“We’re going home.” Tramp barked.

“You can’t.” Colleen rounded. “Blimey if I let a little near death experience deter me I wouldn't be here!”

Night had fallen, gripping the Georgia Mountains in its dark embrace. Tramp and Colleen stood on the wooden platform, in the glow of the depot lights. Colleen had talked Tramp out of calling the local sheriff. Having already having to explain the gunshot fired at her earlier in the day. The excuse that hr own derringer had discharged seem to fly. But for how long she wasn’t sure.

“My mate was the victim of an attempted murder. I’m thinking of her. We have our own skins to think of if someone doesn’t want you guys reaching Brianton.”

Colleen waved her hand in the air, as if blocking his comment. “You come with the locomotive and the train. Your railroad property.”

Lady sat on a wooden bench. Next to her sat Kodi. She had changed out her now socking overalls into a light blue blouse, and brown slacks that reached to just above her ankles. Her steel toed boots covered the bottoms. She was nearly dry. “Do I have a say in this.” She said butting in.

Looking to Tramp, Lady cleared her throat. “Tramp, all I remember is being knocked over the head with smoke heavy, then waking up to see the whole yard over me. It seems we are not the target. Someone or someones doesn’t want this train to leave this yard. When we got married we decided that we would work together, as a team. Well I’ll be damned if I’m chased away from my own train by what was nothing more then a long bath.” Her face was chiseled with confidence and renewed vigor.

Tramp looked stunned. “Pidgin, when did you get head strong?”

“When I married you.” Lady said standing up.

Kodi stood up also. “If I may.” He looked to Lady and Tramp. “I think I’m the real target of these assassins, not you guys. I’ve done some pretty bad things in the last three months. I’m not worth you two risking your lives or your locomotive over.”

Tramp looked at “Lady. She nodded. “Well.” He said with a tone of trust in his voice. “The way I see it, you’re the son of two of my best friends, and the brother of another! Your worth a lot in just that alone. Never mind that you may hold the cure for that rabid karney thingy.” He looked to Lady. “I don’t feel safe. But if you feel like you can do this.”

He looked to the 97.

Lady put her hand together and looked at the motley group. “All right. Now that that is settled. Lets get our Dispatcher’s orders and get the heck out of Dodge.”


******************************

The plan was simple in theory. 97 and her train had the same jurisdiction as a westbound freight. The idea being that 97 could hide in the freight’s shadow all the way to Nashville. They would run under the same signal quadrants, the same general orders, and in the same block. It was very dangerous and against all sane practices. But it guarantied one thing. Officially, 97 and her train did not exist. Anyone tapping into the Morse lines or watching the signals would see only one train: the freight.


Lady glanced down the tracks. Her ears picking up the “hawump” of a few bullfrogs as they came to the mud puddle that was growing around the fallen water tower. The crickets became a background noise as the fireflies danced like tiny galaxies.

Then it came.

Strange thing about stock trains. You could hear the animals on board long before the train itself. The first thing lady picked up was the sound of the beef cows. Several tons of cattle heading to the markets of Nashville. Their muffled moos ebbing from the dark forest.  

Then a long pregnant pause only interrupted by the bullfrog.

Then came the low echoing wail that sounded like an animal howling out to the full moon above. It echoed around the town and depot.

She could hear it. The big cylinders and stack talk echoing up the valley as the stock train climbed the 2 percent grade up the piedmont plateau. She could pick out the spot were the wheels always slip, fallowed by the hissing of the sanding gear as the big iron wheels gripped and dragged the heavy train of wailing smelly animals up towards the town.

Lady’s hearing, especially for trains, was very much acute. The cocker spaniel thought back years when she was a pup, listing to the sound late at night threw the open bedroom window as the 4-4-0s and wood burners were shuffled about the giant roundhouse.

The six chimes screamed again. Then the sight of an orb of yellow light, flicking among the branches and tress blinding as a pillar of dark black highlighted by a flash of red rumbled out of the woods.

Before she knew it Lady was watching the 2-6-0 mogul class with the tall strait stack charge by.  It slowed as its fireman reached out to hoop up orders. Clacking as it ran over the switches, the switch lamps vibrating.

The locomotive was obediently fallowed by a long line of stock cars. The large forms of the future prime ribs inside moving and rocking to the motion of the train in the pitch-blackness of the cars. The smell of manure mixed with journal oil fermented the air as the cars squealed threw the town. It ran towards the depot were Tramp stood, watching the wheels rumble by carefully inspecting each axle under the glow of the lanterns. Colleen held her ears down as Kodi looked up at the train. His mind wondering if it was heading to Nome.

Then rolled by the wooden caboose. Its two red marker light looking like eyes as they glowed brightly against the faint glow of the inside lights. Lady could even make out the sound of some crewman, snoring. Her fur still slightly damp from her flirt with the grim reaper, she almost wanted to switch places with the crew, unknowingly providing cover.

As soon as the fright cleared the switch leading to the siding where 97 patently sat, Lady and Tramp ran over to the locomotive and by the glow of the lamps, climbed aboard.

Scamp stood in the vestibule of the HT&B coach as Lady slowly eased the throttle open. The 4-4-0 pulled its light load over to the platform. Not bothering to stop, Kodi and Colleen jumped aboard the vestibule. The small train cleared the depot and with a chuffing march fall, started out of the town.

As soon as They where aboard, Scamp waved his lantern. Her heart in his throat as he thought about Angel and wondering if she be-fail the fate that Lady narrowly avoided.

With her headlamp doused, 97 slid out of the yard, just a mere couple hundred yards from the twin marker lamps of the stock train. They would serve as Lady’s lighthouse all the way to Nashville.