Year: 1869

eSluehtiy uEuuA anu surIy. l happened
to put my hand down under the cushion
Of the seat and felt bottle. Pulling
the cork out smelled whisky, and
quietly threw it overheard. But Mack
saw me and cursed me for destroying
his property.


What did you throw that bottle away
for; 1t wasn't your rum'' he said, ut
the end of an awful swear.


I'm tell you why said I; I'm con-
ductor of this train, and you are too
drunk to do your business right, and
you'd get worse and worse if you
had bottle


Then he grinned a savage sort of a
grin, aud quieted down into silent
state, but he looked dangerous about
the eyes.


You re conductor of this train, are
you? III show you how much you
have to do with running it, says he,
and began to SLOW up and we behind
time already, you know. l didn't
know exactly what to dove were get
ting dangerously near the lightning ex-
press time-and while was debating,
he suddenly blew brakes, with tiend-
ish chuckle, and stopped ut station
that the train never stopped at before
l looked ut my watch and determined
to send brakeman back with a lantern
and stop the express. Just then a
thought struck me that made my hair
! stand up on end. There wasnt a lantern
on the train-the drunken beast had
smashed them all-there wasn't q soul
ut the station, which was miles away
from its village; the express didn't stop
before it reached Poughkcepsie, SO that
l couldn't leave word to caution it, and
just then l heard its whistle mile or
two back. The engineer heard it too,
and laughed II diabolical laugh.


That decided me. caught up a
wrench aud struck him back of the ear,
and he dropped like dead. dragged
his body Il didn't know then whether
was handling a corpse or not) off the
engine, and threw it down by the road
side, and jumped on the engine.


Jimmy. said 1, the express is alter
us. Mack smashed all the lanterns-so
we can't stop her. Our only chance is
running away from her-so cram In the
wood, and I'll open everything.'


knew, by observation, how to open
and how to shut off, but of course could
MT graduate the speed like profession
al. I'opened everything you may be
sure, and away we jumped. 1t was a
curious chase. TO be hunted by q loco
motive don't fall to the lot of every one
Our engine was not SO powerful u one as
the express engine, and our train was
quite long; so we crammed in the fuel
and depended upon high pressure for
our salvation. OF course, | never thO't
for u moment of stopping that side of
Poughkeepsie so we speedcd past the
stations, all lighted and filled with won-
dering faces.


Just after passing the second, the gong
OH the engine struck-some one had
pulled the safety rope. The fireman's
hand went instinctiveIy to the whistle
to blow brakes, but caught it. 1t
was the most anxious minute of my
life. If l did not mind the signal, aud
something was wrong and al accident
should occur, l should always be
blamed, even if didn't blame myself.
But, if stopped, the express might
probably wouId-run right into US. The
pull didn't sound professional-like u
brakeman's. 1t probably was jerk at
the rope by u passenger who had been
carried by his station-so I'd chance
it.


All this went through my mind like
lightning, as you may imagine-one G
thinks quickly ON such occasions-and
l caught the fireman's arm. He had
never heard of such thing as disobey
ing the gong, aud stared. was to
excited to speak, but pointed to the fire,
and he put in more wood quietly.


Well, too make long story short,
never blew brakes till the engine was
opposite the station. Then l shut of,
blew one whistle, and went sliding ul
the road. Just as we stopped, the ex.
press, whose station whistle l had heard
just behind me, came up to the depot,
aud stopped where the trains usually do.
If had minded the gong, or stopped
in front Of the depot, I'd have been
smashed.


You see there was no way to do but
to run for it. We hadn't a red light for
the rear car; we hadn't n lantern, nor
couldn't get one, to send back to signal ;
the fagmen were on Il strike, and the
express didn't stop anywhere till it
reached Poughkeepsie, aud she had got
so close on to US when the engineer cut
up as he did, that l couldn't stop at a
station and senda man back. Before
he could have got far enough away
they'd have been SO close that they
couldn't have broke up in time, bu,
would have come into Us.


/ didn't knoY whether I'd killed
Mack or not, and took the 'owl train
back, and found him all right AS regards


A -.