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Show SWINTON'S LAST TIM'. lUUroful aocMrnti ro often entul by ilitrrprird or dltobcdlonoo of order, nml ilia Ion of tUo and druiujfl to lroirty at Kioctltn i fearful. VJieii ucli dUostcrt ranjr mult from careless-iiom careless-iiom It li not ttiangs to find rulon nml niil&tionc to fuldo tlioko employed In tlio train smlee as rigid m tiuraiui to)l In tfUcIcnt military forres. Operating a sluglo track railroad, M.d partknUrty 0110 ovor wliloh tlo traffic U frvtirnt, require groat skill nnd long ti-Tienrxi on tltu I art of trainmen, tt vrell as on the part of thu train dispatcher. Tlio tmii dispatcher rrjrutato ttto inowmcnt of nit train front thu general gen-eral or head odlcu by menu of fpecial telegraph wire to tlio virlou itatlorw along tho hnc. Thhcad oftlco Iiln pmntnuj illation vrlth every train run niiifi ocr Ilia rondj but nolontfiu train Li inoIn upon lU rrgularwlied uIj tlnio It do not rciulro aity (iocIal or Ir to Korrrn It. Only In Umu of an Accident, jtorlinpi, or tor Rdtim itniuuil cu or In tlio raw of rttra tralni, which, not bUi down on llto prlntM tlmo tnbln, aro called wild trains nro tho -oo! Jmlj-tiifnt Jmlj-tiifnt and Ingenuity of ft train dl'ptttcli mr Ijfi uit li.fn full ulnv Ti aVrJil coll Jtlon under rjcli rlrcuinstancrw It 1 no jwtry to IttTXn explicit orders und to Imto them iKJiitlvcly obod. John Hwlntou moi onooftlto olJt nnd boit rnglnffr on a onruln road lilmlbcn In tlir errIco for yran, had U iin Ok Orrnian on a ritch in pine rhed lit proniollon a cnl nevr, nnd llntdly ran cnjrlno 133, tiaul luf(thafut ctprrn. lln waa ntwrayi on tbnc, unlr touictUug brjond ItU lowarpreTcntd( bo -as uovrr In bad iiuincr, and vasaltoscther caroful and truftwortby Juhn mlfht hnvo had tld "fiin" fctlll If It bad tiot boon for au accident which I to Upt Ids ncrvMlbat bo bcam unfit for tit regular icrrloo, and vrai put on I tbo ltM lilt ' Ho ran poclali whf n tlio pfKidnt went over tho ron1, or mo othur dignitary bod occasion to timet In tlat way, when hwto wu trpuvtally iitc&ryt and wan ahva) oalled upon to run tlio puy oAr on lU rfguUr Licb'Jilf trlpj). llobad nway of blowtctf bU wblctlo io that ouo might cilly Imagftto Uiat It uwant mora Uiaji ''LooH out for tn," llooould Bound It for tho crowing or blow fur n tiUon m Ith a makloal thrill aud flniih t lutt wai rrally pivoting. Wbllohe wm pIIU running I ho fast ti ntt and whirled It ocrou Uw pUlui ut forty miles on boar. Uicrowerofew jwoplo aloikg tho lino wlio wrro uot ablo to d(tH)t John's band at the throttle by tho vry inanrwr lu which th cront-biff cront-biff Htro annomwed, and tho fwcullar tlrl rtf the dujt behind tho train a It nw along tho raUa Ho wm n good fellow J PTC-ry ono Ukc-d blm. Ho bad n way that mado btm popular with tho boy ton tho road, as well as with bU iupcrlir, ll n not at all "cranky," iwi moet ciprcsi en glnocnf on, and If callod upon to nut iui citra A(tr hli regular day's work was dnno bo was on baud promptly, an 1 did lint atto Uino beforo tho start by oiling around and tinkering with tlio ptiton rod lacking or tho nuts e-n tho kteam client. Hut be ran Into the rear end of local train No. 2T ouo night. It was not u try lind smueli from tlio point of k,w of daiuago to property, bocunsu be rbunwd bU ititflno lu time, nud tlio rlwlt was mild, bnt a brakcuuui was billet lite was "laid or ending uu Jmctlgntlonr and although It u&s clearly ibowu that tho local did not fret fur ftlbiigh buck with signals to givu blm m 111 dent wanihig, after that bo Wviiieil to 'loo bis grip, as tho Ijojs said, ah 1 noer fully recovered iroin tho shot k. '1 lu.ro ato many such inxtancon nmong tho bravo men who drivu tho Iron Hwas dcAiued Int at any rato to put blui Into thu eitr.i wrvi'.