St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-03-13
Fire Minutes Behind Time.

TIE SWITCII-TENDEH' STORY.
1t was lonely and wild enough, the
spot in which my future lite-tor some
years, at lcast-was 10 be spent Il rough
cabin of logs and lath, with Il chimney
of stone and plaster. i'll the midst OF al
most mclcarcd woods. and shut IN by
the huge. prccipitous crest OF rocky hills.
NcighborS there were none, save at Iii
ram Wyckliiit'S red farm house in the
valley some miles below and it was
only IN the blue Transparency of the clear
NSt days that | could see the dim
wreath of smoke curling up from his
chimney.
Yet the solitude was not unpleasant to
me. | had needed employment, and here
it was ready to my hand. | had been
struggling 10 ward oil the iron grasI OF
actual poverty; here was Il competence,
decent, although barely sufficient. Nor
was discuntcnted.
had not, however. been the only
t>pirant tor the situation OF Switch.cn-
der at Br:mhill S.atium. John Walker
had also applied tur it, and | heard !,
floating rumor, halt needed at the time
and totally di-bcllevcd afterwards. that
pretty barbara Wycl>lifie had herself
zone TO the city and used her influence
with the attaches of the railroad COM
pauy in w alkcr'S behalf. | admired Bar
lara Wyckltic myself. There was some
thing in the tropic glow of her dark
Spanish beauty, and the sparkle of her
black laShed brown ewes that was strange
| " attractive 10 me. Somehow | did not
fancy her becoming the wife of Il sullen,
rcticcnt fellow like John Walker. and
Whenever the vision of possible home
Wycklitie's glowing face lighted its unde-
fined walls.
The sun was creeping slowly up the
| lcatle>> woods. and sombrc stretches OF
hlack-grccn pine, that covered the east
ern hll! one sparklin" March afternoon,
as came lcisurely i'll after halt an hour:
brisk work ut wood cutting down i'll tn,
hollow. The instant | entered L became
conscious. by the peculiar magnetic III
iucncc which all have experienced. O
the presence OF some one else in the llttl,
apartment Nor was | mistaken. join
Walker was luunging in the rocking chan
by the one window, reading an old week
ly newspaper.
"IIalio, Walker. how the deuce came
YOU here =
"Through the back door. | hav,
Just strollcd up from Wyckliiit' s.
And how are you getting along, old icl
low !''
"Oh, first rate what are YOU doing ,
Nothing at present. | am looking
for Il place on the Toad as brake
man, until something else better turns up
Upon my word you've got things pretl.
snug here, Reuben. Does the compan.
give You the place >
"Ge>.''
Comfortable, though not gorgeous,
said he. Nice warm walls, chime,
want 'cm-furniture neat-clock on til
, shelt-what's that for, ch -
smiled and confessed the clocks utili
ty.
''Not having yet attained the dignit.
Of Il watch depend on clock to i'll
form me the time
. "Oh, that's it, ell Pretty hard work
Switches changed often ~
"Only twice a day, when the dow
Lightning meets the Accommodate
upon the branch road. and the Wa
Mail upon the branch leaves the mai
track"
'Iatc ?''
I | could not but think him impertiner
and looked rather suddenly ut him, bu
he was not at all disturbed by my "azC
What a lounging, insolcnt sort of way Ii
had' as he put the question different I
meas even the petty details of my dali
HE Were preferable to no amusement d
all. But resolutely checked my risin
coior by remembering that in certai
sense he was Tor the time being, nv cue.
though an unwelcome one-and IN
swercd pleasantly:
well, yes, late and early at nine /
the morning Tor the branch road, an
seven IN the evening tor the llghtnin.
Il should think you led a pretty cas-
- life of it, Eyre said Walker, winkn
his ugly eyebrows discontentedy.
"Iou are right, it is not hard on
one has to be prompt on the spot"
YES" he said absently; ''yes, TO
sure. See much of old Wycklife's folk
here, ell ~
ID professionally"
We chatted on for five or ten minut
longer, and l was unmistakably relieve
- at length to see him rise and depart. A
the time he had been talking, his col
IN gray eyes had wandered about the apar
,u ment, not uneasily it is true, but seen
5 ingly endcavoring to avoid mine; and |
had never looked at me with the franl