New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-08-26
CHAPTER xIx-continued.

Nlcre-NlefeaboutS ace we, JIM
Inirf' she asked.
Before | could open my mouth the
tinck shadows of the crooked valley
Ael ond the switch were shot through
with the white. shimmcring glow of
81 headlight beam, and a second later
ihe special hicked into view on the
curve of approach.
As We looked, there was n short,
sharp whistle yclp. the brakes gripped
the wheels. the one-car train, with fire
grinding from every brakc->hoc, came
ga "a Jerking stop n short carlcngth on
oar side of the switch, and Il man
dropped from the engine step to go
spinning 10 the rear. And it was
iiaiu that neither the engineer nor
ttr man who was running back saw
"ur outfit waiting GA the les of the old
y
kirgan was the first one 10 under
stand, With a shout of warning, he
Jumped aud ran toward the stopped
Train. yelling at the engineer for Gods
salc 10 pull out and % Ola. Back in
thr tails beyond the curve of approach
anulhcr hoarsc murinur was jarring
upon the air, and the specials fire
inau. who vas the man we had seen
jump off and go running back, and
Nhp, Of course, didn't know that W.
t,ad our man there, was apparently
rrying to reach the switch behind his
ifain 10 throw IT against the following
engine to shoot II off OF the "Y."
by This time the boss was off of our
'hsinc and racing across the angle of
sire "i" only a little way behind Kir-
KAN. lie realized that his plan was
smashed by the stopping of the spc-
'iai, aud that the very catastrophe we
lead cnmr out to try to prevent was
dno To happen right there and then.
WhatcyCf our man waiting at the
switch might do, there was bound To
tie II collision. If he left the points
sci for the main line, the wild engine
would crash into IN" rear end Of the
stopped special and II lac did the 9th
thing, our engine and coach stand
Jug on the "Y" would get il.
get the people u of that carr" |
beard the boss below, but even ms he
said II the pop-valve ot the stopped
engine went off with Il roar, filling the
shut-in valley with clamorings that
nothing could drown.
TWO minutes, two little minutes
more. aud the sleep-sOddcn bunch of
mcn Ia the specials car might have
been reused and turned out and saved.
liut tie minutes were not given us.
While the racing fireman was still a
few feet short of the switch the throw
ing OF which would have saved the
ono-car train only 20 let the madman's
In IN our engine and coach, and
man-alrcady at the switch-was
too scared TO snow which horn of the
liomma TO choose, the end came.
There was the flash of another head
on the curve, another whistle
aud ! turned 10 help the major
take Mrs. Sheila on our ear and run
with her. against the horrible chance
that we might get il instead of the
but We didn't get II. Ten seconds
the chasing engine had crashed
ncndlong into the standing train. bury
ing itself clear up TO the tender in the
heart of the old wooden sleeper, roll
.ug the whole business over on its side
81 the ditch. aud setting the wreck
lgc afrc rs suddenly rs II the old
Ifuli nan had been n fagut If pitch-pine
dndlings and only waiting for the
sHlch.
II : could write down any real de-
iription of the Way thing, Stacked NJ
here in that lonesome valley for the
tie bunch of rs who stood aghaSt nj
ne awful horror. / guess | wouldn't
ned Ia be- hammering the keys of a
!, typewriter IN u railroad office. But
ever mind no soldier secs any more ,
q q battle than the part be is in. +,
There were W Of 10, men. includ- I
TX the engineer ard fireman of the I
pccial. who were able Ia jump in and 4
~ 10 do something. and. looking bach {
4 IT now, II seems - If We all did I
nat We could. :
That wasn't much. About half of {
be people Ia the sleeping by
ctuai count. "a we learned after {
.ard-were killed outright in the
rash 90 30 badly hurt that they died {
Oon afterward. and the fire }
as 80 quick and 50 hot that after
Ie had got the wounded ones out we c
get all OF the bodies Of the q
tbers. c
As you'd imagine. the boss was the I
tad sBd front Of that fierce rescue {
ght. He had stripped OF his coat.
nd he kept on diving into the burn a
* wreck after another and vet an a
Of the victims until it seemed as f
he couldn't possibly do il one more d
and come out alive. He didn't a
to remember that these very men c
ere the mes who had been trying to n
min him-that at least once they had d
RI a trap for him and tried to kin $
i'm. He was too big for that. q
After we had got put all the victims v
could reach. there was stiIl one y
lore left who wasn't dead; we could n
ear him above the kissing of the
cam and the cracking of the flames, :"
roaming and begging US to break in a
Re side of the car and kill him be- &
re b fire got TO him. kirgan had
'und an Ak in the emergency box of N
Ir day-ccach. and was chopping away d
Ike a mailman "
The minute he got a hole big enough, Of
Re big master-mechanic dropped his "
( and climbed down into the chok- ii
he'll where the screams were CON- a
9 from. Our fireman picked up the II