Year: 1878

but she was, in my opinion, altogether
the best ever turned out of the Taunton
works; and that is saying as much as
can be said in praise of any engine.
She was put in my charge Immediately,
with the understanding that she was
mine.


"It was Saturday when she came out
OF the shop, and I was TO take a special
train up to y. The train was to
carry up the president and several of
the other officers of the road, to meet
some officers of another road, which
crossed ours there, and arrange some
important business with them.


81 had no trouble at all making my
forty miles an hour going out. The en-
gine handled herself most beautifully.
We were just holding up at y, when
Aldrich, the treasurer, who had come
out on the platform to put the brake on,
slipped and fell. As we were yet under
good headway, he was very much in
jured, and was carried off to the hotel
insensible.


According to the presidents instruc-
tions, l switched off my train, turned my
engine, and stood ready to start back to
C. at a moments notice.


"Aldrich's presence was of 80 much
Importance that the business could not
be transacted without him; so all those
l had brought out. except the president
and Aldrich, vent back to C. on the
three o'clock express train. This was
the last regular train which was to pass
over the road until the next Monday.


"Early in the evening left the ma
chine in charge of my fireman and went
over to an eating house to see if 1 could
not spend the time more pleasantly
than on my engine. The hours dragged
themselves away slowly. I was playing
a game of dominoes with the station
agent, when in came Roberts, the presi-
dent, in state of great excitement.


"' Harry, said he to me, want you
to put me down in G. at twelve
o'clock


GAS it was nearly eleven clock then,
and the distance was seventy-five miles,
l thought he was joking at first but
when we got outside the door he caught
me by the arm and hurried me along so
fast that saw he was in earnest.


&c Harry, said he, if you don't set
me down in c. by twelve o'clock, l
am ruined man, and this road is
ruined road. Aldrich is dead but he
told me, before he died, that he had
embezzled, from time to time, five hun
dred thousand of our money; and his
clerk is to start with it, on the twelve
o'clock boat from c. for Canada.
If we don't have that money on Monday
morning, to make some payments with,
the road goes into other hands and il
you put me down in c. at the right
time, so that / save the money, you
shall have five thousand dollars. I'm
derstand it, Harry? Five thousand
dollars +


"Of course, l understood it. I saw
now the reason why the wages had been
cut down ; understood it all, and my
blood boiled. I felt that I would save
the road if lived, and told Roberts so.


"'See that you do it, Harry + he re-
piled, as he climbed up on to the steps
of the coach which was coupled to my
engine.


az sprang up into the foot-board, got
the switch-tender to help my fireman,
opened the throttle, and just as she
commenced moving, looked at my watch
it was just eleven o'clock, SO that I
had one hour to make my seventy-five
miles in.


"From Y to c. there were
few curves on the road but there we're
several heavy grades. I was perfectly
acquainted with every rod of it so that
knew exactly what l had to encounter;
and when I saw how the engine moved,
1 felt very little fear Of the result.


"The road for the first five miles, was
an airline, and SO flew along with scarce
ly perceptible jar. was so busy,
posting myself up, as to the amount of
wood and water aboard, etc., that we
danced by the first station almost before
l was aware of it, having been five min
utes out, and having five miles accom-
plished.


"You are losing timeP yelled o
voice from the coach. looked around,
and there stood Roberts with his watch
in his hand.


81 knew very well we would have to
increase our speed by some means, if
we carried out our plans of reaching c.
by midnight, and looked anxiously
around to see what could do to accom-
plish that purpose. She was blowing
off steam fercely at one hundred and
ten pounds ; so I turned down the valve
to two hundred, for I knew we should
need it all to make some of the heavy
grades which lay between us and G..


cit was three miles to the next sta
ton. With the exception of few curves
the track was as good as the last.
AS we darted around what commonly
seemed to be rather long curve, at the
station, but which was, at our high
speed, short enough, I looked at my
watch; and we had done it in two minutes
and half.


"sGaining,' shouted back to Ro
berts, who was yet standing on the plat
form of the coach.


Look out for the heavy grades, he
replied, and went inside the car.


The next ak miles rose gradually