Besides, he said the superintendent would never agree,
that he would insist on consulting the board and the
chief engineer, and that they would fiddle over it till
Christmas.
"`No,' said Bill, `next Wednesday, or never! If you
will not do it then, I will put the tracks back
again.' August Todhunter said nothing; but I knew he
would do what we agreed to, and he did.
"So at last I said I would jump it on Wednesday
night, if the night was fine. But I had just as lief own
to you that I hoped it would not be fine. Todhunter--
Bill Todhunter, I mean--was to leave the switch open
after the freight had passed, and to drive up to the
Widow Jones's Cross Road. There he would have a lantern,
and I would stop and take him up. He had a right to stop
us, as chief of repairs. Then we should have seven miles
down-grade to get up our speed, and then--we should see!
"Mr. Ingham, I might have spared myself the hoping
for foul weather. It was the finest moonlight night that
you ever knew in October. And if Bill Todhunter had
weighed that train himself, he could not have been better
pleased,--one baggage-car, one smoking-car, two regular
first-class, and two palaces: she run just as steady as
an old cow! We came to the Widow Jones's, square on
time; and there was Bill's lantern waving. I slowed the
train: he jumped on the tender without stopping it.
Pages:
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260