The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1923-05-04
THE DANGEROUS AGE
FictiOned by
CONRAD GIBSON
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the clear stretch of rOadbed ahead o
him. But moment later this wa
explained The automobile road ha,
merely swung away from the railroad
track for space. Now he was bacl
beside the huge, believing engine. HI,
saw that it was steam engine Their
it had already stopped at Harmon anC
changed. What could he do?
And then, as ideas seem always tC
come to men who are sinking, OF
falling, or freezing, an idea came. II
stunned him. Would he do it? He
would
He found that he had gained
greatly upon the train by now, and
could ook over his shoulder and
perceive a steady advance over the
great locomotive which cast a blind
ing light over his dashboard and
across the roadbed ahead He saw
a turn in the road quarter of a mile
ahead. 1t led directly across the
tracks. He again plunged his foot up
on the accelerator and themoaning en-
CINE jumped forward. He reached the
crossing, threw in his emergency
brake and halted the car directly in
the path of the oncoming train. There
was a blast of the engines whistle. A
screeching and grinding of brakes. A
kissing of steam. John hurled himself
into a ditch. A moment later he
looked up and saw his speedster torn
to kindling wood and junk as the ]
great black engine ploughed through
It, The train came to a stop.
iAs he lay there he saw heads pop
out of car windows, and he heard the
yoices up trainmen examining the !
pieces OF the demolished car. They |
'poke in hushed tones of the poor
he was. He must
waste no time. He slid carefully
oward the rear of the train. Out of
light of the trainmen he raised
imself to his knees. then stood up
light. He ran to the last car and
wung aboard as the train moved
Iowly away. And in the little pas !,
age leading into the Pullman car he :
iped a hot, palpitating brow and !.
eppd boldly into the unoccupied
ems smoking room where he hur-
eddy washed his hands and bathed
S facein the cool water.
Five minutes after he inquired in
enough of the porter what
ID caused the damnably rough and
dden stop, and at the same time
nded the negro a five dollar bill,
planning that he had arrived too Ii
% at the station to buy a berth p
ket and had forced his way IL
rough the gate. To the conduc- tt
he told a story that seemed NJ
iusible enough, if not quite in ac- tt
I'd with that which he had told st
} porter And at last he sat down sc
his green plush seat and listened II
the old man and his wife in the 70
It behind discussing the terrible ac- ST
ent which had just befallen some st
or motorist. of
The succeeding two hours were ST
lrs of joy for John such as he had
experienced, he thought, since
use days back yonder in his boy We
ID when he and Mary had first CT
t and loved The thought of his co
lmph against Fate, itself, he said N.
himself, was enough to make any We
n happy. He was on the train 81
h the beastly letter. He knew po
t, and he would reach home at te'
st as quickly as the letter would oc
i've there. He would be there to 10
Give 1t and destroy it.
rive days later he arrived in the
lie Southern California town and
pped off the train with only one
all matter to attend to to make
l completely happy. He must be
home himself to receive the letter
keep it from Mary. He had, Of
rise, found in his pocket night
ore the telegram which the hotel
TX had so hurriedly handed him.
which he had absent-mindedly
gotten He knew now that he was
wing home in time to be there
the marriage that night of his
7 little daughter.
t the door he met Mary, whose
is were stretched wide to receive
/. And he shed little tear as
looked down upon ner loneliness.
hair was fluffed about her face,
her evening gown was cut low,
playing her full, fresh neck and