The Argosy for May — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

Aa ris plied the conductor. ‘‘ And you can’t see anything here!” They made a quick examination of the track. Everything seemed to be all right. ‘The mystery was beyond explain; ing. “Tf there’s anything the matter with that locomotive, it’s something I’ve never run across before, and I’ve railroaded some,” Jerry said. ‘But there isn’t any other explana- tion,” the conductor retorted. ‘Well, it is no use to try to run in town again,” Jerry went on. “ It’s time for the outgoing limited to be coming along, too, We'll have to take a siding!” “ll send a brakeman back to the junction tower to wire in,” the conduct- or said. ‘“ The limited won’t come out while we’re on this block.” The brakeman was sent back with the report—a report which stated that at a certain place in the track, Jerry’s loco- motive had stopped like a balky horse, and refused to budge an inch; that it seemed everything was all right as long as no attempt was made to pass that one spot. It was suggested that the out- going limited run slowly until it had passed the side-tracked ingoing train and the junction tower, ‘The superintendent swore when he got that message; then he ran down and got on the outgoing limited, and ordered it to proceed, When the train rounded the curve out of the yards, those on its locomotive could see Jerry’s train side- tracked and waiting. The track seemed all right. ‘Something wrong with Jerry’s en- gine, that’s all,’ muttered the superin- tendent, ‘“‘I thought he’d been in the business long enough to know an en- gine!” Those on Jerry’s locomotive watched closely as the other train approached. It was running slowly, the engineer ap- parently using great caution. It ap- proached the spot beyond which Jerry’s train had refused to go—now it was upon it, now it had passed, and the last car was rattling over it as the foremost cars came abreast of Jerry’s locomotive. The superintendent sprang off, and the outgoing train, its locomotive giving a whistle that seemed to be one of derision 32h to run an engine? MERCY. 225 to Jerry, dashed away on its long jour- ney. “Well, wouldn't Jerry exclaimed. ‘“What’s the matter here?” the super- intendent cried. “ Don’t you know how Do you know you’ve got a few hundred passengers behind you that are swearing at this road and every one connected with it? What’s the trouble?” ‘“I—I don’t know, sir,” Jerry replied. He explained at. length to the su- perintendent, and the superintendent laughed, as the conductor had done. Jerry, therefore, demonstrated. He backed the train and handled it with his usual skill. Then he ran it forward ; but when it reached that point in the track, the locomotive jarred and stopped. ‘Jumping Jerusalem!” exploded the superintendent. ‘“ But we can’t stop to explain it now! Send some one back to the tower and order out another en- gine. Uncouple, Jerry, and leave the that jar you?” train on the main track. Then take that antiquated pile of junk you’re running and put it on the side track!” In time, the other locomotive arrived from the yards. It passed the myste- rious stretch of track safely. It coupled on to the limited, and started to pull. The train gathered speed and_ ap- proached that mysterious spot. Jerry and his fireman and the superintendent stood beside the track, watching, And when the train reached the spot, it stopped again! “What the—” the official began, He ran forward, with Jerry and the fireman at his heels. The other engineer was swearing and trying everything of which he could think to carry his train beyond that spot. ‘Guess my engine’s gone back on me, ” he said; as the super niengeut came fanaa up. The passengers were piling out of the cars again, some of them business men, who looked at their watches and mut- tered things about the road; others were travelers who were missing connections. They crowded around the superintend- ent and demanded an explanation. The oficial was in agony. 1 OOOL< (CO) ~