The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-09-29
The
Wreckers
By
FRANCIS
LYNDB

was for the boss 20 climb out But We
could only fight gasplngly on the sur
face " things as you might say. Down
underneath. the fire was working
around IN front and behind In sp4te OF
all Ne could do. Some Of II had got
20 the coal, and the heavy sulphurous
smoke was o0zing up 20 make Us all
choke and strange.
Honestly you couldn't have told
that the boss WAS white man when
he crawled up out Of that pit ~ death
Juggling and lifting the crushed and
broken body Of the madman and max
ing US take Il out before he would
come out himself We got them both
away from the fire MS quickly as we
could and around 10 the other side Of
things. Kirgan and Jones carrying
Collingwood
The poor little lady we had left
alone with the rescued ones had done
all she could and he was waiting
for US. When We put Collingwood
down, she sat down on the ground
and took his head In her lap and
cried over him just like his mother
might have, and when the boss knelt
down beside her heard what he
said That's right, little woman
that's Just as II should be. Death
wipes out all scores. did my best
you must always believe that did
my best"
She choked again at that. and said
There is no hopei" and he said I'm
afraid not. He was dying when goy
10 him"
| tried 10 swallow the big lump In
my throat and turned away, and so
did everybody else but the major, who
went around aud knelt down on the
other side of Mrs. Sheila. The wreck
was blazing now like a mighty bon
fire, lighting up the pine-clad hills all
around and swapping and growing
like some savage monster gloating
over its prey. In the red glow we saw
a man llmping up the track from the
west, and Kirgan and | went 10 meet
him. IL was Hogan, the missing en-
glneer OF the 416.
He told us what there was TO tell.
which wasn't very different from the
way we'd been putting II up. They
Hogan and his fireman-hadnt 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 II.
Then there had been fight on the en-
CINE, but Collingwood had n gun and |
he had threatened TO kill them both
II they didn't keep on.
81 KEEP her goln'," said the Irish
man, "thinkin' maybe Jonesy'd keep out
OF my way, or that at the lasht I'd get
a chanst TO shut the Sixteen OF an
give her the brake. He KEEP me firm
doin' II. and whin saw the tail-lights,
I pushed Johnnie Shovel of an whit
afther him because there was nawth-
In else TO do. Johnnies back youndher
a piece, wild a broken leg"
Just then Jones, the specials en-
gineer. came up, and he pieced out
Hogan's story. The wire to Bauxite
had warned him that crazy man was
him and overrunnlng stop
signals. He had thought TO side track
the chaser at the old "Y" and that was
what ne had stopped for.
Thereupon the three Of us went
after the crippled fireman, and when
we got back 10 the ''Y" with him II
was all over. Colllngwood had died
with his head in Mrs Sheila's lap, and
he boss. tagged out and half dead rs
he must have been, was up and at
work. getting the wreck victims into
,ur day coach. which had been backed
u and taken around TO the other leg
If the "Yr TO head for Portal City.
When II came time for us TO move
Jollingwood, Mrs Sheila pulled her
'eil down and walked behind the body.
With the good old major locking his
lrm In hers. and that choking lump
anne again IN my throat when ! re-
rendered what Collingwood had said
o the boss the night he came 10 our
flee: "Sheila made her wedding jour
icy with me once. when she was Just
Eighteen. The next time she rides with
ne II viii be az my funeral"
guess there's no use stretching the
gony out by telling about that mourn
nj ride back 10 Portal City with the
ead and wounded. We left the wreck
,lazing and roaring 10 the shut-in
alley at the gulch's mouth because
here wasn't anything else TO do: Kir-
an and Jones and one Of the firemen
andled the engine and pulled out
lille the rest Of us rode IN the day
zach and did what we could for the
Al BantA we made q stop long
nough 10 LET the boss send wire 70
'ortal City. turning out the doctors
nd the AmbulAnces-and the under
akers: and though II was after three
clock in the morning when We pulled
!, q seemed as n the whole town had
o. the word and was down al the
f6tf0x1 "a meet "a