Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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The Land Broke Hy DAN Vii A util ?The Fighting Fool," ?II M IlliiMtnvtloiiH li (Previously < j ' CHAPTER XXIII. .,Thors are two thlngB, according tu the saying, which can nut bo recalled the sped arrow and tho Hpokeu word. Whether spoken In anger o- In Je.Hl, our winged thoughts will not como hack to us and, wbern there is no balm ' for the wound wo have cadged, there | ls nothing to do but let lt heal. j Bud Hooker was a mun of few words, and slow to speak ill of anyone, | but soma unfamiliar devil hud loosened | his tongue and ho hud told tho worst i About Phil. Certainly If a man wera j tho bravest of the bravo, certainly if ho loved his girl moro than lifo itself -ho would not bo content to hldo above? tho lino and pour out bis soul <on noto paper. Hut to tell lt to tho girl-that was an unpardonable sin! Still, r. iv " ' '.ho dumugo was dono, 'there X?Lti Lu uso of vain repining, and after eui.dug himself wholeheartedly Bud turned in for tho night. Other j days woro coming; there wero favors he might do; and porhaps, as tho. yes? 1 terdayB wont by, Gracia would forglvo him for his plain speaking. Even to 'morrow, if tho rebels cunio buck for Imore, bo might squuro himself io ac- \ ;tlon and prove that ho was not a cow lord- A coward! It had been a lon?t time nineo any ono bad used that wird to him, but j after the way he had bnlfod "dear, Phil" he had to admit ho was lt But "dear Phil!" lt was, that which lind . aet him off. If she knew hov many othor girls- j 'but Bud put a ?udaon quietus on that, [particular line of thought. As long as the world stood and Gracia was in his I 'Sight ho swore never to speak ill of De Lancey again, and then ho went to ?loop. ii* The men who guarded tho casa .grande slept uneasily on the porch, lying down Uko dogs on empty sugar eacka that the womon might not' lack bedding Inside. Even at that they wero 'better off, for the house was oloso and feverish,, with the crying of hables .'and the babbling of dreamers, and mothers moving to and fro. . It wno a beutle night, but Bud slept lt out, ard at dawn, after tho custom of hts kind, he arose and stamped on' hila boots. The moist coolness of the morning brought the odor of wet igreasewood and tropic uioesoms to hie nostrils .as ho stepped out to speak iwith tho guarda, and as he stood there "watting for the full daylight the mas ter mechanic joined him. -He was a full-blooded, round-headed little man with determined* views on lifo, und be began the day, as usual, "with his private opinion of Mexicans. They were the same uncomplimentary . ?remarks to which ho had given volco * *m tho day before, for the rebels hod .captured one of his engines und he trn?w it would come to some harm. A flue bunch of hombres, yes." ha i on dod, ."and may the devil fly away wiih thom I : Thoy took No, 9 at the istifitmit yesterday and-'I've been lis tening ovei since. Her pans are all bushed out-and we've beeu feeding hor bran lik? a cow to fcrep her from Is?king steam. If some Ignorant Mex gets hold of her you'll hear a big noise .^that'll be the last or No. 9-her boiler will burst like a wet bag. w&W 1 waa running tots road there'd bV no more bran-not since what I saw o\y?r at Aguascalientes on the Cen .tia!, One of those bum, renegado en gine drivers bad burned out No. 748, 'but the rebels bad ditched four of our best and we had to send her out'Day .after day the boys had been feeding .her. bran until abe ?moiled like a dis tillery. Tho mash was oozing out of her na Ben Tyrrell pulled up to the station, and a friend bf hts that had come down from the north took one laniff and swung up into the cab. "Ben came down at the word ho whispered-for they'd, two of 'em blawF'4. up in the north-and they sent o?t another, mam Hadn't got up the hill whon th?" engine exploded and rblew the poor davit to helli ' I naked vTyrrell what his friend had told hit?, but ho kept lt to himself until he could get bis time. It's the fumes, boy -they blow up like brabdy-and old Na .*Jn sour! " '.. "flhe'ir likely blow up, too. But bow coil wo fix ber with these Ignorant Mexican mechanics? You should have .boen o vcr at Aguas the day thoy fired lib?