The Dugdale Millions — page 284: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

274 THE DUGDALE MILLIONS. was by his hands alone. His feet were dangling over the open cut of the tunnel, twenty feet from the ground. A new danger presented itself! Now Bessie became keenly aware of the approach of the train. She did not know that the alert engineer of the approaching locomotive had seen her upon the track and was reversing his engine. All she did see was that Dick, who had gallantly struggled for his life on the top of the roof, and had not lost his head when falling, but had endeavored manfully to seize every advantage, was now in imminent danger of being struck by the stack of the locomotive, as it issued from the tunnel. She screamed aloud. She frantically cried to Dick tc make him aware of his danger. She could not make him understand. With a wild scream she rushed from the track, hast- ily climbed the rock in the path of Merrimount, who was now as rapidly descending, and, without regard for her soft white hands, climbed with all the energy of desperation, and reached a point nearest to Dick’s dangling feet. At the risk of being dashed to the ground beneath, she reached forward and caught his feet, pulling them as far toward her as her strength, that of a giant in her excitement, would permit her. At this moment Merrimount reached her, and throw# ing himself on his face, until more than half his body projected over the rocks, grasped her about the waist, holding her securely while she maintained her grasp on Dick's feet. In the instant the stack of the locomo- tive passed within an inch of Dick’s legs, the fumes and the gases therefrom almost stifling her, as it passed under. But now the engine came to a stop, with the roof of the cab immediately under Dick. Merrimount saw this and, calling to Bessie that Dick was now safe, bade her let go of his feet, and cried to oO CoMmiclooo@