Page:McClure's Magazine volume 10.djvu/216

402 one of the things you mustn't do is to run into and wreck your rear end when going back after it, I had to go very carefully, while all this time the passenger train stood there waiting. At last I got them, pulled them across in a hurry—although, to be sure, it was hardly worth while to hurry now—and after the passenger train had gone, I shoved them back over the switch again, pulled up the train, shoved it over and coupled them all together, and pulled them back on to my track again.

I was now nearly out of water, and in less than an hour the limited would be on top of us. The next water-plug was five miles away; I cut the engine loose and ran for it, took half a tank as quickly as possible, and started back after my train. Though I came back whistling for a signal, the first thing I saw was the station lights. The crew were all in there having a smoke; "didn't expect me back so soon," they said. I tried my best to stop, knowing that I must be close to the train, but I hit it hard enough to break the draw-bar in the car, and by the time they got that fixed up there was no earthly hope of getting to the next siding ahead of the limited. So once more I backed over that cross-over, but not until I saw a man swinging a lantern on the last car.

After the limited got by, we pulled across once more, and by this time it was doubtful if I had water enough to get to the siding; but as we had all night before us now, I let her take it easy, and got there after a while, with the tank dry and the boiler not much better. I got down to oil while the fireman was taking water, and discovered that the link lifting-spring was broken; and while I was looking at it and wondering how that could have happened without my knowing it, the head brakeman came up with an order for me to weigh that coal.

My back was almost broken, and I was more than half dead with fatigue and worry, and now I had to weigh thirty cars of coal without a lifting-spring.

There was a way freight engine lying in a spur back of the station, so I telegraphed to the train-despatcher, telling him how I was fixed, and asking permission to use that engine to weigh the coal with. The answer I got was short, but not sweet: "Use the engine you have." Back I went to the yard and weighed that coal. In order to back her, I had to brace both feet against the front of the cab, and, pulling with all my might, raise the heavy links; then, perhaps, I would have the misfortune to move the cars half an inch too far, so I would get a signal to go ahead a bit, and on unhooking the lever it would fly forward with such force as nearly to jerk me through the front windows.

I got the coal weighed sometime and somehow, coupled on to them, and the conductor, coming ahead, began to tell how far we could go if we hurried up and got out ahead of train 12; but I cut him short by telling him to go in the office and tell Chicago that I couldn't go another foot until I got five or six hours' sleep. Off he went grumbling, but came back in a few minutes. "Chicago says, 'All right. Go to sleep.

I pulled them into a convenient siding, picked as smooth a lump of coal as I could find in the tender, upholstered it with waste, and spreading my coat on the foot-board for a mattress, dropped the curtain, and curled myself in the short, inconvenient, hot, and dirty cab for a few hours' rest (?) to the tune of the fireman's grumbling. After some time I dozed off—as it seemed, for about a minute. Then somebody was shaking my shoulder and calling, "Hey!" I looked up dazed into the face of the fireman. "Seven's just gone, an' if we follow her, we can go right in."

Seven was the midnight train out of Chicago, and if she had gone, there would certainly be ample time for us to get in before the first morning train arrived. I was too dead to look at my watch, so I took the fireman's word for it, and we were soon jouncing along at a fairly good gait. I was still sleepy and dead; had to keep my head out in the sharp morning air to keep awake at all. Arrived at a water-station about half-way, I told the fireman he had better fill the tank, as there could hardly be enough in it to take us through. While I was oiling, the conductor came up and asked if I was going to sidetrack there. I looked at him a full minute before I could get it through my head what he was driving at. Then I told him, "No, certainly not; why should I sidetrack here?"

"How fur ye goin' fer Seven?"

"All the way."

"What time's she due here?"

"Fifty-seven."

"What time ye got now!"

I looked at my watch; it was forty-eight. I asked the conductor if we were clear of the switch.