The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1867-08-22

she,
william dear
Yes Susan, says I with my mouth
full of bread " 4
g'tWilliam, would it make much differ
ence if you came home half an hour late
to night with Che train p
mo, Susan, perhaps not You see
l half knew what was coming.
Because I'm afraid, almost, of some
rhing don't ask me what it is, for (, l
don know myelf feel it somehow,
and want you to drive slow, and promise
me, William dear, to look at the lanterns
and wheels and things won't your
Susan, says !. kissing her, "Tll
walk her all the way
And that was what / was going to do.
l made Collins, the fireman, mad as a
March hare by making him go through
the wheels twice with hammer before
we started back from Pallerton that night
| went through the engine myself exam
ined the springs and levers, aud had two
extra men put on the brakes and an ex-
ira lantern fastened on the engine in front
Of the boiler. They all laughed at me.
but kept on until l felt that things
were as they should be.
When | was speaking Of Jim Nelson s
house in the woods perhapsI ought to
have said that he was a widower, and had
little tot of baby, and | noticed it us |
ran by that .morning, playing round in
the door yard | say this SO that that
which comes after may be better under
stood.
Well we started back at 420, that is,
back to Croydon. 1t was storming as
thought it never did before; the clouds
rolled up black, and the wind came down
through the mountains cold and buster
ing. l shut her all up tight and turned
down the light in the cab 50 that I might
see better how things went outside.
with hail, and the night came down black
er than before. | kept my hand on the
lever and my eyes on the broad streak OF
light that lit up about two hundred yards
of the track. let hel along easy at 20
| miles an hour, taking a look now and
then at the ears and keeping an eye on
every thing. We ran. ont this way steadi-
ly for two hours and lost fifteen minutes.
and still everything was right. [ kept
my course, as the danger commenced
now if there was any at all. The storm
and rain were worse than ever, and beat
against us like mad, and blew the smoke
and steam down over Us so that | felt
like stopping altogether, but of course
that wouldn't do We kept on this way
for another hour, feeling our way care
fully. About twenty minutes after that
l got off my seat to look at the oil cups
and gauge. when, quick as lightning Col
Inns, the fireman. jerked my arm, and
shouted, Good, God, there's child
crawling on the track y
| showed my lever back and pulled the
whistle valve short and quick, and open
ed the cab window and jumred out on
the engine In doing SO, thought af-
forwards, / must have kicked the lever
back again. At that moment what | saw
made me forget everything else, for sure
enough about two hundred feet in front
Of the engine, in the middle of the track
was little one, kneeling on its hands
and knees and without moving, but look
ing straight at the light OF the lanterns.
God help me! says l, seeing the poor
thing must be killed if | didn $ help it.
and scrambled forward past the boiler
and out on to the cow-catchcr The
wheels Of the car grated, but the engine
was working harder than it had that
night. | couldn't stop to think why,
and putting my feet between the bars
caught hold of the shackle with my left
hand and leaned over the track. shut
my teeth together tight and held on like
death, knowing well that slip Of my
hand or foot would end me. The poor
covering little thing crept away to one
side but was SO scared that 1t had sunk
down and was laying on its belly across
the rail. ''God help it, says |. bend
ing low down, and | stuck my arm out
straight and stiff, with my hand an inch
from the track; in an instant | showed
my hand under the body Of the child but
pushed it along about FIVE feet before |
could close my hand ON the dress, then |
lifted it up over my head and put it on
the platform behind me, and then quick
as may be followed. for / felt kind of
weakness coming over me. l took the
baby IN my arms. but was to weak to go
back SO [ sat there The engine was go
ing like lightning and the rain was beat
ing in mine and the baby face, and the
wheels were grinding and roaring, and
afore heaven L never was so womanish
along of any danger | have been in as |
was then, with the poor little thing, and
its arms around my neck and sobbing as
if its heart would break. I was only
there a minute, and was nearly fainting
when | heard shouting louder than the
storm and the noise OF the engine, and |
opened my eyes and saw the figure of
man about thirty yards in front of the
engine. He stopped down, then jumped
up with something large in his hands
and threw it off the track, then he did it
again and gain; he worked quick and
wild-like, and just before the engine
reached him he jumped off and waved
his arms at me and tie baby. and the
glare of the lantern fell on him at that
instant arc showed a face which was male
round the lips and nose, such as [ had
seen before
Well, | got back to the cab with the
baby and whistled the brakes off. and
went into Croydon 80 minutes behind
time. told Susan all about it. and she
took to the baby in fine style, and she
aud | sat by the fire that evening talking
and wondering over what had happened
when knock came to the door and |
went to it and says, who there?''
It's me, SAID a voice that was trem-
bling as though the man was crying; let
me In. Rogers; I'm Jim Nelson; I've
got nothing ag in you and Susan now,
God knows I" si5 so
So opened the door and he came in
staggering as if he was in liquor, and as
white as snow; then he looked round
the room and seeing the child in Susan's
lap he ran to it, and kneeling down bur-
led his face in its clothes and sobbed and
cried as i never saw man before or
since: After a while he gotta little calm
ed, then he stood up and turning round
to me he says: ifIhi
William Rogers, I meant to do you
harm tonight. but you saved the little
one for me, which is al have to love in
this big world; you took one away from
me, and thought to mend by breaking;
but William. he went on, Il WASH the
the old jim Nelson, which is true man