The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1871-07-06
THE LAW OF KINDNESS OR, tn
OLD WOMAN'S RAILWAY SIGNAL.
BY ELIHU BURNETT

Of kindness. For it is the only NOR
al force that operates with the
the same effect upon mankind, beast
kind and birdkind. From time i'm
moral, music has wonderfully effect.
ed all beings, reasoning oruurc as
oning, that have ears to hear.
The prettiest idea and simile of !
ancient literature relates to Orpheus
playing his Tyre to animals listening
in intoxicated silence to its strains.
Well, kindness is the spontaneous
music of goodwill to men and |
beasts. And both listen to it with |
their hearts i4stead of their ears;
and the hearts of both are affected |
by it in the same way, if not to the
same degree. Volumes might be
filled with beautiful illustrations of |
its effect upon both. The music of
kindness has not only the power to
charm, but to transform both the
savage heart of man and beast; and
on this harp the smallest fingers in
the world may play heavens sweet
est tunes on earth.
Some time ago We read of an Incl
dent that will serve as an illustration
of this beautiful law. 1t was sub
stantially to this effect: A poor,
coarse featured old woman lived on
the line Of the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad, where it passes through
wild. unpeopled district of Western
Virginia. She has a widow, with
only one daughter, living with her
i'll log hut, near deep precipitous
gorge, crossed by the railway bridge.
Here they contrived to support them
selves by raising and selling poultry
and eggs, adding berries in their
season and other little articles for
the market. She had to make
long, weary walk for many miles to
a town where she could sell her bas-
ket of produce. The railway passed
! by her cabin to the town; but the
ride would cost too much Of the
profits of her small sales, SO she
trudged on generally to the market
! on toOt. The conductor came final
" to notice her walking by the side
of the line or between the rails and,
being a good natured benevolent
man, he would often give her 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 company by giving her
free rides. And soon an accident
occurred that proved that they were
quite right in this view of the mat
ter.
In the wild month of March, the
rain descended and the mountains
sent down their rolling, roaring tor
rents 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 its abutments and dashed
its broken timbers against the craggy
sides Of the precipice on either side.
1t was nearly midnight The ran
tell flood, and the darkness WAS
In another half hour the express
train would be due. What could
she do to warn il against the awful
destruction it was approaching? She
had hardly whole tallow candle in
her house; and no light she could
make Of taliow or oil, if she had it,
would live moment in that tempest
of wind aud rain. Not a moment
was to be lost; and her thought was
equal to the moment. She cut the
cord of her only bedstead, and
shouldered the dry posts, side pieces
and head-piece. Her daughter fol
lowed her with heir two wooden
chairs. Up the steep enbankment
they climbed, and piled all their
household furniture upon the line a
few rods before the black, awful
chasm, gurgllng with the roaring
flood. The distant rumbling of the
train had come upon them just as
they had fired the well dried COM
bustibles. The pile blazed up into
the night, throwing it's red, swal-
ing, booming light a long way up
the track. In fifteen minutes it
would begin to wane, and she could
not revive it with wet, green wood.
The thunder of the train grew loud
er. 1t was within five miles of the
fire. Would they see it in time p
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 to the end
of stick, ran up the track, waving
it in both hands, while her daugh or
swung round her head a blazing
chair-po little before. The lives
of hundred unconscious passengers
hung on the issue of the next minute.
The ground trembled at the old
woman's feet. The great, red eye of
the engine burst upon her as it came
around a curve. Like a huge,
sharp sighted lion, coming suddenly
upon fire, it sent forth a thrilling
roar, that filled all the wild nights
and ravines around. The train was
at full speed; but the brakemen
WiCSIiCu az ehCi iCfCidSe Will oil
the strength of desperation The
wheels ground along on the i.eated
rails slower and slower, until the
engine stopped at the decayiug fire.
1t still blazed enough to show them
the beetling edge Of the black abyss
into which the train and all it's pas
sengers would have been plunged.
and into death and destruction too
horrible to think of, had it not been
for the old woman's signal. They
did not stop to thank her first for
the deliverance. The conductor
knelt down by the side ofthe engine
the engine. driver and the brakemen
came and knelt down by him; all
the passengers came and knelt down
by them and there, in the expiring
light of the burnt out pile, in the
rain aud wind, they thanked God
for the salvation of their lives. All
in a line, the kneelers and prayers
sent up into the d ark heavens such
a midnight voice as seldom, if ever,
assembled from the earth TO him who
sceth in darkness, as well as in Sc
cret
Kindness is the music of good
will TO men; and on this harp the
smallest fingers may play heav ems
sweetest tunes on earth