| Show POLLY WARD FLAGMAN STORY OF HOT A GIRL SAVED HER LOVER I i At the Same Time Prevents the Wreck ot jt Train and the LOSS of Many Precious Lives BY ALBERT M STRONG Miss Polly Ward had a grievance Tears of angry disappointment stood in her eyes as she sat under the low I spreading branches of the old elm tree in the front yard of her pretty little borne and all this had been caused by the big bread < houldered young fellow who was now making his way across the open prairie toward the Q roundhouse round-house dinner basket in hand and with the usual roll of overclothes under his firm firmThe Brotherhood of Railroad Firemen Fire-men were to give the first dance ofthe season that night and Joe Quinn the bright young engineer with whom Polly Pol-ly had been keeping company for over a year had promIsed to take her and now just as the evening shades were falling and it was nearly time to don the pretty dress made with such loving care for the event he had come to the house and told her that it would be im nossible for him to keep his engagement engage-ment He had been called to go out on No5 the Limited and could not get off It was enough to vex a saint I thought Polly John Ward Pollys father had been I in the employ of the Q company for many years and had risen from a position posi-tion as laborer to that of foreman of the roundhouse On the night of whIch we write he had been home to his supper and had been obliged to return I re-turn to the shops again to complete some repairs to a locomotive that could not wait Polly was alone and with I nothing else to do sat under the big tree and grieved over her lovers defection 1 defec-tion I tionAcross Across the level prairie she could i dimly see in the growing dusk the outline out-line of the mon ter shops and engine house On the turntable track down i near the t er tank she saw the bright rays of a electric headlight that she well knew was on the big tenwheel er thai her lover was to run that night She could see the flaring torches torch-es of Quinn and his fireman as they worked around the ponderous machine getting her ready for the mad rush of 1 the fast limited express The schedule i of the train was very fast and she well 1 knew that Joe would take especial j pride in showing his superiors that he had the necessary nerve and ability to make the time The mellow tones of the engine bell softened by the intervening distance floated across the plain rousing Polly from her reverie and telling her that her lover had started for the passenger passen-ger station in the city two miles away I She watched the headlight until it disappeared dis-appeared around the curves and was about to start for the house when her attention was attracted by voices on the other side of the tight board fence that inclosed one side of the lot scarcely scarce-ly ten feet from where she sat I tell you its a dead sure go if we only hustle Thats Quinn backing down nor on the 57 Hell run the life of em out of here and a couple of I good oak ties stuck in that trestle will do the job slick enough After the tumble theyll get nobody will be vatching very close and we can sneak the safe into the woods easy enough 1 Go i Bill said a secpnd voice I dont just fancy killing such a lot of people as thatll do Cant we flag em at the trestle n go through the car same as the other gangs do Theres six of us n we ought to bluff that express ex-press man easy enough I I I No use to talk about it now Hank responded the first Speaker The boys have got the thing all fixed now n we cant change it now Come on 1 well have to run if we get to Rock i creek before Quinn does I j As they finished their lowtoned hurried hur-ried talk two men came from behind the fence and started on a run down I the road toward the railroad track t Polly was a bright quickwitted girl and generally very selfreliant but now 1 she stood in the black shadows of the big tree completely paralyzed by the atrocity of the awful plan these men had revealed They were going to wreck No 5 to I rob the express safe I j How could she give the alarm in time to avert the terrible sacrifice of human j i I life It was over half a mile from her i house across the prairie to the shops 1 and from them it was nearly as far to the main track to reach which one would have to cross the intricate I I tracks of thjj great switching yards I which at this time in the year were i I I crowded with grain cars Could she I get to he shops find some one trustworthy I trust-worthy tell her story to them and still leave time enough for her messenger mes-senger to reach the main track to stop the train I While these questions were flashing through her brain the little clock in t the hall chimed the half hour It was halfpast S and the train left the city at 9 She had only thirty minutes left Suddenly she started toward the house on a run crying I can do it I know I canOn can-On Joes last trip in she had given a little lawn party and Quinn with the characteristic love of a railroad man for light and color had brought over from the shops a lot of railroad lanterns lan-terns white blue red and green to hang in the trees and now they wo tf stacked in the hall awaiting their return re-turn to the storeroom In a second Polly was beside the pile holding first one then another between her yes and the great arc light at the shops She soon found what she wanted a redone red-one and with it clasped in her arms ran to the kitchen for matches with which to light it Match after match was struck only to go out but at last success crowned her efforts and the light burned bright and clear in another moment she was speeding down the road toward the track bareheaded thinking only of Joe and the awful fate that awaited him if she were not in time Leaving the city of the C Band B-and Q road runs south nearly two miles In almost a straight line then makes a long curve to the left and straightens out to the east In the inner radius of thls curve the company com-pany located the shops and switching yards and a little farther back and