"Greta! Follow me!" Oliver turned and ran. He knew that if they turned to the right, they would be leading the huge, persian cat to their children. To the left, they would be trapped. Either way, the whole family would be killed by the cat, Princess Nightshade. The train was just beginning to pull out of Monterey Station, gaining speed with each passing second. Their only chance of saving their children was to run directly out the wide-open, sliding door of the baggage car that was their home. The baggage clerk had not had time to close it yet. Oliver looked into Greta's eyes and they both understood what they had to do to protect their children. As the cat crept closer, they turned toward the open doorway and sprinted out into the darkness. Jimmy, Greta and Oliver's son, saw the whole thing...his parents running full speed out the large opening in the side of the baggage car. His mouth hung open. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. His parents were gone.
The cat had sprung at the two mice just as they ran out the door. Her momentum had carried her to a point where she could either tumble out the door or she could jump. Stopping was no longer an option. She chose jumping rather than falling...more dignified, she thought. She sailed out into the night air and disappeared. Even as she flew through the darkness, she asked herself why she done such a dangerous thing. This was not at all in keeping with her life of pampered luxury.
Levi, the baggage car dog, and Hathaway, the baggage clerk, stared in disbelief. Levi's big old heart broke, his best friends had just jumped from the train. Hathaway could think only of having watched his career disappear, just as Princess NIghtshade had done. The cat's owner, Mrs. Dalrymple, would see to it that he would be fired from the train. She was wealthy and powerful. Levi and Hathaway sat on the floor of the baggage car, staring out into complete darkness, the only lights being the distant homes and businesses of Monterey, passing their view as the "Coast Daylight" passenger train headed south.
