Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-04-18

| o. I,Ypss That stepped but twice before We
| sesal:ea eei iisai sestinaiijf, Gid this leae'
II piaeDafsen was certainly nsltAer OF oas
dWhst Is it, oafaw - / asked, swinging
| myself on to the ground Where tho COPS
| duotor stood with his lantern IN hand look
Ing under q car.
| that Warren what made him report all
sound with such a worn box as that
| These patent boxes are continually getting
| hot in the shortest runs, and amt fit for
| expresses at II" ~ 3.
awe can cool it in fifteen minutes, sir, y
said one of the brakeman, who had his tow
and water all ready for packing it anew.
Fifteen minutes and we just running
on time with the Lightning to catch us at
B."
ats too bad to get in behind the Light
| ming train," j said.
"Worse for me than Mcleod; for,
though Warren's to blame, L catch the
curses. Well Truefit, do the best you
can
In spite of Truefit's sanguine prophecy,
| it was full twenty-five minutes before we
| were again under way. ] had gone back to
Isabel Mcleod, whose dilated blue eyes
were glancing from one to another in the
apprehensive agony of terror that no one
but nervous woman can fully appreciate.
"Frank-Mr. Atwater! do tell me what
| is the matter"
"Only hot box there is no occasion
| for uneasiness."
upon your sacred honor?"
upon my sacred honor. Why, Isabel,
| how frightened you are! | can see you
| tremble, even here What is the matter,
child?"
"Sit down and will tell YOU" she said,
hurriedly, motioning me toward vacant
seat directly back of her. 81 know it is a
piece of mad folly-a-a delusiOn; but l
must tell somebody, or shall go mad F"
sat down, leaning forward with my ell
bows ON the top Of the seat she occupied,
80 that my face nearly touched her heavy
black veil. a5
First, promise never to tell him
John"
81 promise"
"Well, them" she went on, speaking in
husky, nervous whisper, "he is very Pc
culiar-full of the strangest fancies. When
l first married him thought it was super
stition merely-now--"
She paused.
"Well, now?" questioned.
"Now, lido not know what to think Oh,
Mr.. Atwater, ought not to say so, know,
but / am the most miserable creature in
the world!"
Isabel"
81 am! He threatens sometimes to shut
me up in a mad-house, and perhaps |
should be happier there than subject to his
whims and cruelties. Why do you sup.
pose he brought me here tonight"
81 am sure do not know"
He told me-" she whispered, clasping
her hands tightly together as she spoke,
"that we were coming to our death to-
night, and we must come together! Oh,
Frank, what do you suppose he means y
"Only to terrify you" I said, soothing
ly. He is a bundle of old Scotch super
stltions, and always was"
"And, Frank, once when I thought
heard footsteps close behind us, and turned
my head to see, he jerked my arm and told
me not to ook--that-oh, Frank, it makes
my blood run cold now-that it was Death
walking at our side!" -
"But, Isabel, surely you will not allow
yourself to be influenced by such folly as
this" t
81 told you it was folly" she answered,
dejectedly; but"
A hand was laid on my arm at this mo.
ment--the hand of Carew, the conductor.
Crank, look here, | want to speak to
you," he said, hurriedly. "Come here
out on the platform"
followed him out into the stormy dark
ness Of the March night, where hislantern
cleaned like a sullen, shifting eye.
"What is it? Anything wrong?"
Yes, and Ro. Of course you know
, ao.1xy l,n1P n,
with not quite thirty minutes between us
and the Lightning"
"Well, that old fool Mcleod has turned
crusty, and says if we don't run out on the
side track at Speedsyille, the next station,
and wait for the Lightning to pass, he'll not
be answerable for the consequences"
"Who wants him to be ansWerable?"
demanded, with considerable acerbity, not
to say disdain
"Well, he says it's a bad night, track
slippery, and all that sort of thing and |
suppose it's all very true. But you know
the Lady Franklin of old. She'll keep
the thirty minutes between us and the
Lightning, won't she?"
81 should say there was no kind of doubt
as to that. Amt you going to make up
that lost time?"
"Thats just the trouble. That crack
Drained old Scotch fool wants to stop and
lose another half hour which we may just
as well gain, and run into B. on time,
as to come trailing along behind the Light
ming But Macleod refuses to run her
unless consent to his conditions Frank,
why can't you take the old Lady into
b" eeEs
"Pll do it with all the pleasure in lfe.''
CareW's face frightened at once.
hat a lucky thing it is you CHANGED
to be on the train!" he said. 81 should
have been entirely at Macs mercy if it
hadn't been for you. Come on; there's no
time to be lost" h~ -
followed him through the long train to
the engine, and entered the little inclosed
compartment where Macleod sat among
his screws and valves and dials, like some
magician of old surrounded by the abstruse
implements of his art How like home
this tiny place appeared tome 1t seemed
almost as if the Lady Franklin shot
more swiftly over the track as [ stepped
upon her Macleod inclined his head
stiff1y in answer to my greeting He was
a tall, spare Scotchman, with deep-set blue
eyes matched with shaggy brows, and hair
already thickly sprinkled with gray, though
he could scarcely have been more than
forty years old. His face was cold and re-
pulsive, and his manner forbidding in the
EXTREMIST degree. Moreover, he had a way
exceedingly unpleasant to the spectator of
continually looking over his shoulder with
a sort of spasmodic motion, as if he had
suddenly seen or heard something close