Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-11-05
THE STATION MASTER AT LONG
J,E;v


a am an old man, you say? Well, you
are right there one is not usually consider
ed old at the aye Of forty-fiye. Why am
50 bald. then? All, friend you may 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
It took only one grim nights work to do it
ALL"
/" A story? Yes, comrade, there is Il story
about this poor bald pate of mine if YOU
wish to hear it will tell it you. 1t Is an old
story now, and over familiar to our friends
about here, for fear | have gabbed it some
what too often when the bottle has been 60
ing round, but as you have never heard it be-
fore YOU will find it as good as new. The up
train is not due for full an hour yet; and per-
haps my story will help as well as anything
else to kill time. Fill your glasses, then, and
draw nearer to the fire, for that drifting snow
outside does not make this winter night too
warm
You say you knew at once, when first YOU
saw me, that had served. Well, no doubt
the soldier who has been III active service al
ways bears the stamp upon him. | smelt
powder on more than one field | was nine
years in the : Fusileers. | served in Cana
da; and, after reaching the grade of sergeant
| was dangerously wounded in a recontre with
the katlirs at the Cape, and was sent home
with a pension. The restoration of health
brought back my constitutional antipathy to
ideness, and, after knocking about in sore
discomfort for some time, | at last succeeded
in procuring occupation as ticket clerk ut the
Longley station on this line.
lou don't know the country about long
leyY 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.
" Among the few acquaintances made du-
ring the one year spent there was u young
fellow named Carston, the son Of a wealthy
sheep farmer, who lived some six miles from
the station. clever fellow he was-the real
manager of the farmland on market days
and such like, he'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 (for even we
railway officials have holidays now and AGAIN.
up among the hills, bleak and barren as they
were. | dwell upon this (rather tcdiously
perhaps) because it is to Frank Carston owe
this bald crown.
1t was a cold cheerlcSs, winter evening
~ I stood upon the platform waiting for the
mail train from the north, which was Il 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. I was pleasantly anticipating
a quiet night by my own fircsde with hot
cup of tea and the London morning paper,
when the train came dashing in and pulled
up with shrek, and head was thrust out
from one of the carriages while the familiar
voice of my friend Carston hailed me.
Ned, old fellow he said, as hurried up
to him, want you to do me great favor.
You see this bag, it contains two hundred
soveregns Tomorrow is rent day andI got
this cash for the old man this morning. You
know the craze he has for paying in gold. |
am going through t. London on urgent bust
ness, and | want yot 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 cxpeusc-rll settle
all that. know that, rs friend, you'll do
this business carefully for me. Tell father
I'll be at home tomorrow night, if possible
con went the train, and, before | could
utter a word | was left alone on tie platform
with the heavy bag Of gold in my hand. The
commission with which had been so uncx-
pectcdly entrusted was a very disagrecahle
one that bleak winter night, but it would be
churlish to disappoint friend. Invent home
to my lodgings, got some tea, loaded a small
double barreled pistol tan unusual prccaution,
suggested by the thought of the gold), put it
i'll my pocket, and wrapped my great coat
around me 1t was no easy thing to get ear
riagc, fv gig, in n little place like Longley,
at that hour; and what was walk OF four
miles to me, when sure OF Stlh glass OF
something warm and good bed that night,
and pleasant canter on sure-footed nag
ora thn y
"The night though cold, was dry, and the
moon was up To be sure some oninous clouds
were gathering round her, and she was rising,
but steadily sinking, and would soon be hid
den 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-tlll was safely cnsconced by old
Carston's firesidc. All went well enough for
the first half hour; and the brisk walk
made the blood course warmly through my
veins, | thought how much pleasanter this
was than to be lolted and bruised in some
crazy, numbering old vehicle as the Longley
Inn was capable of supplying, over that rough,
wild mountain road. But my anticipation OF
the weather proved solely deceptive. Before
the half hour had well gone by, the snow
storm came down fierce and fast, and the
help now, however, but all the more need TO
GET to nv JOURNEYS end as soon as possible :;
so | clutched my stick with Il tirmer grasp,
and ouickened my pace. But the thick, steady
fall of snow so darkened the air that could
not see twice my arms length before me !;
and had not been walking many minutes
when the apprehension stole upon me that
was fast losing my way. 1t was dangerous
locality was in just then, in the midst OF
that snow-storm for the road wound over hill
and moor, without wall or fence; and, where
the snow was rapidly covering heath and path
alike, to trace my route with accuracy became
impossible.
Human life had been sacrificed more than
once, amid snow-drifts, on that Wild moor
land. and sheep innummerable had been lost.
To make nv danger greater the place was
full of pits and hollows, where v nlng specu-
lators had tried to sink shat ii former years.
Should wander off the beaten track, the
chances were that might meet broken meek
III one of these COMPOUNDED holes.
" | stumbled on at random. | had lost my
bearings utterly; and in few minutes L
knew as little where was if had been sui
denly set down, bound and blindtolded, In
the middle of the moor. | was making way,
surely, as best I could, through the snow
drift; but for all knew, might be going in
any direction but the right one. Was on
the beaten road, or was on the heath?
Another moment cruelty settled my
doubts One step more-my foot found no
rest and fell headlong into a broad, deep
PIT. Stunned by the fall, Law there know
not how long. Bruised and giddy, l tried at
last to regain my feet when a pang of ex-
quisite pain shot through my left arm; the
bone was broken.
As with my right hand now tried to steady
r,raaIf and orona my WAY out of the hole tho