Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-03-22
The Law of Kindness,

Some time ago we read OF an incident
/ that will serve as an illustration of this
/ beautiful law. 1t was substantially to
this effect. A poor, coarse-teatured old
woman lived on the line of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railway, where 1t passes through
wild, unpeopled district of Western Vir-
ginia. She was a widow, with only one
daughter, living with her in log hut,
near a deep precipitous gorge, crossed by
| the railway bridge Here she contrived to
support herself and daughter by raising and
selling poultry and eggs, adding berries -
their season, and other little articles for
the market She had to take a long
weary walk of many miles, to town
where she could sell her basket of produce.
The railway passed by her cabin to this
town but the ride would cost too much
OF the profits of her small sales, so she
trudged on generally to the market on foot
The conductor came finally to notice her
walking by the side of the line or between
the rails; and being a good-natured, be-
nevolent man, he would often give her a
ride to and fro without charge. The en-
ginemen and brakemen were also good to
the old woman, and felt they were not
wronging the interests of the railway COM
pany by giving her these free rides. And
soon an accident occurred that proved that
they were quite right in this view of the
matter.
In the wild month of March, the rain
descended and the mountains sent down
their rolling, roaring torrents of melted
snow and ice into this gorge near the old
woman's hut The flood arose with the
darkness of the night, until she heard the
crash Of the railway bridge as it was
swept from It's abutments, and dashed its
broken timbers against the craggy sides of
the precipice on either side. 1t was near
ly midnight. The rain fell in a food, and
the darkness was deep and bowling with
the storm In another half hour the ex-
press train would be due. What could
She do to warn it against the awful des-
struction it was approaching She had
hardly whole tallow candle in her house );
and no light she could make of tallow or
oil, if she had it, would live moment in
that tempest of wind and rain. Not a
moment was to be lost and her thought
was equal to the moment She cut the cord
off her only bedstead, and shouldered the
dry posts, side pieces, and head pieces.
Her daughter followed her with her two
wooden chairs. Up the steep embankment
they climbed, and piled all their house
1 hold furniture upon line, few rods be-
/ fore the black, awful chasm, gurgling with
the roaring food. The distant rumbling
of the train came upon them Just as they
had fired the we'll dried combustibles The
pile blazed up into the night, throwing its
red, swelling, booming light long way
up the track. In fifteen minutes it would
begin to wane, and she could not revive il
with green wet wood.
The thunder of the train grew louder
1t was within five miles of the fire. Would
they see it in time ? They might not put
on the brakes soon enough. Awful thought!
She tore her red flannel gown from her in
a moment, and, tying it on the end of a
stick, ran up the track, waving it in both
hands, while her daughter swung round her
head blazing chair-post, little before