Year: 1878

Let me put my name down first
4 can't stay long"


1t was a red ribbon meeting, and
the man was locomotive engineer,
bronzed and strong, and having eyes
full OF determination. He signed his
name in bold, plain hand, tied red
ribbon in his button hole. and as he
left the hall he said:


~As sure as the Lord looks down
upon me, I'll never touch liquor
again."


Have you been q hard drinker?"
queried a man who walked beside
the engineer.


No. Fact is, 1 never was drunk in
my life. I've swallowed considera-
BILE whisky, but 1 never went far
enough TO get drunk. I shouldn't
miss it, or be the worse off for an
hour, IL all the intoxicating drink in
the world was drained far into. the
ocean,"


"But you seemed eager to sign the
pledge"


$50 was and I'll keep it through
thick and thin, and talk temperance
to every man on the road"


"You must have strong reasons for
this?"


"WelI, il you'll walk down to the
depot I'll tell you a story on the way.
1t hasn't been in the papers, and only
few of us know the facts. You
know run the night express on the
B road. We most always haYe
at least two sleepers and coach, and
sometimes we have as many as two
hundred passengers. It's good
road, level as a floor, and pretty
straight, though there is a bad spot
or two. The night express has the
right o. way and we make fast time.
It's no rare thing for US to skim
along at the rate OF fifty miles an
hour for thirty or forty miles, and we
rarely get below thirty. One night I
pulled out OF Detroit with two sleep
ers, two coaches, and the baggage
and mail cars. Nearly all the berths
in both sleepers were full, and most
OF the seats in the coaches were oc-
cupied. 1t was dark night. threat
ening all the time to rain, and lone
some wind whistled round the cab as
we left the city behind. We were
seventeen minutes late. and that
meant fast time all the way through.


"Well," he continued, after a mo-
ment. everything ran along all right
up to midnight, The main track was
kept clear for us; the engine was in
good spirits, and we ran into D
as smooth as you please. The ex-
press coming east should meet US fif-
teen miles west Ct D but the
operator at the station failed to re-
ceive his usual report from below.
That was strange, yet it was not, and
after little consultation the con-
ductor sent me ahead. We were to
keep the main track, while the other
train would run in on the side track.
Night after night our time had been
so close that we did not keep them
waiting over two minutes, and were
generallyin sight when they switched
in.


when we left D we went
ahead at a rattling speed. fully be-
lieving that the train would be on
time. Nine niies from D is
the village OF Parto. There was q
telegraph station there. but the ope-
rator has no night work. He closed
his Office and went home about nine
o'clock, and any messages on the
wires for him were held above or be.
low until the next morning. When
sighted his station / saw a red Ian.
tern swinging between the rails
Greatly astonished, 1 pulled up the
heavy train, and got a bit OF new.
that almost lifted me out of my
boots. 1t was Gods mercy. as plair
as this big depot. 1t was the opera
tor who was swinging the lantern
He had been aroused from sleep by
the whistle OF locomotive wher
there wasn't one within ten miles o
him. He heard the tooti tootl toot
while he was dressing, and all th'
way as he ran to the station, think
ing he had been signalled. Lol there
was no train there. Everything was
as quiet as the grave. The mar
heard his instrument clicking away
and leaning his ear against the win
dow he caught these words as the,
went through to D:
"'For Gods sake switch the East