The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-06-13
m Nelson's Revenge
j I'M
GConcluded.1

house in the woods, perhaps ought to
have said that he was widower, and
had little tot of u baby, and noticed
it as ran by that morning playing in
the doer-yard. | say this that which
come after may be better understood.
Wcll, we started back at 4:20, that is,
back to Croydon. 1t was storming as l
thought it never did before; the clouds
rolled up black, and the wind came
down through the mountains cold and
clustering. l shut her all up tight, and
turned down the light in the cab, so
that might see better how things went
outside. Pretty soon it came on to rain,
mixed with hail, and the night came
blacker than before. l kept my hand
on the lever, and my eyes on the broad
streak of light that lighted up about
two hundred yards of the track. let
her along easy at about twenty miles an
hour, taking look now and then at
the cars, and keeping an eye on every
thing.
We ran on this way steadily for two
hours, and lost fifteen minutes, and
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 altegether, but of course that
wouldn't do. We kept on this way fer
another hour, feeling our way carefully.
About twenty minutes after that | got
oft my seat to look at the oil cups and
guage, when quick as lightning, Col
lins, the fireman, jerked my arm and
shouted: "GoOd God there's 4 child
crawling on the track"
showed my lover back and pulled
the whistle valve short and quick, and
opened tho cab window and jumped
out on the engine. In doing so,
thought afterwards, / must have kicked
the lever back again At that moment
what saw made me forget everything
else, for sure enough, about two hun
dred feet in front of the engine, kEcal-
ing on its hands and knees, and with
out moving, looking straight at the
light of the lanterns, vas n little child |!
"God help me-" said |, seeing tho poor
thing must be killed if l didn't help 1t,
and | scrambled forward past the boiler
and out on the coz catcher. The wheels
of the cars grated but the engine was
working harder than it had that night.
| couldn't stop to think why, and put
ting my feet between tho bars, ] caught
hold of the sLackle with my left hand,
and leaned forward over the track. |
shut my teeth together tight and held
on like death, knowing well that slip
of my hand or feet would end me. The
poor, covering little thing crcpt away
to one side but was so scared that il
had sunk down and was lying on its
belly across the rail.
God help it," again says l, bending
low down, and stuck my arm out
straight and stiff, with my hand an
inch from the track; in an instant
sheved my hand under the body of the
child, but showed 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,
then qdiCk as may be followed, for |
felt a kind of weakness coming over me,
| took the baby in my arms, but was
too weak to 90 back, so sat down there.
The engine was going like lightning
and the rain was beating in mi2c and
the baby's face, and the wheels were
grinding and roaring, and afore heaven
never was so wOmanish as | was then,
with the poor little thing in my arms,
and sobbing as if its heart would break.
was only there moment and was
nearly fainting, when / heard shout
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. lie
stopped down, then jumped up with
something large in his hands and threw
it off the track; then he did it again
and again; he worked quick and wild
like, and just before the engine reached
him, he jumped off and waved his arms
at Inc and the baby, and the glare of the
lanterns fell on him at that instant, and
showed a face which was pale round the
lips and nose, such as / had seen be-
fore.
Well, / got back to the cab with the
baby, and whistled brakes off, and
went into Croydon thirty-ive minutes
behind time.
told Susan all about it, and she took
the baby in fine style, and we sat by
the fire that evening, talking and won
dering over what had happened, when
knock came to the door, and | went to
the door, and says /,
who's therep
"It'sme," says voice that was trem-
bling, as though the man was crying.
"Let me in, Rogers; I'm Jim Nielsen;
I've nothing agin You and Susan, nsw,
God knows
So opened the door and h0 came in
staggering, as if he was intoxicated,
and as white as snsw; then he looked
round the room, and seeing the baby in
Susan's lap, he ran to it, and kneeling
down, buried his face in his clothes, aud
sobbed and cried as | never saw before
or since. After q while he got little
calmed; then he stood up, and turning
TO me, he says.
"William Rogers, meant to do a
harm tonight, but you saved the little
one for me, which is all | love in this
big world; you took one away from Inc,
and thought TO mend by breaking; bat,
William" be went on, 81 wasn't the
old Jim Nelson, which is a true man,
aud who is speaking TO you, and so ask
forgiveness sf you and her
Then Susan and shook hands with
him, but We cOnld not speak word;
| then linn stooped down and took the