-o. When lit) was tnllo 1 upon to get down fnmi tin footboard of rxprvw cnglno 133 nn 1 Uoomo tho master of "Nnmlwr 0," bo roally prcf rrcl It, bccntiv, as ho ku 1, ' ho hadn't tho bourt to haul thu txpriMi tho roKiikIbIUty wclghvtl blm down." Aftrrtlta bo iiotrrinUwd a trip in running tho pay uir lhe trntkium An I ututlou agmts said they ulny kuuw to a luluute ubi n to iTxt their pay, for be u aUuyi n tlnio Oiuuhewai "laid off" furoxeoo'llng lb1 rtgulatton eppMof forty mltcs nn Lour, tU limit fat all upotlil trulnii lt bo was urged to do that by tl e )uiymoit-r for particular niwuu Tlw titrnw VkCi suluHfj neatly overlooked, and ho did not i uny wagot by It It uui eal 1 by onto of Jobn'H Jrl -n li 0 1 1m Imd a t f"-1 '( ii i.t tlna stim 1 I i. .ih f'ltu 1 1 hupptmmi that duv 1 i wlnUr. mkii li r ii tbn w- r OutorthoiiuUnxtailoiilortli U t It bM bi u en .uinr mil lr ng with groat fury fvr ioiuo hours, and tberovas tvery lim itloit of i)n wiutbcr The snowplon had be n pat In order and were Already at work on ffoiuo divisions where the storm was flercort. It looked as If them would ba plenty of ork nn 1 worry for the ilbpfttchen from "rtalled" tralm, "dead" eiiginM and a general dlsar rnngctnent of the regular ichoduln Torino 9, with tlio pay cor, bad or-den or-den to "run wild to WinonUaud ro K)rt " MlncoU Is a Junction and a busy plaoe, even In winter A branch rallmnd running through a farming d! trlct terminate there, and some tlltccn or twenty trains a day run ner It, making connection with tho trains on tho main line, most of uhlch stop Ono ordinarily finds thero two or thrco freight crowe, mho bo over wait tug for connections When John Hwlnton, nftcr a bird struggle with thodetiicnU, pulled up alongside the station and ordrrud his Unman to giro Knglno 0 a drink from tho water tank tin ro wm a nviio of groat confusion, 1'aiKOgcr train IS golug east, was snow loimd West bound frolght No. V was In n drift two miles east of tho ntallou, nnd thcro was a report that tho branch rood wen flllcil In full of snow where the cuts were the deepest rourorltro cutra uglnc, steaming nnd blowing, wero Awaiting orders on tho siding, aji 1 the p'atform an 1 sta tlon w em crowded with pnsiengt rs nnd train men wailing for something to bo done. A rejiort canio after n time that a novr plow was morklngucst, down the branch, and that tho road was likely to b clear by nfternoon It was tho cmtntn to pay oft employ ect cif,Arfedon thatdlrUlon first lefore going eait over tho malit line, so tlio y car stood awaUIng orders to pro ceeiL A gang of men wore busily atorL digging out freight train o. 2, and It wm expected that the main lino would also 1)0 clear beforo evening Show was no longer falling, but the wlinl blew with much for Tho win try sky foreboded continued cold weather nnd a Muttering night Tho day wow on Iho snow bound paiwengers I al grown tired of asking questions as to what were the profpe-t of raising tbn blockade and ba 1 dls tributvd tbeinselvtM among tlio neigh Ixjrlng n-staurunU In quest of some thing to eat Tho newsboys lud long sinro sold out their supply of peanuts and candles, so that edible from that sourott wcro no longer to to rbtalnd 1'ngiuM wore blowing otf stnam, the chill winter wind wbMIel about the ears, and the weird gloom of a short day drawing to n ctoso hail settled down. At last a report oanio onr the wire tint a snowplow from up tho brauob Imd snccecdcd In working Its May through tho bago drifts, nud was near lug tha J u net lull. Boon thvro km a shrill wbUUe, and tho groat plow, forcnl Along by six powerful engines covrf-l with Ico and snow, eAnio dnsh Ingby tho Nation, I 'very ono knew tint tlio track v. as clwir To rnUrond turn long In tho strifes tho sight wm uot unusual, but to one unaccustomed to such iK-en tluronro fow tilings (stoudrr. Tlioltclatctliwisicu gcrsset iipntltont, glotl that nhctbal como and Imprest! with tho mig nUlcont sight Then camo orders for Engine 9, with ny car, to procwd up tlio branch Kurjthlnt; was astir. John bad UghliHl O.e headlight nud bal tbor