Chasing an Iron Horse

ir train-the train which they hoped soon to call theirs in reality. They were all in civilian dress; even Walter Jenks had contrived to discard his uniform

bout to execute rested upon his own shoulders, but he had no idea of flinching. "Before night has come," he was thinking conf

or the tiny Waggie. There was nothing about the party to attract undue attention. They pretended, for the most part, to be strangers one to another, and, to aid in the

hrough various doors, but at last reached the passenger car nearest to the engine. Here they seated themselves quite as if each man had no knowledge of any one else. In another

ed searchingly at the boy as he examined his ticket. "Too young," George h

he expression, "Too young." The man had been warned by the Confederate authorities that a number of young Southerners who had been conscripted into the army were trying to escape from service, and might use the cars for that purpose. He was ordered, therefore, to arrest any such

ast that he almost feared some one would hear it, and ask him what was the matter. The hoarse cries of the employees as they announced the name of the station made him realize that now, after all th

ch the station took its unpoetic name. Then the train hands, including the engineer and fireman, followed the example of the hungry passengers, and hurried off to breakfast. The engine w

glanced rapidly up and down the track. There was no obstruction visible. Within a stone's throw of him, however, sentries were posted on the outskirts of the Confederate camp. He scanned the station, which was directly across the track from the encampmen

calmly, indeed, as if he were merely invit

o happen, left the car, and walked hurriedly to the head of

e latter was to be the fireman. One of the men uncoupled the passenger cars, so that the stolen train would consist only of the engine, tender, and the three baggage cars. Into one of these baggage cars the majority of the party climbed, shutting the doors at either end afte

Chattanooga. The next instant Big Shanty was in an uproar. As he peered over the ledge of the tender, and looked back, George saw the sentries running here and

ggie out of his pocket, and held him up in the air by the little fellow's forepaws. "Say good-bye to the Confeds," he shouted, "for by to-night, Wag, you'll be in the Union

e right-hand seat of the cab,

: he was so sure the sentries would stop us, and the soldiers didn'

ry was mountainous, and the track itself was in wretched condition. Yet it was a magnificent sight as "The General," which was the name of the engine, careered along thro

complete standstill. Andrews, who had made his way into the tender, with c

, Brown?" he shout

er. At the same moment the men in the baggage car opened the d

them that there would

s afraid some of the machinery had broken." No one understood better than he how a broken engine would have stranded a

ab to convey wood from the tender into the engine furna

d then sped across a narrow embankment, "if any attempt will be ma

y. "There's only one unscheduled train to meet, in addition to the two regulars. After I meet it, probably at Kingston, twenty-fi

said Jenks, as he jammed his shabby cap over hi

t the enemy might tap the wire, if it were not cut, and thus send word along the line that a train manned by Northern spies was to be w

e was running over a comparatively level section. "The General" was soon motionless

ted Andrews. Then coming to George, he said:

ee beat me yet,

t pole yonder, and see if y

to coax one's way up a smooth pole than up the rough bark of a tree, as George soon learned. Twice he managed to clamber half way up the pole, and twice he slid ignominiously to the ground. But he was determined to succeed,

ick of kindling-wood, brought from the tender. Next he leaned out from the cab and threw the stick into the air. It flew over the telegraph wire, and then to the ground,

the boy, who was resting himself on

swung himself from the cross-bar to the wire, and began to finger his way towards the cord. But this was an experience new to the expert tree-climber; ere he had proceeded more than thre

learned a few things about falling from trees. As he came tumbling down

tained pluckily, running

a new piece of the cord, tied it around the lad's waist. "If I had t

, with his left hand holding on to the cross-bar, and his legs firmly wound around the pole, he took the axe in his right hand and hit the wire. Three times did he thus strike; at the third blow the wire snapped asunder, and the long

ed to George with the remark: "Well, my son, you're earning yo

ar, "it will be best to take up a rail, so that if we are pursued, by

ts," explained the leader, "but I guess this will answer." Watson managed to loosen some of the spikes on the track, in the rear of the train, by means of this bar; l

ow. "Great guns!" he growled, "we are acting a

; "we have been running ahead of schedule time. But hurry up; there's lots of w

gineer, and it was brought slowly to a stop. The chief jumped from the engin

opened the door, he cried: "There's time, boys, for another wrestle with the telegraph-only this time we will try a new plan." This

off before our friends the enemy can steam by-even i

ing back to the cab. H

matter?" a

ping the fellows to put that pol

t," urged the leader. "George can ta

nged to know that he was of some real use in the expedition. So Jenks retired to the baggage car, carrying with him, for

he had five minutes before. The spirits of Andrews seemed to be rising higher and higher. Thus far everything had

he cab saw that they were approaching a small station flanked by half a dozen h

the station-master, a rustic-looking individual with

rs, as he gave a hitch to his shabby trousers. He could not understand the pres

t Big Shanty. "No," he said, in a tone of authority, "this is not Fuller's train. He'll be along later; we have the right of

the station-master, pointin

ctions; they were as silent as the grave, and their doo

there to blow up the whole Stat

'em," said the man of the long beard. "He's the best General we h

ping me. I want more water-I see y

d the station-master, enthusiasticall

" was speeding away from the station with a fresh su

assistant laughed. George shut the heavy door of the furnace, into which he

rue," he suggested, "you cou

ern border, nearly three hundred miles away from here; besides, if I were a Southerner, I couldn't possibly reach there without running afoul of General Mitchell and

the engineer, as "The General" just grazed an inquisi

h there," admitted Andrews, "and we

ig Shanty, and about thirty miles had been covered, when the all

tainly plenty of cars in evidence on the sidings; indeed, the station, which was the

ocomotive. He held in his hand a telegraphic blank. As he saw Andrews, who was leaning out of the cab with an air of impatience that was

ler's train," he said.

