The Bienville Democrat. [volume] (Arcadia, Bienville Parish, La.) 1912-1980, 1921-07-28

over its prey. In the red glow we saw
man limpins up the track from the
west, and kirgan and | went to meet
him. 1t was Hogan, the missing en-
gineer of the 4lG.
lie told Us what there was to tell,
which wasn't very different from the
way we'd been putting it up. They
Hogan and his tireman--hadn't sus-
pected that they were carrying ma
MAC until after they had passed BauX-
lite and COllingWood had told them
both that what he wanted to do was
to Overtake the special and smash it.
Then there had been d fight on the en-.
CINE, but COllingwoOd had a gun and
he had threatened TO kill them both
if they didn't keep on.
II KEEP her soin'," said the Irish
man, "thinkin' maybe Jonesy'd keep out
OF my way, or that at the lasht I'd get
chanst to shut the Sixteen off an
give her the brake. He KEEP me firm
dom it, and whin | saw the tail-lights,
| pushed Johnnie Shovel off an Wint
afther him because there was naWth-
in else to do. Johnne's back youndher
piece, wild a broken leg"
Just then Jones, the specials en-
glneer, came up, and lie Dieccd ont
HOgans story. The wire to BauXite
had warned him that crazy man was
chasing him and Overrunning stop
signals. He had thought to side'track
the chaser at the old "Y" and that was
what he had stopped for.
Thereupon the three of US went
after the crippled fireman, anG when
we got back to the "Y" with him il
was all over. COllingwood had died
with his head in Mrs. Sheila's lap, and
the boss, tagged out and half dead as
he must have been, was up and at
work, getting the wreck victims into
our day coach, which had been backed
up and taken around to the other les
of the "Y" to head for Portal City.
When it came time for us to move
Collingwood, Mrs. Sheila pulled her
veil down and walked behind the body,
with the good old major locking his
arm in hers, and that choking lump
came again in my throat when re-
membered what COllingwOod had said
to the boss the night he came to olll
office '"Sheia made her wedding jour
ney with me once, when she was just
eighteen. The next time she rides with
me it will be at my funeral"
l guess there's no use stretching the
agony out by telling about that mourn
full ride back to Portal City with the
dead and wounded. We left the wreck
blazing and roaring in the shut-il
valley at the gulch's mouth because
there wasn't anything else to do; Kir
gar and Jones and one of the tiremer
handled the engine and pulled out
while the rest of us rode in the day
coach and did what we could for thu
suffering.
At Banta we made a stop lOnl
enough to let the boss send wire II
Portal City, turning out the doctors
and the ambulances-and the under
takers; and though it was after three
: o'clock in the morning when we pulled
/, in, it seemed as if the whole town hat
got the word and was down at tn
station to meet us.
l couldn't see Mrs. Sheila's fac
when the major helped her off at tn
, platform; her veil was still down. Blu
/. | did hear her low-spokep words to tn
, boss, whispered while they were car
rying Colllngwood and Hatch, and tw
. of the others, who were past help, on
q to the waiting string Of dead.wagons
( 81 shall 60 east with the body tc
: morrow-today, l mean-if the strik
r ers will let you run train, an
Cousin Basil will 60 with me. We ma
o never meet again, Graham, and TO
that reason | must say what have t
+ say now. Your opportunity has come
o The man who could do the most to dt
o feat you is dead, and the strike wi
;. do the rest. If l were you'll shoul
+. neither eat nor sleep until ha
i thought of some way to take the raj
. road out of the hands of those VIII
have proved that they are not worth
to own it."
q | didn't know, just then, how niue
or little attention Mr.. Norcross wa
= paying to this mighty good, clea