oughtyodoil Ids engine It was growing grow-ing drk, tbi nar signal lamps on tho pay car were dUplayed, mid oery pn p oration mado to get over tho road In n hurry, so that tho regular tnlns shtuld not bo Interfered wltli, and In order that an early start might bo mado In tho morning to pay oil tho men on the branch, coming back, "1 can't pull out till tho rullet train folio lug the snowjtlow come- upH John wld to bis conductor. "Thoro uro no orders about n relief train," was tbo reply, "Perhaps uot," John answered j "but do ou suppow) tho bos baro lcen atoard that snowplow all these hours without a blto or two to keep them up! I tell you them must bo a rtlWf train following thorn down tho branch, and wo can't go ahead till It comes In." Ry tho light of bU lantern John rend tho order ocr ag&liL "1-urfliw 0 with uy car wilt run to 0. II. rtgardlcM and report" That wo plain enough. Itgnohlin right of way mi r everything on the raul but for further nMurnneo, both men repaired to the tile-graph ofllce Thcro the ordor was oontlnned John woa half doubtful still, but thcro was nothing to do but obey. Ho mounted Ids cDglno. Thcro was n stroLo of the boll, a sharp blast of the uliUl.i and they utro oil, ultli the red tail Uuips on tho my car dljap- C wiring around thocuno in tbodrit isuow, John was oIdntly "letting her out" n llttlo, for the bystanders at tho station could lwvir old Ungino 9 ex burnt as though site woul 1 blow out n cylimbr hwul, In rplto of tho shrill wind and escaping rtoam from tbo in glnesontbosldotiadv. Hardly bod tlio sound dll away beforo mrr tb wires clUked an crdi i "Hold pay carat MineiU Junctlbi tlllnrrhalof rtlicf train" Tho operator uut tlio reply i 'Too late situs gouo ahtady " Tbo train dispatcher suddenly recot lelcd that tho relief train was coiuIuk down tho 1 ruttch with exactly thu sam right ulilcli tho snowplow had, nnd tmnoof thu nwltch,4 vst.ro cleand t that illher train could tutu a kh trnck It Ii ImjKHsiblo to describo the tor HblufeallngiiOf Uint optruturj nordiw any ono wonder that tlio dlvpatehir hulrtuniftl wblto that night 1'hutw traluaWf re liowappnwehlugeueb oihei tnuUrfuIlbeiidnuy on iu n trnik It was dirk, tho line a full I cur nml dntibtroiiH nut tu T iiimt ami then) miuld lw but onu r ih Tl p curb I nip ml n t . nexr m i i ti, and If w b y md linn m uuiiblUty to uuiodytlwuful uidaka Tbo only h( 1ft vtis tint lliorn tircrs of the .wo tiaui inh hi byebamti See) tbefr danger in timo on somo straight rtret UoftrocU Hut that w.u only a lutro pmwbibT) Did John say to himself bo was rlht after all, rhen, looking Ahead into tho darkiim, bo thought lie dlrttugnUhrd the frbrnmer of a distant bojvlUjIit 1 At nuy rato ho was liulf dL'pol to shut off and easo down a bit lto cuoftultod bis original onler once more by tho dim light In tbo caK Iwked out again, siw nothing, nnd changed hU mind Ho glancud nt bis watch, turt9l on tbo Inrplrator to Jet more water Into the bo tier, looked at his steam gauge aud optui-d it up n notdiortwn tn&cod. It was not Koulni 9 s fault If the didn't cxocel refutation speed thtuand I langtt through tbo snow mid dnrknevs to destruction, Suddenly a glare, an awful crash, n bwrfiil i lunge, the iioI-hi of crciiptng steam, a few stifled cr!e and It WAt nil ocr Tho train, bid met on n shirt curto ngalint tho hopes and prayer of thoio now rcfpouilblo or tlio rnUmlty They found John's lody hi th wreck badly mangled His hniul still held the throttlo. tin had gunodown to death with hlsciifilne His llreman csvnpvd with a broken leg by Jumping but both engine, wcro completely w reeked The pay car was thrown from tbo traek violently and was badly stuitthcd It soeiued a inlracla tJiat Its oecupiuits wero saved 'Ilwy wiro fortnrinto enough to cscnpo with a fow bruises. l'oor John I He died a hem, and thiro wes no orie on the run! who rauld nulto fill hi. I Ineo Ileiijamin Norton in outh's ComnnIoti. |
