Year: 1879

special train up to y. The
train was to carry up the president,
and several officers of the road, WI ich
crossed ours there, and arrange some
important business with them.


1 hao no trouble at all making my
forty miles an hour going out. The
engine handled herself most beauti-
fully. We were just holding up at
y, when Aldrich, the treasur-
er, 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 injured, and was
carried off to the hotel insensible.


According to the presidents direc'
tions, switched off my train, turned
my engine, and stood ready to star'
back to c. at moments notice


'Aldrich's presence was of so much
Importance that the business could
not be transacted without him so all
those | had brought out, except the
president and Aldrich, went back tc
c. on the 3 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 l left the ma.
chine in charge Of my fireman, and
went over to an eating house to see ii
| could not spend the time more pleas
antly than on my engine. The hours
dragged themselves away slowly.
was playing game Of domlnoes with
the station agent when in came Rob-
erts, the president, in stale Of great
excitem snt.


Harry said he to me, if l am not
down in C by twelve o'clock,
am a ruined man and thi, is a ruined
road. Aldrich is dead but he told
me before he died, that he had en-
bezzled from time to time FIVE hum
dred thousand of our money; and his
clerk is to start on the II clock boat
from C-for Canada. If we don t
Lave the money on Monday morning,
to make some payments with, the road
goes INTO other hands; and if you put
me down in G at the right time
so that | saye the money, you shall
have five thousand dollars. Under.
stand it, Harry? Five thousand dol
lars


OF course | understood it. I saw
now the reason why the wages had
been cut down; l understood it all,
and my blood boiled. ! felt that |
would save the road if | lived, and
Roberts too


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


4 sprang up into the foot board, got
up the switch tender to help my fire.
man, opened the throttle, and just as
she commenced moving, looked at my
watch it was just II clock, so that
| had one hour to make seventy five
miles.


From Y to C there wore
few curves on the road, but there
swere several heavy grades. l was
perfectly acquainted with every rod
it, so that | knew exactly what |
hi to encounter, and when l saw
hS the engine moved, felt very lit


tle'ear for the result.


he road for the first few miles


was n air line and so smooth that


my eryine flew along with scarcely a
percepible jar. was so busy post
ing myelf up as to tbs amount Of
wood AMI water, ETC., that We danced
by the ffst station almost before
was awareof it, having been five min
utes out and having five miles accom-
plished.


'Ycu are losing time yelled a
'voice from the coach. Hooked around
md there stood Roberts with bis


'atch in his hand.


Il knew very we'll that we would


haze to increase our speed by some
mems. if we carried out our plans Of
realizing G. by midnight, and
looled anxiously around, to see what
codd.do to accomplish that purpose
She vas blowing off steam fercely at
one hundred pounds; SO I turned the
! valve to two hundred for [ knew ue