Chasing an Iron Horse

spirators on board reached that station from Marietta. The conductor, William Fuller, the engineer, Jefferson Cain,-and Anthony Murphy, a railroad official from Atlanta, were among those who went i

y, some one is at your engine," he cried to Fuller, as he jumped from

ushed from their half-tasted meal to the platform. The conductor began to run

a gouty-looking old gentleman; "do those f

the whole scene could mean. Perhaps it was but the prank of

went skimming along on the railroad ties, and th

up the line a mile or two, then leave the engine and escape into the woods." He

they reached the point whe

they've cut the wire! And

ever they might be, knew their business pretty well. There was

him. Hurrying on, the trio soon reached these men, explained to them what had happened, and impressed them

freight when they get there, and we may manage to reach them somehow." Even if the unknown enemy got beyond Kingston, he thought he might y

en descended into a ditch, with the hand-car falling after them. They had reached the place where the telegr

t, boys?" a

hurt, str

car was lifted to the track, beyond the te

e?" thought Fuller, as the c

engine named 'The Yonah' has been built to drag material from the stat

n't been stolen

le to make the necessary speed with a hand-car. If they were to r

," shouted Murphy; "

ngine. It was about to start on a trip to the iron fur

ement as soon as the pursuer

armed men. With hardly any delay Fuller was steaming to the northward with "The Yonah," and the tender was crowded with plucky Southerners carrying load

powder to General Beauregard had left but a few minutes before. Great was the amazement when he announced

ng to the Northwa

ore the engine could get through any farther on the main track. He seized another engine, which could quickly be given the right of way, and ru

efore they had run more than two or three miles. He spoke the truth; the new

Fuller. "Put a little engine oil into the

he line as possible, so that they might stop the train in good time should they see any obstruction on the track. Thus they jogged along for some miles until the two men made a simultaneous exclamat

from the cab, and the armed men from the cars. The delay, it was supposed, would be only temporary; there were track-laying instruments in the car; the rails could soon b

r of the train, and lay them in the br

eed. If the pursuers waited here for such a complicated piece of work as this tearing up and re-laying of the track, they might lose the race altogether. The conductor

e the freight train which Andrews had encountered at Adairsville came groaning down the track. Th

'The General'?

der-train that was hurrying on to Beauregard, and of the

rate is a Yankee,"

supposed Confederate, who had acted as if he owned the whole State of Georgia, was an enemy-a spy! Why, the though

He quickly backed the train to Adairsville, where the freight cars were dropped. Then Fuller, with engine and

last one I had," said the conductor, in a to

he whole state," answered Bracken, with th

he fugitives had thrown out of their car. Fortunately Fuller had just taken his position on the tender in front and gave the signal the instant he saw the ties. As "The Texas" stood there, all quivering and panting, the conductor jumped to the ground

distance of ten miles, including the time spent

ifles were soon clambering into the tender. As "The Texas" glided away from the platform Fuller stretched out his sturdy right arm to a boy standing thereon and pulled him, with a vigorous jerk, into the cab. The next mi

ossibility of overtaking "The General" became the greater. From what he had learned at Calhoun he knew that the Northerners were only a short

e welcome sight. Then he espied the men working on the track, and saw them, later, as they rapidly boarded their train. The Southerners in th

t station he knew that it would be possible to send a telegram to Chattanooga, by

through both ways if you can, but by the Cleveland line at any rate." The conductor took a paper from his wallet and wrote a few words of warning to General Leadbetter, telli

. Then "The Texas" fled away from Dalton and the chase continued, as we have seen in the prev

anished. At last he saw that the expedition, of which he had cherished such high expectations, was a complete fail

arding his chief with anxious interest. "We must abandon the engine, scatter,

neer's shoulder. "Stop the engine," he s

or about a hundred miles, panted and palpitated like a dying horse. The great locomotive was, indeed, in a pitiable condition. The brass o

men who were huddled t

you can to steal into the Federal lines. I've led you as well as I could-bu

they were reduced to ashes. They were Federal documents. One of them was a letter from General Mitchell which, had

ab. He looked like some sea captain who was waiting to sink beneath the waves in his deserted ship. He worked at the lever and touched t

the departing "General." If the engine would only run with sufficient force into the enemy, the

w pace. No longer did the staunch machine respond to the throttle. The fire in the fu

apacitated; they saw, too, that the enemy reversed their own engine, and ran backwards until the

l time, and off with us in different parties. Push to the westward, an

him, and so he was one of the last to move. As he, too, finally ran off, Waggie, who had been released from his master's pocket, bounded by his side as if the whole

ter?" asked the

p a bit. I'll be all right in a minute. Just wait and we'll go along together. I would

n't stay here. I wonder why Mitchell didn't push on and capture

anooga. At this point he waited, hoping to hear that Andrews and his companions had destroyed the railroad communications from Chattanooga. No such news reached him, howeve

ttom of a steep hill which was surmounted by some straggling oaks. They started to walk briskly up the incline, f

" he asked. "

answered. "Come on; we don't want that sort of gentleman

; he began to feel as if he was acting a part in some horrible dream. Nothing a

tson, as he saw that the l

ed at the air, and then sank on the hillside, inert and unconscious. In a moment Waggie was licking his face, with a pathetic expression of