entrapped.
There are forty people on board the train, not excepting the crew of engineer, fireman, four porters, and the conductor. State Senator Jarred Daniels, his wife, and daughter are said to be among the passengers. So too is Deputy Sheriff Braxton Proxmire with two prisoners, the infamous Michael Santelli and Luke Shardeen, a local rancher.
That Shardeen is aboard is an irony, for while he was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to four years confinement, the charges against him have been dropped. Though Shardeen did kill Deputy Gates, his defense was that Gates and Sheriff Ferrell attempted to rob him. Sheriff Ferrell was subsequently killed while he was in the act of robbing a stagecoach. That incident has provided sufficient veracity to Shardeen’s defense claim to warrant the dropping of all charges.
Hodge Deckert, the Buena Vista stationmaster, says a rescue train has been assembled and will leave today.
An engine, a tender, and two passenger cars sat on the tracks ready to rescue the passengers stuck at the summit. The weather was fair, though it was exceptionally cold. By the time Deckert was ready to dispatch the rescue train, considerably over half those who had come to bear witness to the rescue effort had given up and returned home.
Although railroad personnel were confident the special had enough food, the rescue train was carrying food, anyway. In addition, they rightly figured fuel for the heating stoves would just about be exhausted, so they were also carrying a lot of blankets. Additional fuel for the heating stoves was not taken as the passengers would be returning on the rescue train.
The Buena Vista Fire Company band played as the rescue train got ready to leave. Finally, with salutes from the locomotive whistle and waves from the train crew, the throttle was opened and, amid chugs and great puffs of gleaming white steam, the engine got under way.
The departing whistle of the train was heard in every house and business establishment in the entire town. Those who had given up waiting breathed a prayer of petition that the train would get through and all on board would be returned safely.
Deckert watched the train leave, then he went back into the depot and walked over to the telegraph operator. “Send a telegram to Big Rock. Tell them the rescue train just got under way.”
“I can’t go directly to Big Rock. I have to go around.”
“Send it however you have to do it, but just do it,” Deckert ordered.
The telegraph instrument at the railroad depot began clacking. The telegrapher responded, then smiled as he began writing the message on his work pad. When he was finished, he signed off and took the message to the station agent. “Mr. Wilson, this just came in.”
BV RESCUE TRAIN TO REACH STRANDED TRAIN
NOON STOP WILL UPDATE STOP DECKERT AGENT BV
Phil read the article then nodded. “This is good to know. I’m not really worried about those people up there; they have enough food to have a comfortable wait until they are rescued. But they are bound to be more comfortable and less apprehensive if they are back in Buena Vista, even though that may not be where they want to spend Christmas.”
“Mr. Wilson, do you think I should take word out to Mr. Jensen?” Eddie asked.
“Yes, I think that would be a very good idea. I’m sure he would like to know what’s going on.”
“All right, I’ll saddle up and go right away.” Eddie smiled. “I probably won’t be back until after dinner.”
Phil knew that, by dinner, Eddie was referring to the noon meal, and he chuckled. “You’re going to hit Miss Sally up for dinner, are you?”
“Why not? You know anybody that’s a better cook?”
With the bright sun reflecting off the snow and pouring in through the windows of the car, the temperature in the car had risen so that, even with the smallest of flames, the stove was able to keep the car comfortably warm.
“Folks, I suggest that we put the fire out for now,” Matt advised.
“Now, just why would we want to do a thing like that?” Senator Daniels protested. “We are all starving to death, but at least we are warm.”
“Think about it, Senator,” Matt said. “With the bright sun out, we’re getting some heat in the car without the stove. But tonight, when the temperature drops several degrees below zero, we will need the heat the stove can provide. We have to save fuel to be certain that we will have it at night, when we need it.”
“We’ve got extra coal now, and my daughter is ill,” Daniels whined. “I’ll not have you make it worse by putting out the fire in that stove.”
“We’ve got some extra coal, yes, but I don’t know how many more days we will be here. It’s best to be as conservative as we can.”
“Jarred, you know he is right.” Millie laid her hand on her husband’s arm. “You know how cold these last two nights have been. It will be worth being without heat in the daytime, if we can keep warm at night.”
“We aren’t going to be here much longer. Maybe not even tonight. I’m absolutely convinced a rescue train will reach us today,” Senator Daniels said stubbornly.
“I certainly hope you are right, Senator. But I don’t think we should take that chance.”
“I don’t, either,” Luke put in.
“And you can count me in with Mr. Jensen,” Bailey said.
“Mr. Purvis, what about you?” Senator Daniels asked.
“I’m sorry, Senator, but I’m going to have to go along with Mr. Jensen on this one.”
“I’m not going to let my daughter get cold and get worse.”
“I’m not so cold, Daddy,” Becky said in a weak voice.
“All right, all right.” Senator Daniels threw his hands up in frustration. “It is obvious I am the only sane one here. But I can’t stand up to all of you. Put out the fire.”
The fire was extinguished, and within fifteen minutes, the temperature began to drop.
“I told you it was going to get cold in here,” Senator Daniels complained.
“It will be much colder tonight,” Matt said.
During the discussion a man had come in through the front door.
Troy noticed him first and pointed. “It’s one of them! It’s one of the men who took over the dining car.”
“Troy is right. This one’s name is Morris,” Pete said.
Morris reached out and grabbed Timmy, who was standing the closest to him.
“Mama!” Timmy called, trying to twist out of Morris’s grip.
“Timmy!”
Morris tightened his grip and held his pistol to the boy’s head. “You ain’t goin’ nowhere, boy.”
“What do you want, Morris?”
“We want the whore. Give us the whore, and we’ll give you somethin’ to eat.”
“If she didn’t go before, what makes you think she is going to go today?” Luke asked.
“Because it’s been two whole days since any of you have had anything to eat,” Morris pointed out unnecessarily. “And if the whore will just come along with me, why, we’ll feed the whole train.”
“How you goin’ to do that?” Pete asked. “There ain’t no cooks left.”
“Oh, we’ll let one of you boys do the cookin’,” Morris offered.
“She’s not going,” Luke insisted.
“Wait a minute,” Abner Purvis interrupted. “The other day, I was on the woman’s side. I figured she shouldn’t