-Americana g "l?o mofe* Am?rtcanos; saya Mo dero, 'let 'em all out and hire Meal* canB ? .The national railroads of Mex ico must not be' lh the hands of for WpenS'' ? y ?,~ ;'So. they flrtd us all In a day and .put "a Mexican woorVpnrwor np. in ; tho cab of old No/ 813. He1 started to pull a Wring ot emptier down the track, fthrew oil the air by mistake, and etopped her <on ft deadeenter. Pulled . Out tho throttle end ?ho " wouldn't go, so ho gave it up ut d quit j .vCeUed'-'In"the moBi^r mechanic then 3-i-iT? Mexican. H? rlna^red with her lior an hour/rlghtihere >?ft.iu? if?;?t? .yjm^W:waalvdead:-oCtt?ir: bandi/. Then they ranjSown a switch engine ..nnd took back tte cara and called da t b as road mas ter-a Mox. He cracked tho nut-built a shoo-fly around, No. 21? iM?il^they Jeft her rjght thcro on n Promises 'Oi,i IM: K i or i,i I tfVn Watet*,* "Tho Tex Iran," etc. ? y MOS J. LAVIN Jontin ued) Fn'o inaln tracie. Tw? day? later an Anierlcun hobo came by and act down and laughed at 'em. Then he throws oft the brakes, gives No. 313 a boost paet the center with a crowbar, and runs her to the roundhouse by gravity. When we left Aguas on a bundear that hobo v/?s running the road. "Ignorantest hombres In the world these Mexicans. Shooting a gun or running an engibe, lt's all the same they've got nothing above tho eye brows." "That's right," agreed Dud, who had been cruning his neck; "but what's that noise up the track?" The master mechanic listened, and when bis eura, dulled by the clangor of the shops, caught tho dietant roar be turned und ran for ttoe house. j "Git up, Ed!" he called to the road master, "they're sending a wild car down tho canyon-and ?he may ba loaded with dynamite!" "Dynamite or not," mumbled the grizzled roadmaster, OB he roused up from his couch, "thero's a derailor I put in up at kilometer seventy the first thing yesterday morning. That'll serici her Into tho ditch!" ? Nevertheless he listened Intently, cocking his head to gueaB by tho I non nd when it came to kilometer , sovonty. j "Now she ?trikes lt!" he announced, , os the rumble turned into a roar; but the roar grow louder, there was a crash BB the trucks struck a curvo. I and then a great metal ore-car swung round the point, rode up high as it hit tho reverse and, speeding by ns if shot from a catapult, swept through I tho yard; smashed into a freight car, and lonpod, oar and all, into the creek. "They've sneaked my deraller!" eaid the road m ns ter, starting on a run for the shopB. "Who'll go with me to put In another one? Or we'll loosen a rall on the curve-that'll call for no nore than a claw bar aud a wrench!" "I'll go!" volunteered Dud and the man who stood guard, and as startled sleepers roused up on every side and ran toward the scene ot the wreck they dashed down tho bill together and throw a hahdear on tho track. ' Thea, with what; toola they could get together, and a sparo derailor on i the front, they pumped madly up the canyon, holding their breaths at every curr? for f?ar of what they might see. If there was one runaway car there was another, for the rebele were be ginning an attack. Already on the ridges above them they could hear the crack of rifles, and a Jet or two of dust made lt evident that (they were the marl:. But with three strong mon nt tho handles they made tho handcar jump. The low hills fled behind them. They rounded a point and the open track lay before thurn, with something "Jump!'' shouted, the roadmaster, and na they tumbled r',own the bank they . heard a 'crash behind thom and their, handcar was knocked into kidd* ling wood. It was a olose call for all three men, and there bad been but au In stant between them and death, a death by the most approved fighting methods of the revolutionists, methods which kept the fight- TB out of harm's way. "Now up to the track!" the roadmas ter panted, as the destroyer swept on down the line. "Find some toola we'll take out a rail!" With frantic eagerness he tolled up the fill and attacked a fish-plate, and Bud and th 3 young guard searched the hillside tor tools to help with tho work. They fell to with ?sledge and cl aw bar, tapping oft nuts. Jerking out spikes, and heaving to loosed the r.-dl-and then once more that swift-moving something loomed up suddenly on the track. ? "Up the hill!" commanded the road master, and BB they scrambled lato a gulch a wild locomotive,, belching smoke and steam like a'fire engine? went rushing past them, struck the loose rall, and leaped into the creek bed. A moment' later, aa lt crushed \ its way down to tho wafer, there waa -an explosion that shook the..hills. They crouched behind tho cut bank, and tho trees ' above them' bowed suddenly to the slash, ot ah iron haU. "Dynamite!" cried the roadmaster. grinning triumphantly as ho looked up after the shook; and when tao fall of fragments had ceased, end they had fled-UB If by instinct from the place, they struck hands on tholr narrow, es cape. But back at the big house, with everybody giving thanks1 for their de \11ver> from the powder train; the mas ter mechanic raised ? single voice of protest Ho knew the sound. Ho knew that dynamite had not been re sponsible for tho crash that emoto tho ears of tho anxious listeners. ?.' 'Twas not dynamltol" he yelled. .Tdwder train be damned! it waa-No. 8! She waa sour as a distillery I Sha bl o w ? d. u p, I tell ye- she bl owed ap when she hit the creek!? > :: And even after a shower bf bullets - frote, tho ridge had driven (hem all to' cover he atlll rushed to those who Wohld listen and clamored that It was the'bran- '.' '".'