east of the shops had laid out a little town for its employees On the street nearest the shops was the home of the Wards and this street Crossed the railroad rail-road nearly a mile from their house and considerably more than that from the yards Polly was thoroughly familiar with all the surrounding country for in the summer just passed on the pleasant Sunday afternoons the big engineer would take the little maid for a long I walk and lover Ilk would choose the least frequentEd paths One of their favorite rambles had been down the shady street to the railroad and occasionally oc-casionally down the railroad track through Quinlars Cut to Rock creek She knew the place well It was at the foot of a short but very heavy grade and as the road left the deep ro k cut named after the contractor who had blasted It through it ran over a high embankment and around a curve to Rock creek which it crossed on a trestle thirty feet above the stony bed of the little stream The trees In the bottom obscured the view bf the bridge even In daylight end at night no headlight would show on it until it would be too late to stop It was the intersection of the street and the railroad at the top of the grad > that Polly was straining every jiers = to reach before the threatening train should arrive Down in the city Engineer Quinn had looked over the train register and bulletin boards in the train dispatchers I oftlce and was back where his engine > was standing just outside the passenger passen-ger hed Torch in hand he wastaking I = 1 J 0 o j ja w 1 4 rf i < 1 < 11 iif one last look at the massive machinery I before starting on this his first passenger passen-ger run The train was reported ten minutes late and he had in his pocket an order from the superintendent to make up that lost time over his division divi-sion I sionDid you fill these rod cups Tim he called to his fireman who was busy in the cab of the engine I Oi did sor Say Joe did ye cut out th driver I brake asked Murphy I had to Some one got to monkey I ing with the pipe and broke the connection con-nection Maybe wont need it if we do shes got a mighty good lever and a hundred and sixty pounds of steam end thatll answer I guess Hello Here she comes called Jot as the bright headlight of an approaching approach-ing train shot into the farther end of the big passenger station Get yer hot Tim Im going to nail her to the cross out of here The engine was soon coupled to the I cars and in a few minutes the huge machine was drawing its long heavily laden train out of the depot Joe at the throttle vigilant and cautious carefully care-fully watching the little varicolored lights on the semaphores and running slowly until the crowded confines of the city should be passed All the worry I and vexation of thelong wait at the staion for the delayed train had vanished van-ished and now with the cool night air blowing in his face the engineer was I filled with the exhileration that is known only by those hardy fellows who I drive the iron horse that knowledge of mastery over the poweful machine that seems almost human in its work that obeys almost the slightest touch Soon the city is left behind and as he nears the long curve at the outer yards and sees the last semaphore signal at safety he gives the throttle lever alight i a-light pull Under the increased pressure pres-sure the iron giant leaps forward like a thing of life With his body half out of the cab window the little cap pulled down close over his eyes every nerve and muscle in his frame at its highest tension Joe is closely watching the track ahead for the danger that may arise at any moment Meantime how fared it with the little lit-tle woman we left flying down the street Polly reached the road crossing out of breath and trembling like a leaf She stopped in the middle of the track and listened The train had not passed of this she was sure she vuld have seen it from the road if it had Ah a bright light is dancing on the rails at the end of the curve and now she can plainly hear the low hrumble of the heavy train on the rails A moment later the brilliant electric I headlight is throwing its powerful rays I down the line and now for the first I time since she left the house she thinks to look at her lantern and is almost I frozen with horror to find it had gone out A little glowing coal still on the wick told its own story It was out qf oil God help me now What shall 1 do cried the girl in an agony of distress dis-tress as she held the glistening shape at arms length and could see no sign of light within the dark globe Then even as the hoarse note of the duplex whistle broke on the night air giving the crossing signal less than eighty rods away there came to her mind as plainly as if she had seen the very incident he told of a story of her engineer lover that would save his life now S C L s s t i 4 s R t tOne t-One bright afternoon in the summer Polly was sitting on the poarch sewing sew-ing while Joe lounged on the steps at her feet He had been telling her cf his past lift and of the many hard ships i he had endured when he had first commenced railroading He had told her many tales of thrilling interest I of life on the road and many showing the humorous side of the men of his vocation She had been listening attentively at-tentively and while watching his face as he told of a particularly exciting event in his own life her loving eyes had discovered a little scar only a faint line now on his forehead I What did that Joe she asked as she pushed back the curly hair that she might see it plainly Oh a brakeman out on the Central I I Branch hit ms with a lantern Why Joe Were you fighting 1 Fjghtin Not much Why my I dear that man saved ir > y life when he did that I Tell me about it please Joe pleaded his pretty listener Its not much of a story but Ill teH you about dt if you want It happened when I was running that little passenger pas-senger engine on the branch four years I ago I had been out all day on a special spe-cial two officers cars full of big of t ficials on