The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1868-07-03

y
night NTH the train?''
mo, Susan, perhaps. not" You see
| half knew Hhat ives canning.
Because I'm afraid, almost, of some
thing; don't ask me what i ii for | don't
kneH myself. = feelait somehow, and want
you4o drive sloE, and 'prolniss me, Will
ham dear d0 look q the wheels and
- eSssn, ~ / kissing teis''f'El walk
made Collins, the fireman. as--siad as a
March hare, by making him go through
the wheels with a hammer before we start
ed back from Pallerton that night. l went
through the engine myself, examined the
springs and levers, had two extra men put
on the brakes, and an extra lantern fast
ened ON the engine in front. of the boiler.
They all laughed at me, but kept ON till
l islt that things were rs they should be-
When Twas speaking ef jim Nelson )
house: in the woods, perhaps I ought to
have said that he ives a widower, and had
a little tot Of baby, and, | noticed it as |
ran by that morning, playing in the door
yard. l say this that which come otter
may be better understood. t1ass
8 Well we started back at 4:20. chat is,
back to Croydon. 1t was storming as |
thought 1t never did before; the clouds
rolled up black, and the wind came down
Through the mountains cold aud clustering.
4 shut her ailslup tight, and turned down
the hight 10 the cab, so that 1 might see
better how things went outside. Pretty
soon t'came on to ,rain, mixed WITH hail,
and the nightIcame blacker than before /
kept my handeon the Lever. and MY eyes on
the broad streak of Aight that lighted up
about two hundred yards Of the track. I
let her easy at about twenty niles an hour.
takinga look now and then at the cars, and
okeeMng An eye on everythihgaai ied1 s,i;
nix ran on this way steadily for two
hours, and lost fifteen minutes, and every
thing was right I Kept my course, 9as tie
dnnger commenced hew.if there was Iahy4at
ali The storm and rain9were worse than
ever, and beat against us like mad, and
blew the smoke and steam down upon us,
SO thatI felt like stopping altogether, but
OF course that wouldn' do. We kept on
this way. for another hour feeling our way
carefully, About twenty minutes after
that L got off my seat to look at the oil
cups and gauge, when, quick as lightning,
Collins, the fireman, jerked nay arm and
shouted Good God !! theirs a child
crawling on the track - ,..-. a- 40.
l showed my lever back and pulled the
whistle valve short and quick, and opened
the cab window and jumped out on the en-
CINE. In doing SO, I thought afterward /
must have kicked the lever back again.
At that moment what [ saw made me for
get very:hiDg else, for sure enough, about
two hundred feet in front of the engine,
kneeling, On its hands and knees, and with
out moving, looking straight at the light
OF the lanterns, was a little child !!
God help me, y said [, seeing the poor
thing must be killed it / didn't help it, and
| scrambled forward past the boiler, and
out on the cow 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 putting my feet be-
tween the bars, caught hold of the
.shackle with my left hand, and leaned for
ward over the track. l shut my teeth to-
gether tight and held on like death, knows
ing we'll that slip of my hand or feet
would end me. The poor, covering little
thing crept away to one side, but was so
scared that it had sunk down and was lying
on its belly across the rail.
''God help it," again says I, bending
down, and stuck my arm out straight and
stiff with my hand an inch from the track !;
in an instant I showed it along about five
feet before I could close my hand on the
dress, when ] lifted it up over my head,
and put it on the platform behind me, then
quick as may be | followed, for | felt a
kind of weakness coming over me, l took
the baby in my arms, but was too weak to
go back, so sat down there. The engine
was going like lightning, and the rain was
beating in mine and the baby's face, and
the wheels were grinding and roaring, and
afore heaven l 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 aud
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. He stopped down, then
jumped up with something large in his
hands, and threw it eff the track; then he
did it again and again he worked quick
and wild like, and just before the engine
reached him jumped off and waved his
arms at me and the baby, and the glare of
the lanterns fell on him at that instant, and
showed face which was pale round the
| lips and nose, such as l had seen before.
w eli, got Udck TO the cap WIN the
| baby, and whistled brakes off, and went
into Croydon thirty-fve 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 wondering over
what had happened, when knock came to
the door, and | went to the door, and says,
who's there?'
"lt's me- says voice that was trem-
| bling, as though the man was crying.
Let me in, Rogers I'm Jim Nelson
I've nothing, agin you and Susan, now,
| God knows"
So | opened the door and he came in
staggering as if he was intoxicated, and as
white as snow; then he looked round the
room, and seeing the baby in Susan $ lap,
be ran to it, and kneelipg down, buried his
face in his clothes, and sobbed and cried as
never saw before or since. After while
he got a little claimed then he stood up,
| and turning to me, he says: 4e
a. William Rogers, l meant to do harm
tonight, but you saved the little one for
me, which is all n love in this big world !;
you took one away from me, and thought
| To mend hv hroakip0. Int W,l;o,, prrb -