/' "' s ' But there was 'Scant time to hold a postmortem on No. ?, for on tue* sum -. ; . " ? mil of u War by ridge, and overlooking tbs black tank, HIP rebels bad thrown up u wall lu tbe night, and from thu no runty of this shelter they were Indus trious/ shooting up the town. The Kinu^h of the first wild car had been their signal for attack, and as tlie explosion threw thc defenders Into confusion they made a rush to take tho tank. Here, as on tho day before, was stationed the federal garrison, a scant twenty or thirty men in charge of a boy lieutenant. Tielng practically out of ammunition he did not stund on thc order of his going, but us nis pelones putted past the superintendent's house the reor ganized miners, their belts stuffed with cartridges from their own private stock, came charging up from tho town and rallied them la tho rear. Trained by American leaders tboy were the Only real fighting force to be depended upon unless tho Americans themselveu should take a hand in the game, and that they could not do without the possibility of serious in ternational consequences, a chance they could not take except as a laut resort to save the women and children and themselves. -* lu a solid, shouting mps they ewept up the hill together, dropped down be hind the defenses, and checl.ee' the as tounded rebels with a volley. Then there was another long-range battle, with every sign of war but tho dead. SJ Every Sign of War But the Dead. until at last, OB tho firing slackened from tho lack of cartridges, a white flag showed on tho ridge above, and tho leaders went out for a norley ono of those parleys so character? lp tic of Mexican revolutions,' and which In reality mean so little, for both sides know that tho words ut tered ure meaningless, and should ona \ of them ever rcsult'ln n surrender the j terms of thnt surrender would not be j regarded, onco thc victims were In the ' hands of tho victors.,-' j Properly speaking, Dol Roy wan in command of the town, but neither tho federals.nor ;the miners would recog nize his authority and the leadership wont'by default. While they waited to hear the rebel demands the American* took advantage of tho truce to bring up hot food from tbe hotel, where Don Juan de DIOB stood heroically at hts j post. Let bullets come and go, Don. Juan kept his cooks about him, abd j to.those who had doubted his valor bia coffee waB answer enough. "Wy, my gracious. Mr. Hooker," ha railed, as Bud refreshed himself be tween trips, "ain't jr? ii going to take any up to those wc me a? Tin n't drink eo much coffee now, but give it to tho men who fight!" :r' "Umpum,M grunted Pud with a grid; "they got a Skinful of mescal already! What they need ls : ".-other carload of. ammunition to heb 'em shoot th??r first rebel." "h. thought you o?dV they, wouldn't fight!" twitted D',.. Juan. "This ls tho. battle of .Forton n that I was telling, you* about last wok?' tii - fa $$ftf .' "Sore!? ansv-red Bud, "and -oHre* there is the di id!" Ho~ point?e* \ j a riot of moac&l bot tles that nr.- :ed the scene or tte night's potsf .ns. mid Don JhWfcftV? him up as typeless. . "A pilo r f bottles usually r?p'.escnt the casual ly list in a Mexicali ?"sbt," added Dhd ns Don Juan: moveo; away, ? But, Jest as h? would, Bad saw ihat . the situation waa serious, for the fool hardy. Son oran s had nirefid*/ emptied 1 their cartridge-belts, add 'their "g?ne : were no better than clubs. Unless tho rebels had been equally rockie;,* WiU( their ammunition they had the town st, their, mercy, and tho first thing, that they wouid domand weald bo the refa gebs In tho big house ; ] Before that could .be permitted the Americans would" probably take a, hand Tn the fight, for, wh Ho tod-great majority of tho women In tho house wore Mexlcuo, ' there woro a ' fe* Americans, abd they would *?. pro tooted regardless of h .tornatlonal com* ! plications.. Bat Oracle Aragon waa nos an American, a od she could not claim tho protection ot these count men of;his; ' * * 'V^ Tho possession of the town; ?fio arma of the dofenders; food, clothing 1 and horees to ride-none or th^se- ' would satisfy ttem. They would de? j wand tho rich Spanish landowners to be held for vausom. the wo?en flist of alt And et all thoso wome?-hu* - died np tn tho ?asa., grande nos ono would bring a bigger ransom thais Orv ' (To bb Continued.) ? ir \ The Intelligencer Job Printing office has moved into its new quarters in the Watson Vandiver Building: There is plenty of good sunshiny ligKt, the office is equipped with a view of efficiency, steps are saved? accuracy is promoted and the workmen are always in good spirits. I ',1 ..<.<! ' rf That the work we do for you will be comprised of V Class, Quality and Despatch Especially Solicit: H?, . . . Cotton Ser d Qifc M$ ^oi-k ? ' . li > i . IS a? ?y*. > *1 IR