"Quad's odds"; . Break er. The foreman looked down on the crowd and smiled. Itwas a benign smile. It was a smile which conveyed awarning to the close observer that the engine was onlyplaying with herself, and that she would presently standupon her hind wheels and howl and astonish that town. The face of more than one small boy grew serious as itsowner wondered if it were possible that he would ever riseto that proud station. He knew that there wTere a thou- 60 BREAK ER HARD sand chances against liim, and even as lie watched thestream battering at the shingles he sighed and felt his heartsneaki
"Quad's odds"; . Break er. The foreman looked down on the crowd and smiled. Itwas a benign smile. It was a smile which conveyed awarning to the close observer that the engine was onlyplaying with herself, and that she would presently standupon her hind wheels and howl and astonish that town. The face of more than one small boy grew serious as itsowner wondered if it were possible that he would ever riseto that proud station. He knew that there wTere a thou- 60 BREAK ER HARD sand chances against liim, and even as lie watched thestream battering at the shingles he sighed and felt his heartsneaking down toward his bare feet. The foreman straightened up. Victory lurked in his eyes. He raised his trumpet. Break er ! The red-shirted men uttered a yell as they bore down onthe brakes. The stream crept up to within three feet of the ridge-pole, and playing through one hundred and fifty feet ofhose at that. The fate of kingdoms hung in the balance;Americas future greatness depended on the next Break er Hard! The boys were women were men were stream was bland smile covered the foremans face,his trumpet, and then He raised SHADOWS OF THE PAST. 61 Break er, boys—hard—hard—tear er—hip—ha—yeeyup—down—down ! He leaped up and down—he shook his trumpet—hebrayed—he screamed, and the stream crept up, up, andfinally shot clear over the ridge, and the proud day waswon—America was safe ! Most of us wrere there at one time or other, and whenwe let up on the brakes and swung our hats and yelled,we felt it—knew that we could knock the eye-brows offthe biggest conflagration that ever got a start. Ah! well! This subtle giant which plows the steameracross the trackless ocean—turns monster machinery, andis our companion in every walk of daily life, has defacedthe play-grounds of childhood and effaced more than onetender memory of youth; and when the day conies for theold fireman to hang his trumpet on the shad
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Keywords: ., bookauthorquadm184, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookyear1875
