The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1921-07-08
CHAPTER XIX

ing that 'get-aboard" order Of Mr..
NorcrOss'. Kirgan had jerked the
throttle open the minute the word was
given. missed the forward end of
the car, and when the other end came
along my grab at the hand-rOd
slammed me head over heels up the
steps. Kirgan was holding his whistle
valve open, and the guarding strikers
In the yard gave us room and clear
track. BY the time we had passed the
"limit" switches we were going like a
blue streak, and | could hardly keep
my balance on the back platform Of
the day-coach.
You can guess that didn't stay out
there very long. The night was clear
as a bell and pretty cOolish, with the
stars burning like white diamonds In
the black inverted bowl Of the sky. 1t
was mighty pretty scenery, but just
the same, after Kirgan had fairly
struck his gait Oh the long western
tangent. clawed my way inside. II
was a lot too bluStery and unsafe on
that back platform.
The major and Mrs. Shcila were sit
ting together, near the middle a the
ear. staggered up and took the seat
Just ahead OF them, and the major
asked me If Mr. Norcross was on the
engine. ! told him he was, and that
ended It. What with the rattle and
bang of the coach, the bowling OF the
speed-made wind In the ventllatOrs,
and the shrlll scream OF the spinning
wheels, there wasn't any room for
talk during the whole Of that breath
taking race to the old "Y" in the hills
beyond Banta.
Knowing, from what Mr.. NOrcrOss
had said, the point at which we were
going to side-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 Iurch around the hill curves. What
If the special had been making bet
ter time than the boss had counted
uponH 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 "Y" sid
ing l went up ahead and handed my
self out to the forward platform to
see II / couldn't get sQuint past the
storming engine. / got 1t now and
then, on the swing of the curves, but
there was nothing In sight Just the
same it was mighty scary, and took
a relief breath so deep that 1t nearly
made me sick Mt my stomach when
] finally realized that Kirgan had shut
Off and was slowing for the stop at the
farther switch of the cid "Y."
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
1t would have been II we had met 1t
on the curves.
With our own engine silent. ! could
hear q 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.
"Fi1ng your coat over the headlight,
and then be ready to snatch it and
get Off" he shouted. "If they see it
as they come up 1t may stop themw
Then, catching a glimpse of me on the
ground: Break the coupling on the
coach, Jimmie-Quick
AS jumped to obey understood
what was to be done. The fireman at
the switch was to let the special go
by, and then the bOss-jMst the boss
alone on the enGine--was to be let
cut on the main track to put himself
between the chaser and the chased II
was 1 hairfaisfng proposition, but per-
hsps-jhst perhaps--hot quite so sui
cifal as 1t looked With skilful ham
ding the interposed engine might pos
sibly be kept out of the way by back
ing, aud 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 bit to make sure that
she was loose, when the car door
opened behind me and the major and
Mrs. Shella came out in the front
vestibule. 1t was Mrs. Sheila who
spoke to me, and her voice had bor-
rowed some Of the big terror that /
had seen in her eyes while she was
sitting in the office ut Portal City.
"Where-whereabou are we, JIM
mie?" she asked.
Before l could open my mouth the
black shadows of the crooked valley
beyond the switch were shot through
with the white, shimmering glow Of