Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-11-13
THR STATION MAsTER AT LONG,
LEY.

r
II am an old man, you says Well, you
are right there; one is not usually consider
ed old 1t the age Of forty.fiyc. WHY am I
so bald, theui All, friend, YOU NAV we'll
ask Men do not usually lose their hair SO
early in life; and my scalp was polished in
this shining fashion, some fifteen years ago.
1t took only one grim'night's 8 work to do il all.
| &" A storyf Yes, comrade, there is story
about this poor bald pate Of mine; If YOU
wish to hear 1t l viii tell it you. 1t is an old
story now, and over familiar to our friends
about hers for ! fear have gabbled il some.
what too often when the bottle has been TO
ing round, but a. you have never heard it
before yoa will find it as good as new. The
up train is not due for an hour yet; and per
haps my story will help as we'll as ANYTHING
else to kill time. Fill your glasses then and
draw nearer to the Gre, for that drifting snow
outside does not make this winter niSht too
warm. a7ist{aaaT stefx xsfs rasl n ,,f.s
9 1" You say you knew at once. when first
you saw nae, that had served. Will, no
doubt the soldier who has been in active ser.
vice always bears the stamp upon him. /
smelt powder on more than one field. war
nine years in tho - Fusileers. served In
Canada; and after reaching the grade Of sar.
geant, was dangerously wounded in a recon.
Ts with the kattirs at the Cape, and was sent
nome with . pension. The restoration Of
health brought back my constitutional antip-
athy to idleness, and, after knocking about
IN sore discomfort for some time, l at last
succeeded in procuring occupation as ticket
clerk at the Longley station on this line.
You don't know the country about Long
leyf No. You lose nothing thereby, for a
more miserable district Of bleak hills and
wild barren moor is not to be found from
this to John O'Groat's; and the population,
rude and churlish, are as little attractive as
the country they dwell in. 'f 6aH7.iI .
Among the few acquaintances made du.
ring the one year spent there was young
:ellow named Carston, the son of a wealthy
sheep farmer, who lived some elk miles from
the station. A clever fellow he was-the real
manager Of the farmland on market DAYS
and such like, ne was frequent traveller on
our line. Young Carston and had come to
be great friends, and more than one pleasant
holiday had spent with him Qor even We
railway officials have holidays now and AGAIN.
up among the hills, bleak and barren as tn "
were. dwell upon this (rather tedously
perhaps) because it is to Frank Carston owe
this bid crown. 81 .5aaa" .r"r nr1s7
TWAS = cold checrless winter evening,
as stood upon the platform waiting for the
mail train from the north, which was little
behind its time. There was no passenger
from Longley the train would not wait two
MINUTES, and my work would be over when
It had passed on. | was pleasantly antcipa.
ting quiet night by my own fircside, with
a hot cup OF tea and the London morning
paper, when tho train came dashing in and
pulled up with shrek, and q head was
thrust out from ono Of the carriages, while
the familiar voice Of my friend Carston hailed
me. ..fr.. -f..r a." -.t .-#r
SO Ned, old fellow he said, As I hurried up
to him, l want 20 to do me great favor
You see this bag, it contains two hundred
sovereigns. Tomorrow is rent day, and
got this cash for the old man this morning,
You know the craze he has for paying in gold
| am going through to London on urgent bu
siness, and want you TO take charge Of the
money and this letter, and carry them out to
our place. Get any sort of conveyance and
drive out; don't mind the expense-Pll set
tie all that | know that, as friend, you'll
90 this business carefully for me. Tell
father I'll be at home tomorrow night if pos
siblel
"Of went the train, and, before could
utter word, was left alone on the platform
with the heavy bag Of gold in my hand. The
commission with which had been 80 unex.
pectedly entrusted was . very disagreeable
oae that bleak winter night, but it would be
churish to disappoint friend. went home
to my lodgings, got some tea, loaded small
double -barreled pistol (an unusual precaution
suggested by the thought of the gold, } put it
in my pocket and wrapped my great coat
around me. 1t was no easy thing to get car.
riage, fly. gig, in little place like Longley,
at that hour; and what was walk of -four
miles to me, when sure Of q stiff glass of
something warm and good bed that night,
and pleasant canter on . sure footed nag
back to the railway station in the morning
b. I" The night, though cold, was dry, and Che
moon was up. To be sure some ominous
clouds were gathering round her, and she was
not rising. but steadily sinking, and would
soon be hidden behind the hills. No matter
] should be far on my way before her light
was gone, and those clouds, thought, were
not likely to change into what they promised
"A snow shower-till was safely ensconced
by old Carston's firsside. All went well
enough for the irst half hour; and as the
brisk walk made the blood course warmly
through my veins, thought how. much pleas
anter this was than to be jolted and bruised
in some crazy, numbering vehicle IS the Long
ley Inn was capable Of supplying, over that
rough, wild mountain road. But my antici.
patton Of the weather proved solely deceptive
Before the half hour had well gone BY the
snow storm came down fierce and fast, and
the moon was no longer visible. There was
no help now, however, but all the more need
to get to my journeys end Is soon as possible;
30 ! clutched my stick with 6rmer grasp,
and quickened my pace. But tho thick,
steady fall Of snow 20 darkened the air that
| could not see twice my arms length before
me; and had not been walking many min
utes when the apprehension stole upon me
that was fastlosing my way. It was dan.
gerous locality WAS in just then, in the midst
OF that snow storm, for the road wound over
bill and moor, without wall or fence and.
where the snow Was rapidly covering hesth
and path alike, to trace my path with accura.
cy became impossible.
Human life had been sacrificed more than
once, amid snow-drifts on that wild moor.
land, and sheep innumerable had been lost,
TO make my danger greater, the place was
full Of pits and h0llows, where mining spec |
dlators had tried to sink shafts in former years.
Should l wander off the beaten track, the
chances were that might meet broken neck |
in one Of these confounded holes. $500
!" stumbled on At random. had lost my
bearings, utterly and in few minutes / |
knew - little where was as il had been
suddenly set down, bound and blind:olded. |
IN the middle of the moor. was making
way, surely, a. best could, through the
snow drift; but for oil knew, might be
going in any direction but tho right one.-I
Was on the beaten road, or was on the
heath? f
Another moment cruelty settled INV
doubts. One step more-my foot found no
rest; and l fell headlong into broad. deem
pit. Stunned BY the fall, 1 lay there / know
not how long. Bruised and giddy. / tried At
|ast to regain nv feet when : nm. -