The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-10-28

-Four thousand miles to the Ferry of the
Styx, and only three hours TO make it iuT
by the turies we are too heavy laden! We
must tighten the train, to make the juno
ton at the Hades cut off! Overloaded
with useless luggage, ehI''
He seized the helpless youth in his tre-
mendous grip, and bore his frame on high,
with apparently no more exertion than he
would have swayed an infant, Allen
closed his eyes, and gave himself up for
lost as he felt his body swung to and fro,
as if TO give an impetus 10 The fling But
another Whim appeared TO take possession
OF the medman's brain. lie again dashed
him down heavily upon the rushing engine.
''Oh, no, my mutihous imp y he shout
ed once more. 81 will make fuel of you
there is not wood enough-your bones
will burn and crackle like pitch pine
Good into the furnace you go !"
He seized him again, flung open the
furnace doors, and the unhappy youth ex
pec;ed every instant 10 have his head
jammed into the narrow entrance. But
still another caprice seemed suddenly to
change the idiosyncracy of the madman,
| and, after holding his victim before the
furnace till his hair was singed, he again
cast him heavily down, and reclosed the
doors.
NAY, nay, have still better use
for your carcass, you rebeIious young
devil - he laughed. Your eyes are bright,
and our lantern is but dim one. They
shall supply its place, and light US thro'
the V; LEY Of the Shadow of Death! Ho,
no, it is capital idea glorious trick !"
In Aliens lost, helpless condition of
both mind and body, he hardly compre-
| hende8 what the maniac was about to do,
until he had again lifted him on high, and
carried him to the front of the locomotive
| Holding him out with one hand, with the
other he lashed him securely, elbow and
heel, before the putting chimney, just
above the lantern, SO securely indeed that
be could scarcely move finger.
In this frightful position, tied firmly in
front of the rushing engine, and the hot
chimney scorching his back most painful
ly, with the taunting yells of the maniac
behind him ringing in his ears, he could
only gaze down the reeling road in a stu
| pefaction Of horror.
They were going at terrible rate of
| speed, over mile a minute, yet every
| now and then Allen could hear the mad~
man heaping fresh fuel into the furnace,
and ''cracking on more steam,'' while his
wild yells and laughter rose incessantly
| over the crashing or the tearing machine
| ''Fire up, boys, fire up!'' he roared,
swell soon have birthstone instead of
wood for fuel, and then won't we make
her howl? The old boy himself will pat
me on the back, and say, 'well done,
Tommy, your the crackest fend of 'em
adj = Hooray! | see the blue lights dane
| ing ahead, and begin to hear the demons
howl! Hooray We're coming, Old Boy,
we're comingi' -
Although the wind at first almost de-
prived Allen of breath, and The heat at
his back was hardly bearable, the smoke,
cinder and dust, of course, flew far behind
| him and left his vision clear He could
see far down the track, along which the
strong lantern sent a penetrating and
streaming luster.
The hills, and valleys, and rocks rushed
by him with the rapidity of a dream.
Now he would fly through a deep defiIe,
or long, black tunnel, with a clatter and
a scream sufficient to wake the mummied
dead. Then with more subdued, but
even deadler horror, he would dance
/ along the curve of some dreadful precipice,
| down which he dared not even glance.
Rivers glistened in the valleys, and tor
rents burst around him; but still the ircn
steed flew on, spurning the road with his
ringing heel, with tie wild song fits mad
driver echoing through the night.
Once, as Allen glanced forward he saw
dark object standing between the rails,
far down the track. The fash of the Ian
tern showed him that it was COW, or
some other domestic animal astray from
"A neighboriug pasture. 1t did not move
at the engines rushing approach, and AL
len thought that his hour of dissolution
was at hand.
But there was only a slight shock, he
felt the quick movement of the cow-catch-
er under his feet, and then the object
whatever it might have been-was re-
moved, and he dashed OH with unimpeded
velocity.
1t seemed to Allen that he had passed
many hours in this agony, when he whirl>
ed around TIE sharp curve that descended
the steep grade almost to the edge of the
railway bridge at Harpers Ferry.
"Hooray," yelled the maniac There's
the ferry of the Siyx. [ see the devils
dancing in the fires big devils and little
devils Fire up, boys Fire up!'
Allen could see the few lights Of tue
little town sparkling far below, aud the
winding river elimmering in the starshine
As he gazed he suddenly saw what APP
peared TO be fiery, blood red eye moving
slowly out of the town, and beginning to
ascend the slope before him. Prone as
he was to almost any unearthly belief at
the moment, he nevertheless, knew i: to
be the approaching train which the sunera