The Elk Mountain pilot., 1921-06-16
Continued from page three)

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afraid not. He was dying when I sol
to him."
my throat and turned away, and %
did everybody else but the major, who
went around and knelt down ON the
other side of Mrs. Sheila. The wreck
was blazing now like a mighty bon
ire. 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 limping up the track from the
west. and Kirgan and went to meet
him. 1t was Hogan, the missing en-
gineer Of the 416.
He 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 fireman-hadn't. sus-
pected that they were carrying a ma
MAC until after they had passed Baux-
ite and Collingwood had told them
both that what he wanted to do was
to overtake the special and smash It..
Then there had been a fight on the en-
gine. but Collingwood had gun and
he had threatened to kill them both
1 II they didn't keep on.
II KEEP her goin'." said the Irish
man. ''thinkin' maybe Jonesy'd keep out
Of my way. or that at the lasht I'd get
q chanst to shut the Sixteen of an
give her the brake. He KEEP me firm
doIn' 1t. and whin I saw the tail-lights.
l pushed Johnnie Shovel Off an whit
afther him because there was nawth-
In else to do. Johnnie's back youndher
a piece, wild n broken leg."
Just then Jones. the specials en-
gineer, came up. and lie pieced ont
Hogan's story. The wire to Bauxite
had warned him that a crazy man was
chasing him and overrunning stop
signals. He had thought to side-truck
the chaser at the old 'Y" and that wns
what he had stopped for.
Thereupon the three of us went
after the crippled fireman. and when
we got back to the ''Y" with him 1t
was all over. Collingwood had died
with his head in Mrs. Sheila's lap, and
the boss, tagged out and half dead rs
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 leg
of the "Y" to head for Portal City.
When 1t came time for us to move
Collingwood, Mrs. Sheila pulled her
veil down and walked behind the body,
hn nld hi
arm in hers, and that choking lump
came again In Iay throat when re-
membered what Collingwood had said
to the boss the night he came TO our
office: "Sheila made her wedding jour-
ney with me once. when she was just
eighteen. The next time she rides with
me 1t will be at my funeral"
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-in
valley at the gulch's mouth because
there wasn't anything else to do; Kir-
gan and Jones and one of the firemen
handled the engine and pulled out,
Wnlie tHe rest Oh US TOue Ill tne udy-
coach and did what we could for the
suffering.
At Banta we made a stop long
enough to let the boss send wire to
Portal City, turning out the doctors
and the ambulances-andt the under
takers; and though 1t was after three
o'clock in the morning when we pulled
In. it seemed as If the whole town had
got the word and was down at the
station to meet us.
couldn't see Mrs. Sheila's face
when the major helped her off at the
platform her veil was still down. But
did hear her low-spoken words to the
boss, whispered while they were car
rying Collingwood and Hatch. and two
of the others. who were past help. out
to the waiting string of dead-wagons.
II shall go east with the body to-
morrow-today. 1 mean-if the strIk-
ers will let you run train, and
Cousin Basil will go with me. We may
never meet again, Graham, and for
that reason must say what have to
say now. Your opportunity has come.
The man who could do the most to de-
feat Won Ia daad and tho strika will