The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-07-17

and exhausted by the excitement. staggered
at times, and at times .recled in d way to
make one shudder. L2a
That such would probably have been the
result became painfully apparent, when an
abrupt and somewhat unexpected ter1nina-
ton was put to the cruel sport. The man
stationed at the mouth of the tunnel to- keep
its murky depths clear of distractions, as
the idiot approached and was about passing
him, suddenly sprang forward, and, Selling
the young man, threw him with some vio-
lence to one side. Such was the effort that,
both rolled over, and the huge locomotive,
giving shrill scream of triumph, Owed into
the tunnel, dragging after it the long train
of cars, that disappeared as if the whole af-
fair had been swallowed by the earth.
An hour after this event | found myself
gazing into the dim opening Of the tunnel
nearly a mile in length, from the mouth of
which came the cold, damp air in puffs, as
if dragon were coiled up within and
painted out his chilled, clammy breath. |
asked the old Waterman series of idle
queries of a statistical turn, such as man
under the circumstances always INDUCES in.
He grunted out the exact length of the tun-
nel--the time required to construct it, the
various accidents, that occurred within his
remembrance, and altogether, in response
to my leading questions, exhibited good
deal of information on tunnel. For man
to know one thing well is power. The next
best thing to this is the belief that you do
know some one thing, such as farming or
the tariff. lils.li e lgg@.e go AZ
Having exhausted the tunnel and really,
come to think Of it, there was nothing in
| i'll spoke Off the late race.
That crazy jackass," quoth the senten-
tious guardian of this hole in the ground,
twas once bright Teller, real scholar"
/ IndeedW ~
| Eyes, was once, but left his senses in this
tunnel" ~
why, how was that?o q
well, you see, he's the son of old Judge
| Conrad OF hereabouts-only son at that
and was sent to college, and no end of
trouble taken to furnish and tinishhls bram-
pan. When he came home from college to
study law, what does he do but take after
a little gul called Mary Gwynne, daughter
Of a wilder over the hill, poor as an oil
| pig, but pretty as Missouri mule. Well,
guess she was the handsomest gul In this
lpart OF the vineyard. Dick Conrad was
desperately in love with her, and 4 don't
wonder, for her hair was soit and light as
the silk on early corn, and she had the
handsomest teeth and the biggest wonder
full dark eyes, and an angellterous skin,
but neither she nor her mother had a cent,
50 the old Conrads Just shut down on her"
THE old, Old story. ..jas.,s..iss.. ID
Don't know whether it Is an old story OF
not. 49,
II mean that the course oil true love
never does run smooth.''T g1E
'Well, why don't you say so then"'
mo offense, uncle,, but proceed with
your yarn. How did Dick, Conrad leave
his seven senses IN this tunnel z" -
"Thats what was coming to when you
put IN your chm music. When Dick found
that the old folks was fornenst the courtln
he took to meetm' the girl unbeknownst te
them, and one evening they meandered .
little too late and undertook to make short
cut through the tunnel to the widder's
house. saw the two doves gom she was
leanin' on his shoulder weepln', and he
looked as il he'd lost his brother-in-law.
warned 'em not to try the tunnel, as it was
close on to the lightning night express
But they paid no attention to me, and altel
they left got SO uneasy took my lantern
and run after them. | got up with the two
fools, and Just as 4 did, the internal train
whistled behind me. could see Dick jam
his gul against the wall SO the train could
pass, and then all at onct | saw her teal
away. sss-s'.ss
Now whether she was frightened ant
didn't know what she was about, or wanted