ain and another engine. This is a special carrying ammunition for Gene

e cars were closed, and might easily be filled with powder and shot; the men in the e

a telegram saying a local freight from the north wi

ed the idea of a delay. The loiterers on the platform were listening eagerly to the conversation; he felt that he was attracting too much attent

, endeavoring to look un

d from the main track to a side track, and a c

tions which must be answered in some shape unless suspicion was to be aroused-and suspicion, unde

ou take Fuller's engine?" "Why is Beauregard in such a hurry for ammunition?"

ealized that one contradictory answer, one slip of the tongue, might spoil everyt

uggested a large bump of self-conceit, called out: "You chaps c

I'm going to try it," do

ands of the Yankees?" sneered the dapper

ung man, as I have," he said, "you'll learn to obey orders and ask no questions. Why don't you go serve

ident that the dapper young man was not popular. He made no answer,

in were confined the majority of the party. George's heart beat the faster a

the car part of your ammunition?" His companions laughed at the witti

said, "and it's a presen

up," remarked the old man. There was an

pered to George. As the words left his lips he heard the

; puffing laboriously, it came up to the sta

f these inquisitive h

from which was suspended a piece of red bunting. Andrews stamped his foot and indulged in some for

d flag mean?" he demanded of the conductor of the freight t

asked the conductor, in

ave spoken more imperiously. "I have a special train with orders to take a load of powder to General Beauregard without delay!

can out of Chattanooga, because it's said he is marching for there. We have had to split this freight up into two sections-and t'other section is a few miles behi

an't stay there. Beauregard has, no doubt, sent him flying by this tim

s impressed by the authoritative bearing of Andrews, and b

cab. It was still surroun

the Kingstonians. "This line should be kept clear when it's necessary to get army supplies q

ction. In a few moments the heavily-laden cars, drawn by a large engine, had glided by "The General," down the main track. The men in the cab gave unconscious sighs of relief.

. Andrews saw the fl

ains are we to wa

engine, to seek the conductor of the new

asked

nfederate commander at Chattanooga fears the approach of General Mitchell and has ordered all the rol

nger which threatened Chattanooga from the Union army. The train-disp

erence to any rules of grammar, "but they say Mitchell is al

n air of contempt

s than you do," he said, "And, what's more, no Confed

offense," answered

move on the instant the next freight gets here," ordered t

ught; "he must be a relation of

the cause of our detention-and warn them that in case of anything going wrong in our plans they must b

ing among the men who stood near the engine, he crossed the track of the siding, directly in front of "The General's" headlight, and soon leaned, in a careless attitude, against the car i

nd." It was a tune he had often indulged in during his travels from the Union camp. As

oy, under his breath. "Can you hear

nt sound of footsteps was heard within

drews wants you-to know-that we're waiting-till some freight trains-get in-from Chattanooga. But if

d. But Waggie began to bark again. George was filled with vex

ccupied nearly an hour-it seemed like a whole day-and the men about the railroad station were becoming skeptical. They could not un

had been sent half a mile down the line, to the southward. The main track was now clear for Andrews. But the intrepid leader se

ered Andrews. "Don't you see, fool, that the las

obstinate twist about th

ing it. You may be what you say you are, but I haven't anything to prove it

oval. The men in the cab saw that another minute

n the name of the Confederate G

r from the station to find out

tch-tender, more doggedly than ever. He walked over to the station, wh

d followed him, and was a

our rascally conduct to General Beauregard!" He seized t

ps he had made a mistake in refusing to obey the orders; but ere he could decide the knotty problem Andrews took the keys, hurried from the station, and unlocked the switch. Then he jumped into the cab

orth, the switch-tender was standing on the platform, with a dazed expression in his eyes. Andrews tossed the keys to him,

wo trains to meet now-a passenger and a freight-which won't give us any trouble. I tell

rge. The train was now gliding swiftly on past hills and woods and quiet pas

's supposed to be nothing but powder the thing doesn't seem quite logical. It throws discredit on an otherwise plausible story. Let us stop a c

umbling to the ground. They were glad to stretch their legs and get a breath

k of water with me, and he insisted on my pouring every bi

y discussed with him the fortunate escape from Kingston. Watson, wh

I thought our hour had come. But the coolness and the presence of mind of our frien

were given

ste any time on me; I only did what any other man would have

en he cut the wire, while others in the party were removing three rails from the track in the rear of the train. The rails were af

drews. "We shall probably be in Chattanoog

all be chased," cried Macgreggor. "I

ing Andrews, laughe

ggor. "A Southerner is as brave, and

who was right