LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1773, 25 October 1879, Page 3

LITERATURE.

NUMBER SEVEN" HONORED AND TWENTY-FIVE. {Concluded) Just as we abreast of the entrance of the depot the stranger jumped into the cab. I looked at him more narrowly now that we were together for the journey, and, to make myself as courteous as possible, offered him my pips, which ha declined, without speaking, by a wave of his hand. He seated himself in one corner of the cab, and seemed very unsociable in every respect. He sat with his face turned from the light, looking out of the cab window ahead of the engine. He kept himself eo very quiet that, in the multifarious duties that are always present to the engineer, I forgot all about him until my attention was recalled to him suddenly, and, unconsciously, I looked at him. I found his eyes fixed on me, but the moment he caught my glance he turned away to the window. So the miles slipped by, and eo, too, did the minutes. We were fifteen minutes late when we Etarted, and that must be made up somehow on the rosd. I drove the engine as hard as ever I dared; the furnace was a mass of leaping flame ; the steam was pushing and leaking from every valve ; the old engine fairly trembled with the speed. It went to my very heart to press my pet so much, but I folt it must be done. We cut all our stops short; at Melton we only stopped five minutes instead of fifteen. We had made up some ten minutes, and the other five we could easily make up now ; but there were some heavy grades before us, and I was saving up the engine for them. We were approachmg a small country station—Colesboro, I think the name was at the same desperate speed, sweeping round the curves and dashing over the straight bits like lightning. Fancy my astonishment at this moment to hear the stranger speak for the first time, and coolly say : ' See here, boss! Slow up a little here, I want to get off 1' * What!' I exclaimed, aghast at the idea, and my hand tightening its grasp on the throttle-valve. ' Step the train a moment, I say !' he shouted, to make himself heard above the noise of the t-neine. 'I can't. We are due at Mowbray fn twenty minutea. It is as much as our lives are worth to stop now.' ' Stop,' he shouted angrily. ' You shall stop!' He mede a motion as if he were going to grasp the throttle. •Don't you lay a hand on that valve,'l said, 'or I'll brain you on the spot!' I took up a heavy iron wrench lying on the tool-chest. • You fool, don't you know there is another train close behind us now, and there's not a second to be lost?' ' I don't care,' with a great oath, and he drew out a revolver; 'now,' says he. 'stop this engine in five seconds or I'll shoot.' He cocked the revolver and levelled it at me, and began to count ' one, two,' but before he could utter the syllable three, Bob, my fireman, whom both h»d forgotten, put in an appearance. He had been over in the coal bunker of the tender, and although only a short distanoe off, had not heard a word of our conversation in the thunder of the train. But ho took in the position of things immediately. He had a heavy poker used in raking the fire in his hand, and he raised it against the stranger, who pointed the revolver at him to keep him cff. ' I'll shoot you if you come a foot nearer.' Now it was my turn. The barrel of the revolver was turned from me, and with all the quickness I was capable of I threw myself upon him. He saw me coming and quickly turned the revolver and fired. I had already aimed a blow with all my force at his head with a wrench, but the pistol ball stopped me, and the blow fell on the left arm. The bullet had struck nu and oinanod me nomehow, but we clenched and nearly rolled off into the track, which would have been death to both of ns. How long we fought I do not know ; the engine was left to its own devices and we went tearing past trees and nouses, rushing, for aught I knew, past danger signals and all. All these things I thought of during the struggle. A third person appeared on the scene while we were in full career. He had a dark lantern in one hand and a huge Colt's revolver in the other. He threw back the lappel of his coat, and in the dim light I saw gleaming in brass letters, ' U.S. Secret Service.' ' That will do; that is quite enough of this game, Sam Bardolph,' he said in a tone of authority, addressing the stranger. ' You're wanted, you are, and here are the bracelets for you.' The stranger seemed cowed in a second. It is wonderful what a control authority and tho tone of the officers of the law have upon the most lawless. The boldest thief quails before the stern majesty of law ; the deserter cannot help touchiug his cap when an officer speaks to him. We helped to handcuff the poor fellow. The officer said : ' This will be fifteen years at hard labor at the least.' The fellow muttered something about being betrayed. •These fine fellows have nothing to do with it, anyhow ; if you were betrayed, it was by that pretty girl of youra—Kate.' There was little time to talk, for while the fight bad been going on the fires were allowed to get low, and the engine had Blackened speed sensibly. I was frightened when I looked at my watch and found how mush we were behindhand. We had passed our last stopping place in the straggly greatly to the surprise of the officials, doubtless, and we were now so far as I could make out from the character of the country, about half-way to Byetown, the terminus of my trip. We all three, government detective, fireman, and engineer, helped to pile the coal into the furnace Away we went, hammering the rails like a trip-hammer; the speed was simply frightful, but it was our onty chance I knew. I kept the engine steadily at it, looking out constantly for signals; fortunately no delays occurred, and we dashed ahead smoothly enough. All of a sudden, Bob, my fireman, who wes looking out of the window on the opposite Bide, gave an exclamation : 'Great Heavens, Jim, we have run by a signal!' ' What was It, Bob ?' I asked with nervous dread, laying my hand on the great reversing lever that stood by my side, and ready for the worst. To reverse the engine at this speed would burst something, I knew, even if I could do it at all.

'lt was a red,' aaid he, under his breath. We both leaned out and saw a station before us, and there caine a voice distinctly to us out of the darkness ahead, in thrilling tones :

• For God's sake, clear the track; here comes the express!' I felt it was too late, whatever was coming, to do anything. I threw the throttle-valve wide open, and braced myself against the seat. The next instant we were there, and it was all over. Bip, rip, rip, tearing past we went, just grazing the last car of a freight train going on a switch to let us pass. The rest of my Btory is Boon told. We got to Byetown iu tirrn, and there we handed our prisoner over to the law. He was a notorious counterfeiter, it turned out, and I, under the direction of his pretended wife, the pretty Kate, had carried packages of the • queer' for him when he was afraid to send them by express, or in the mails, without discovery. I had also, it been assisting him to escapo the officers of justice by carrying him on my engine, where no ono would think of looking for him except a certain gentleman in a drab overcoat, who took the trouble to ride on the tender for the express purpose of catching the wily counterfeiter. I need hardly say that my further oonrting of the pretty Kate was put to a sudden eud, and I was only too glad to be let off with a whole skin by the Dnited Stateß Government for the sake oi my evidence in the trial of the rascal Bardolph.— BICHAKD EXLMOH, in " Potter's Magazine."