a tour of inspection Wihen we got to the end of the road they de I i elided that they must go back to E that night It had just commenced to rain and it was as dark as the I Joe I will so dark you couldnt seen any thing I had broken my headlight chimney and couldnt get an extra one I there so I nut a white lantern in the headlight reflector and it gave just I enough light to show anyone on the track tlhalt we were coming and that was about aH 1 We got orders about 9 oclock and I pulled i out with as we supposed d a I i i clear track I had made about seventy of the ninetyfive miles we had to go and was sailing along about for tyfive or fifty miles an hour when something came through the front window win-dow of my cab hit me square in the face and dropped into my lap I packed it up knew what it was the minute I touched it a lantern and a red one I at that I I set my brake pulled tine sand lever I lev-er open and reversed her She skated I along a little way and ten stopped with a sudden jar When I got down on the ground I found she had poked her nose under a freight caboose If it hadnt been for that brakie and his red light Id a split tlhat train wide I open and youd probably had some other fellow in tow now You see it was this way The freight had been running ahead of us and had broke down The conductor I i had sent his flag out all right but the brakeman running back over the wet I I and slippery ties had stumbled and fell putting out his lanterns He had matches but he was wet through and I of course the matches were ruined He had started to go back to the caboose ca-boose to light his lamps when he heard I me whistle for a road crossing a little piece back Then he ran towards me i got as far as he could and just as I passed him fired his lantern through the window Pretty good scheme that Wasnt it s s t r s x This was the story photographed itself on Pollys brain as she stood in the track of the black monster that was so rardly nearing her Perfectly cool now she stepped to the side of the track and with uplifted arm braced herself to take as she thought the only chance to save her lover from an awful death On the engine Joe as soon as he got out on the straight track could see something on the crossing A few seconds sec-onds brought him near enough to see what it was and knowing full well it could be no trifling matter that had brought his little sweetheart there at that time of night and alone he shutoff shut-off steam and applied the air brake Then as he got down on the step prepared pre-pared to get off as soon as the speed of the train slackened sufficiently he said to his fireman Stop her Tim and back up for me Murphy had hardly straightened upon up-on the footboard when there came a crash of broken glass a blow on the shoulder from some heavy object and a shattered red lantern lay on the deck at his feet Howly Moses Pfwhats dthat Me shoulders broke intirely A glance at the bent frame and broken glass lying in the bright light of the open fire box door told him and the reverse lever of the power ful locomotive went back with a jump a stream of sand was pouring down on the rails beneath the big driv ing wheels and the little Irishman ab the throttle was giving the itenwheel cr the full benefit of the 160 pounds of steam she carried 4 Hearing the wash as the lantern V t J G i 1 c r went through < the window Quinn took desperate chances and as the engirie cleared the crossing jumped to the ground The speed of the train was so great that he was unable to keep his feet and he rolled into the ditch beside be-side the track He was on his feet again in an instaht and running back to the crossing found Pollys slender form lying in the road for the first time in her vigorous young life she ihad fainted When she opened her eyes her head was on Joes broad breast and the blue and gold conductor lantern in hand was eyeing her severely while a small I but rapidly growing crowd of passengers passen-gers stood around and wondered what had happened I Her story was soon told and as she was on her way back home under the protection of the baggagemaster Quinn I went thundering down the hill with the light engine her cab and tender crowded with a armed posse of recruites from among the passengers and led by that muscular little Irishman Murphy who sported a murderous looking Winchester I Win-chester borrowed from the express messenger mes-senger The engineer knew where to I stop now and as they slipped up to the end of the trestle they saw a skulking figure make for the woods Murphy sent a shot 01 two after it but when the party searched the woods in the bottom there was no sIgn of any of the robbers to he lourd jii the timbErs of the brdge Leiw en the rails they found foii big vak UPS so placed that they would uieiy Jiae thown the train to the rocks below What became of Polly do you ask A short time ago I received a copy i lof a paper published in r that i contain l snicn the marriage notices that of Mr Joseph Qmnn and Miss i Polly Ward and in another clumn I found mi tended notice of the event that gave a list of the presents and the donors thereof Among them were a check from an English earl for one hundred guineas a fine piano from a San Francisco gentleman a beautiful I set of solid silver from the Adams Express j Ex-press company and from the C B Q Railway company a deed for a handsome house and lot in the city Many others sent beautiful and useful presents and I am creditably informed that the two gifts almost holy in the I eyes of Mrs Polly are an elegant little watch from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Loco-motive Engineers inscribed To Polly Quinn from the B of L E A memory mem-ory of Rock creek and a watch charm in the shape of a shield made of solid gold On one side was traced Polly WardFlagman on the other was the crossed red and green flags 1 the insignia of the Brotherhood of Railway Rail-way Trainmen who had elected the young lady an honorary member of the I largest organization of railroad men on earth Washington Star I |
