Year: 1877

Waterman quickly, and the next instant


Larry was in his grasp.


The young conductor struggled man


fully, but without avail. The murderer


strength was too great for him, and he


soon found himself helpless on the fool


of the caboose, and bound with ropes


which he had purchased to use in the cal


but the day before.


"Pm going to take you through like


lightning" said Dirck Waterman, look.


ing down upon his victim with triumph


GIVE got friends in Pemberton; you


see, and they'll be uncommon glad to


look into my phiz again. Pm sure you


can't move, and if didn't know that


you're going to marry Annie Clark some
day, may | be accursed if wouldn't
treat you to bullet. They gave me
this in Piqua-my friends did," and he
thrust his shining revolver into Larry's
face as he spoke. "Ohl lyou see a fellow
must be uncommon bad to lose all his
friends"


The Young conductor said nothing,
but looked up into the deyilish face of
the man who stood over him.


"Fm going forward to hurry Tom
up" said Waterman, and with mock
bow of departure the villain left the
caboose, closing the door after him.


The silence that seemed to fall about
Larry was dreadful. He did not hear
the rumble of the cars, nor the patter
of the rain on the roof and against the
windows. The silence of death seemed
to hang over him, and he waited for the
pistol shot that should slay Tom Kyle at
his post. He knew that the villain was
a thorough engineer, and believed that
he would not hesitate to slay Tom and
take his place on the engine.


Of course he could not see the cunning
man creeping over the sticks of wood on
the tender, nor catch the gleam OF the
revolver in his hand.


Tom Kyle was at his post, and his
fireman dozed on his accustomed seat.
The rain had Stacked up little, and the
engineer of the train had opened the
door. Suddenly he heard voice that
seemed to come from the tender.


"Fasterl don't switch at Peterson'sw


Tom Kyle turned in an instant, and
saw the face that glanced at him from
above the wood. And at the same time
he saw the revolver that covered his
heart.


al want you to obey me" said Dirck
Waterman. l am a dangerous man
and will do dangerous things. We must
get to Pemberton before the passenger
train starts out. You can do it, Tom
Kyle. Now to work at once. | can see
the gauge from here. If you don't obey
me Tll drop you in your tracks, and
feed the boiler with your carcass. Now
let us go faster"


Tom Kyle was pale when he turned
from the desperate man. He doubted
his ability to run into Pemberton before
the ten o'clock passenger departed.
Already they had traversed good part
of the run, and the switch was not far
off, But the engineer knew the man who
was dealing with him, and he though int of
his young wife far down the road. He
thought, too, of Larry, and wondered if
Waterman hadn't slain him in caboose
No. 4.


The speed of the train visibly in
creased until it seemed to fly like an
arrow over the dark road.


"Fasterr' yelled Dirck Waterman,
and Tom Kyle clenched his teeth, and
threw more power into the limbs of the
iron monster. His fireman, appalled, at
the speed of the train, crouched in one
corner of the little engine-room, power
less to feed the furnace, and weak as a
child.


On, on, at the rate of mile a minute,
till the lights of Pemberton became
visible! As the engine rounded curve
which had hidden the city from sight, a
dark form dropped from car lightly
upon the tender.


Dirck Waterman did not see it, so
was he watching the engineer,
still covered with his revolver. The
man-for man the object was-crept
forward, and the light of the stars fell
upon an iron rod that glistened in his
hands.


He stopped few feet behind the
rascal and raised his novel weapon-the
poker belonging to the caboose's stove.
The next instant it descended with
crashing force upon Waterman's unpro-
tected head, and he fell forward with a
smothered groan and lay at Tom Kyle's
feet.


"SIack! slackw cried the visitor,
springing from the tender. Slack, for
sake. The passenger is moving
out! Don't you hear her|


The engineer did not need the COM
mand, for his hands were already on the
lever, and when the train stood still,
like leaf, twenty feet did
not lie between her and the down train
loaded with passengers.


Dirck Waterman was found to be
quite dead, and the people said that he
had met the fate he richly merited. |
am sure that none who knew his crimes
his loss.


Larry Hallan had managed to free his
hands by severing the cord by means of
a nail in the floor of the caboose, and his
knife had completed his liberty. l am
sure that the speed of the train at the
moment of Waterman's death is the
fastest on record, and Larry was wont to
declare that the wheels did not seem to
touch the rails.


Shortly after the adventure he left
Caboose No. 4, welded his sweetheart,
and returned to the road promoted to
the conductorship of a magnificent
passenger train. To this day he often
tells his wife how near she came losing
him on that wild night of Dirck Water
mans escape from jail.



An American Whaler Fired Into on