Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-03-15


AS / entered the room | looked up invol-
UNFAIRLY, with the instinct that grows from
constant habit, st the clock The hands
! indicated the hour of six. l had somehow
| fancied il to he later than that. The sun
had dipped down behind the purple line Of
woods; the long shadows of the tree-trunks,
stretching out across the brown turf in
| front of my door step, had vanished; and
just in the warm orange glow of the west
| great golden star famed and quiyered,
like solitary eye of fire.
cit can't be that the sun sets earlier than
usual" | said to myself, half doubtfully
"and vet"
While / stood there hesitating, ] knew
not why, the silver sound of far-oif vii
lage bell-the church bell of St. Marks, at
Branhill, heard only in the clearest and
stillest days, and when the wind set i'll a
peculiar direction-raDg out its strokes
with marvellous distinctness.
| lone two three = our-lve-six-
seuen!"
Like invisible writing suddenly flashing
into view at the magic action of fire, the
whole chain of circumstances became
frightfully, diabolically clear. John Walk
ers mysterious presence IN my cabin but
two hours since was sufficiently explained
now He had wTithed in, deadly and
noiseless, like serpent, to work my ruin,
and elevate himself upon the wreck of my
| good name and trust His hand had moved
backward the indices of my time-piece
upon the dial with motive too horrible
for me to contemplate without a shudder.
He knew flor had not myself told him y
that the Lightning Express, going north,
met the branch road train at seven O. lock,
and that it rushed wildly forward without
stopping, with only whistle of warning.
The switch was set to the branch road il
must be changed at a quarter to seven, or
the Lightning Express would leave the
track and collide with the Accommoda
tion," calmly waiting Il - EsncI security.
| Yes; John Walker had deliberately laid
his plans 10 ruin me- and Bsrbara-could
il be possible that Barbara's sweet frank
ness, her unwonted presence, her warning,
were part of his fiendish conspiracy to
divert my attention, and vile me away
from the post of duty? Was Barbara in
| his interests and had I been doubly de-
cCived? AS / stood there perfectly mo-
tionless, with cold drops oozing out upon
my brow, and frozen sort of rigidity at
my heart, l could almost see the shattered
cars, the shapeless, splintered ruin, the
crushed machinery, The ghastly faces up
turned 10 the glowing purple of the fair
twilight sky; | could hear the shrieks and
groans and dying gasps through the dull,
continuous roar that seemed 10 surge
across my brain And IL shorid have
| been the unconscious murderer. the guilt
| less criminal O God of all mercieS Was
there no way of averting the impending
shadow of this awful catastrophe?
All this was thought in a second and
| before the chimes had ceased ringing the
| final stroke of seven | bounded from the
room. My usual route down to the switch
was foot path, steep and narrow, that
slirted the edges of the PERCEPTIONS hills
but there was nearer snd much more
direct way, through dense underground
and matted briers and bushes, through
which 1plunged. needless of tearing thorns
and tangled branches which seemed to i'm
| pede my progress with almost human
malice AS ran, my speed was accelerated
by the shrill whistle Of tie approaching
Accommodation train. / did not mind
| that-the Accommodation would stop on
its track and wait for the lightning Elk.
press TO pass; bnt HAD not second to
spare, for usually the whistle of the Light
ming was heard as if it were the echo of
the other, so nearly simultaneously were
they due at Branhill Junction As neared
the track with breath that came in short,
painting sobs and labOrilg pulses, saw, as
il were, through a scarlet mist Of blood,
the white, starry CLEAN OF the signal lamp
in its accustomed place--the "all right
token to the engineer Of the Lightning
train
Whose hand had so foully lighted that
treacherous star OF doom
As ran 1 had searched for the key of
the switch lock II was safe 1 sprang to
the track, hurting down the SIGNAL with a
vehemence that shiveTei the strong glass
to a thousand atoms. thrust the key
into the lock and unlocked the switch
Great Heavens the lever was immovable!
The villain h Il done his work completely,
and with small wooden wedge driven
firmly between the lever and iron frame
work of the switch had made the move
ment of the former impossible. The loud
shrek of the now approaching train gave
me additional strength IN vain, for could
not move the rails Walker and Barbara
Wyclitfe had neglected no one link in the
chain of their detestable plot. One instant
stood, in the utter abandonment of de.
spair. In the same terrible instant the
glare of the laundering train flashed on
the track and lighted 1t up with painful
brilliancy, and | saw, ~ I knew, that the
rails were wrong. While my mind seemed
to give way before the terrible doom which
which had no power 10 avert, breath
less, gasping voice sounded close in nv
ear, and a heavy iron implement was thrust
into my hands. | did not see her. but I
knew who it was. l did not see the i'm
plement which l grasped, but knew there
was strength in it.
Reuben. Reuben. Quick it is the
crow bari"
Before she had finished the words had
formed my plan OF action had acted.
With powerful blow | struck the iron
rod Of the switch-the thin stem which
connected the lever and the rails, and
which before had moved them, but which
now prevented them from moving. A sim
gle blow was enough. | heard the sharp
twang of an iron rod as it snapped. I
bounded to the side OF the track. placed
the crowbar as lever under the rail, and
was about to move the switch, with laugh
of relief, into its place. when felt both
my arms grappled from behind with hold
as firm as steel, and L Was thrown violently
back, dropping the crOwbar IS fell.
Mo- SO fast, Reuben Eyre" Kissed the
hated voice of John Walker close to my
ear. 81 will be revenged yet, though
pretty Barbara has played me false"
/ struggled, with a strength that after
ward seemed to me well-nigh supernatural,
to free myself from his clinging grasp, but
in vain. He had drawn me, / suppose I'M
consciously, on to the track, and could
already feel beneath my feet the thrill and
tremble of the firm earth--a sure token
that the approaching train was nea us.
thought OF the unsuspecting passengers
whose fate hung in the balance Were
they to perish when help and rescue lay
almost within hand 's-breath of me They
talk of the bitterness of death-this was
the bitterness of life and in that moment