The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-04-23

see, j suppose, for company's SAX,
being an out of-the way lonely spo
there wasa chap built himself O 10
shanty close to the line, where b
had made a bit of a clearing, an
perhaps he thought it would be b
of company for his. wife and littl
ones to see the trains 90 by wit
people in, besides being a bit G
projection from the wandering tribe
iabout for you see where a man set
lup his tent, as You may say, out il
the wilderness, he's obliged to rul
risks SO any chance, however small
of making it less risky is snatche'
| / got quite TO know those people
and nice, hard working folks the.
were. Why, before they had beer
there six months, that bit of wilder
ness began to look like little garder
of Eden; and two more people came
and pitched in the next bits. Iquitt
knew those first folks, though We
never spoke for l always went by
them at twelve miles an hour but
the little ones use TO stand at the
shanty door and cheer, and as time
went on, I'd wave my hat to the wife
and the husband too, so that they
generally used to come out, when
they heard me coming up or down
and more than once mine has been
an anxious journey when I've passed
there, and sll has been quiet, for I've
thought that perhaps the lnguns had
been down, which would have meant
murder and fire; but somehow
never had that to trouble me, for the
uext time I'd pass there would be
some one AZ the door or in the straw
berry patch in front. Y #f.
We got to be such friends at last,
that l used to buy candy and dough
nuis, and heave 'em into the garden
as | went by, for the children to
scramble after, and that's what il
was that did it, and this is how il
was.
We were going comfortably along
one afternoon, till, as we got near the
where my friends. as | called
them. were located, began to fur
ridge about in my pockets for a
couple of papers OF something that
I'd got, when my stoker says: "Hol-
10, what's that on the line 2"l aAt
"Cow ?'' says /.
Sow; no" he says: why-why-
it's three children ~ e a
Sound tle'li did not stop to
finish, but opened The little valve
myself, meking the still afternoon air
1uiver with the hollow booming roar
il sent far and wide.
"rhat's moved 'em ~ says my
stoker, laughing to see the little dis
Lant figures soamper away ifir7 {
al thought it would" i says; snd
then with my hand on the valve, 1
made the thing scream and roar
again, for there was one OF the little
ones right in the middle of the track.
In moment I'd forgotten all
about the stuff in the papers, for
curious sort of feeling came over
ne, one that for few moments took
all the nerve from my limbs, SO that
I could not move; sad then. instead
Of reversing the engine, l began to
creep forward, while, as il from the
same feeling any stoker stood staring
With al BIG pisht right ct the poor
little child.
We were too near for it to have
done any good, even if we had both
done our parts, and it was with q
groan seeming to force itself out or
nv breast, that / told myself it was
my encouraging the poor
little children with presents that this
was going to happen, for there,
seeing no danger, was little bright
eyed Ion q haired thing dancing about
and waving its hands as We came
It takes me- some time TO tell it,
but It only took a few moments; and
there it all is now like a picture that
once seen can never forget
It was a glorious, golden, sunshlny
aftarnoon, with all looking bright
and mellow the hut, with its patch
of flowers the children by the side
of the line, and their mother running
out wild and frantic-like, but only to
drop down in the track, halfway
between the door and where her little
one was dancing and waving its
little hands as we glided on;
FieIA iihe man does in one of
tbossI nightmare ORGANS, when the
viii is there 70 DO something, only a
dreadful kind of fat e holds you back,
and YOU can see danger coming
nearela and vet not avoid it. We
neither of US spoke, but stood there,
one on each side, leaning forward as
helpless as the poor little child in
front, till, with almost yell, fought
clear of the power that seemed to
hold me, with the feeling on me that
| was too lste, crept along the side
of the engine, and lay down with
arms extended IN front of the COW
catcher. eEEEtRE Is
= Only moments, but moments that
seemed like hours, as with its
strange, hurrying, jumping motion,
the engine dashed down, as L told
myself. to crush out the life OF that
moor little innocent. / wanted to
shut nv eyes to keep out the horri
ble sight, but j dared not; ano
thouph now i seemed TO- he doing
what might save the child's life,
could not think it possible. There
it was, just In front, and yet we ap
neared to come no nearer In al
ordinary way, we should have passed
the shanty score of times but nov
the horror of those moments acte'
so upon my imagination that w
seemed to crawl slowly but surely
like the motion of some vast machin
That hardly seems to move, Sand ye
forces its way on with . po wer tha
there is no stopppg. az III.
| Twenty yards ten yard s--wer
we never going to pass over be spot
or would some miraculous. powe
stop the engine2 ] tried to shou
hut onlya curious hoarse no ise cam
from my throat II wanted to way
NV hands, but they rensined strelcl
ed out obstinatefy towards the chill
| q Five yards -fourAthre'.. The
was the little thing laughing in i
innocent glee, for it was expectln
some little present from me, III
was then calling myself its. murdere
and lay there motionless as q statu
II