The Bienville Democrat. [volume] (Arcadia, Bienville Parish, La.) 1912-1980, 1921-04-21

"Maisie Ann come back here-you'l
be left' and then took her turn a,
disappearing by the same route; and
on top of it all, the boss jumped off
and sprlnted after both of them, leav.
liz a string o. large, man-sized com.
meats 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 grain
OF sense ought to have stood by tC
pull the emergency cord if the train
should start. But, of course, | had tC
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 ur
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. Sc
| swung off and went to join the mut1
hunt.
Amongst them, they had found the
pillow thing before | had a chance tC
horn in. They were coming up the
track, and the boss had each of the
two by an arm and was telling then
that they'd be left to a dead NORA
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 &C
when the tank spout went up with q
clang and a clatter of chains and the
old "Pacific type" gave a couple OF
Kisses and q 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 run.
1t wasn't 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, an(
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 it was no man
ner of use, the boss quit on the handi
cap race and put his two armfuls
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, If
the name of common sense, couldn
you have let me 60 back after thai
muff thing?'
1t was the young woman who an
swered the boss.
I'll didn't stop to Think" sht
fluttered, taking the blame as If she
had been the one to head the process
sion. isn't there any way we car
stop that train?'
The boss said there wasn't, and
know the only reason why he didn't
say lot of other things was because
he was too much of a gentleman tt
say them in the presence Of couple
of women.
So far as we could see, the sur
roundings consisted of a short side
track, a 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 gravity
pipe line running back to natura
reservoir in the mountains.
By this time the boss was beginning
to get little better grip on himself
and he laughed. H.
"We've all earned the leather medal
I guess" he chuckled. ITS done now
and it can't be helped
"But isn't there anything we car
do?" said the young woman. "Can'
we walk somewhere to where there |!
ST. on CT a town with people ii
it,"
saw Mr.. Norcross look down a
her skirts and then at the girls.
"You two couldn't walk very faI
or very fast in those things you arr
wearing" he grunted. Besides, w
are in one of the desert strips, and Il
is probably miles to a night wire sta
ton in either direction"
We trailed off together up the track
two and two, the boss walking will
the young woman. After we'd counted
few Of the cross-ties, the girl said
rs your name Jimmie Dodds?' Ant
when | admitted 1t: mine is Maisit
Ann. I'm Sheila's cousin on her moth
er's side. l think this Is a great lark
don't you?"
81 can tell better after It's over"
said. Maybe we'll have to stay herr
all night"
81 shouldn't mind,' she came bacl
airily. II haven't been up all nigh
since | was little kiddie and ou1
house burned down.
| We reached the big water tank, ant
the boss picked out one Of the square
footing timbers for a seat. 1t seemed
as if he were finding 1t a good bi
harder to get acquainted with his hal
of the combination than | was Will
mine, but after a little the young wo
man thawed out bit and made hin
talk-to help pass away the time,
took it-and the little girl and sa
and listened. When the young woman