The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1921-12-16
CHAPTER v.--contInued.

B.
Gentle reader, / wonder IL you've
iver tried to climb a telegraph pole
without the contrivances that line
nan buckles upon his feet2 Ii you
aaven't. the advice of this amateur is
don't. Half dozen times shinnied
M TO perhaps the height of d mans
head. only 10 come sliding down again
on a run. At last. BY series of inch
ngs ! contrived to ret within arms
'each OF the lowest crossplece. Pliers
hand. | strained for the neares.
wire, progged II, and began TO twist ii
BACK and forth to break 1t.
Not to let me miss any of the thrills.
was al the nreeise instant OF the
wire-breaking that my strainIng ears
caught the sound they had been lis
tening for; far-away, drumming rum
ole that seemed to come from nowhere
IN particular, Then, out OF the same
indefinite circumambience came a
warning TINT was still more unmIstak.
ahle-the iang-drawn biast of loco
motive whistle.
didn't climb down that pole; I
came down Ike the time-bali on the
aagstaff In Washington at high noon
Moreover, | struck the ground run
aing, as one might say. All thoughts
~ tinkering that confounded motor
had vanished and my one great object
n life was 10 get the car off the track
before worse thing should happen.
was doing fairly well with the lifting
and tngging when the enemy hove In
sight less than Ave hundred yards
away. And that wasn't all, either. At
precisely the same instant, as III II had
been timed by the same mechanism
lhat had brought the freight train,
acre came wild engine around the
curve in the opposite direction. with
its whistle valve held open and making
racket TO wake the dead The be-
eeft motor-car riders had found a To-
connective somewhere and were chasing
me.
One mad heaye at the stranded gas
oiine car, mighty boost that got all
but one wheel OF II In the clear, and
| was gone streaking Ii like jack
rabbit for the tall timber---only there
wasn't stick OF timber nearer than
the slopes OF the backgroundlng noun
tains.
One glance over my shoulder as l
ned showed @e what / was In for:
that the story was to be immediately
continued In our next. Both engineers
tried to stop; did stop In time to avert
the greater catastrophe. Three or -four
men jumped from the freight and two
from the wild engine TO come tearing
after me. fancled | could give then
their moneys worth at that game
being In pretty fair training-so
pitched out TO try to turn the hypo
thetical theory into condition.
II was a great race. Through on,
gap and into another we went max
Ing figure elghts around the hills an,
back again, lodging into new ravine
and out of them into others, circlin
among great sandstone boulders tina
took all sorts Of weird shapes In tn
passing glimpse.
| don't know just how long the chas
lasted, but 1t was long enough to Civ
me very considerable degree of r,
spect for the nerve and persistence {
those highly indignant railroad mel
We must have been miles away frol
the scene of the disaster when | fina
Nv left them behind and lost then
When looked back and found myse
alone with the soiitudes sat down u
on a fiat rock to gasp and laugh.
had all been so supremely ridiculou
and so beautifully in keeping with Il
reputation | had left behind me
Angels, that felt sure that now not
ing less than verdict of expert allie
lists would ever serve to convince the
Red Desert folk that l was anythil
but an escaped lunatic.
After the breathing spell kept
ND the valley. heading away from 4
setting sun. and feeling certain thi
sooner or later, must come out som
where In the neighborhood of Atrop
Two hours later came into SC
~s an excuse for a road. Being Dret