Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1868-09-19

make another visit. Among the crowd
was an old gentleman l knew by sight
one of the shareholders of the road
He was bidding two timid girls adieu.
"Good by, Kitty; good-by, Sue," I
heard him say; "don't be nervous. The
San Francisco is the safest engine on
the line and Smith the most careful en-
gineer. | wouldn't be afraid to trust
every mortal | love in batch to their
keeping. Nothing could happen wrong
with the two together" ....,.-
"Fll get through it somehow" I
muttered, Sand Joe shall never have
to talk ak to me again. After all, it is
easy enough
reeled as spoke. 1 heard the
signal and We were off. Five hours
from A to z and five back. On the
last | should be myself again, l knew
now. | saw red futter, and never
guessed what it meant until we had
passed the flag. ! heard shrek. We
had passed the down train at the wrong
place. ...
1.-Two minutes more and we should
have had collision" some one said to
me; laughed; heard him say respect
fully:
"Of course, Mr.. Smith, you know
what you're about agos -. iaa1
Then l was alone, and wondering
whether I should 90 faster or slower ;
l did something and the cars rushed on
at fearful rate.
Then | heard some ask how many
miles an hour We were making. l did
not know.
rattle-rattle I was now
trying to slacken the speed of the San
Francisco. could not remember what
| should do. Was it this, or that p
Faster-only-faster! l was playing
with the engine like child.
Suddenly there was a horrible roar
a crash-and l was flung somewhere
1t was in the water. BY miracle I
was only sobered, not hurt. l gained
the shore. l stood upon the ground
between the track and the waters edge,
gazing at my work The engine was
in fragments, the cars in splinters.-
Dead, dying and wounded were strewn
around. Men, women and children,
old age and tender youth. There
were groans and shrieks of despair.
The MANNED cried out in pain the uu-
injured bewailed their dead And a
voice unheard by others continually
whispered in my ear, "Murderer p
TIE news had gone back to A, and
the people came thropging down to find
their friends. The dead were stretched
out on the grass. | went with some of
the distracted to find their lost ones.
Searching for an old mans daughter,
| came to a place, under the trees,
where five mangled bodies were lying
an old woman, young one, baby and
two tiny children.
1t was fancy-it must be pure fancy,
born of my anguish; they looked like
oh :! great heavens +! they were my
old mother, my wife and children all
cold and dead
How did they come on the train +?
What could have brought this about ?
No one could answer. I groaned, l
screamed, l tore my hair. l gazed on
the good old face of her who gave me
birth, on the lovely features of my wife
on my innocent children. / called them
by name. There was no answer. There
never would be, there never could be.
And as l comprehended this, up the
track thundered another train. Its red
eye glared on me! l flung myself be-
fore it! I felt it crush me to atoms!
ellis head is very hot" said some
body.
l opened my eyes and saw my wife.
elbow do you feel p said she. ga
little better ~
was so rejoiced and so astonished
at the sight of her that I could not
speak at first. She repeated her ques.
ton.
81 must he crushed to pieces" I said
"for the train ran over me. But feel
DO pain"
"There he goes about the train again
said my wife. Why, Wort
tried to moye-there was nothing
the matter, with me, / sat, up. / was
in my own room, land opposite to me a
crib in which my two children slept
Beside me tiny, bald baby head. My
wife and children all safe! Was I de-
lirious, or what could it be?
"Joe," cried 1, "tell me what has
happened p
at is nine clock" said Joe. "You
came home in such dreadful! state,
last night, that | would not awake you,
for you were not fit to manage steam
and risk peoples lives. The San Fran
cisco is half way to A now, I suppose
You have been frightening me to death
with your dreadful talk" And Joe
began to cry.
1t was dream-an awful dream /;
but had lived through it as though it
was reality.
"Joe," said I, 'is there bible in
the house ?"
care we heatheus ?" asked Joe.
"Bring it here" said 1.
] Iput my hand on it and took an
oath, too solemn to repeat here, that no
, liquor should ever again enter my lips.
!, 1t never has. And if the San Francis
co ever comes to grief, the verdict will
not be, as it ought to be so often, 1.-The
leugiueer was drunk"