paci-
fic type" had caught her stride and
the red tail lights of the train were
vanishing to pin points in the night
We were beautifully and artistically
left.
When he saw that 1t was no man
ner of use. the boss quit on the handi-
cap race and put his two armfus
down while he still had breath enough
left to talk with.
"Well.' he said, in his best rusty
hinge rasp, you've done it! Why, in.
the name of common sense. couldn't
you have let me go back after that
muff thing?"
1t was the young woman who an
swered the boss.
Il didn't stop to think ~ she
futtered. taking the blame as If she
had been the one to head the process
sion. isn't there any way we can
stop that train?'
The boss said there wasn't, and 1
know the only reason why he didn't
say a lot of other things was because
he was too much of a gentleman to
say them in the presence of couple
of women.
So far as we could see. the surt
roundings consisted of short side
track. spur running off into the hills,
and the water tank. The siding
switches had no lights. which argued
that there wasn't even pump-man at
the tank-as there was not. the tank
being filled automatically by a gravity
pipe line running back to q natural
reservoir In the mountains.
BY this time the boss was beginning
to get little better grip on himself
and he laughed.
We've all earned the leather medal,
1 guess" he chuckled. Its done now.
and 1t can't be helped"