The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-05-18
Kindness, Even Toward the Humblests Is
Never Lost
1rlihn Rnrr;f4 iIlnetra sas fhia mnxfrt With Cha

AluuuebSt GgCA IVWotu siA~
Never Lost
Elihu Burritt illustrates this mazin with Che
following story: :.
A poor, coarse-featured old woman lived on
the fine of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad,
where it passes through wild, unpeopled. dis
trict of Western Virginia She was a widow,
with only one daughter, living with her in q
log hut, near deep prccipitous gorge, crossed
by the railway bridge. Here she contrived to
support themselves by raising and selling poul..
try and eggs, adding berries in their season, and
other little articles for the market. She had
to make long, weary walk of many miles to a
town where She could sell her basket of pro-
duce. 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 conduc-
tor came finally to notice her walking by the
side of the line or between the rails; and, be.
ing good-natured, benevolent man, he would
often give her ride to and fro without charge.
The enginemen and brakesmen were also good
to the old woman, and felt they were not
wronging the interests of the railway company
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 de-
scended and the mountains sent down their
rolling, roaring torrents of melted snow and ice
into this gorge, near the old womans hut
The food 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 rain fell in food, and the
darkness was deep and bowling with the storm:
T. Io1c t1,o
be due. What could she do to warn it against
had hardly whole tallow candle in her house; (;
and no light she could make of tallow or oil,
if she had it, would live a moment in that
to be lost, and her thought was equal to the
moment. She cut the cord of her only bed
stead, and shouldered the dry posts, side-pieces
and head d-pieces. Her daughter followed her
with their two wooden chairs. Up the steep
embankment they climbed, and piled all their
household furniture upon the line few rods
before the black, awful chasm, gurgling with
the roaring flood The distant rllmbling of the
train came upon them just as they had fired the
well-dried combustibles. The pile blazed up
into the night, throwing its red, swelling, boom
ing light long way up the track. In fifteen
minutes it would begin to wane, and she could
not revive it with green, wet wood. The thun-
der 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 moment, and, tying
it to the end of stick, ran up the track,
waving it in both hands, while her daughter
swung round her head blazing chair-post
little before The lives of hundred uncon-
scious passengers hung on the issue of the next
minute. The ground trembled at the old wo-
mans feet. The great, red eye of the engine
burst upon her as it came around curve
Like as huge, sharp-sighted lion coming sud
denly upon q fire, it sent forth thrilling roar
that filled all tho wild heights and ravines
around The train was at full speed; but the
brakesmen wrestlcd at their leverage with all
the strength of desperation.
The wheels ground along on the heated rails
slower and slower until the engine stopped at
the decaying fire. 1t still blazed enough to
show them the beetling edge of the black abyss
into which the train and all its passengers
would have plunged, and into death and de-
struction 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 of the en-
CINE; the engine driver and the brakcmen
came and knelt down by him all the passcn-
gers came and knelt down by them; and there,
In the expiring light of the burnt-out pile, in
the rain and wind, they thanked God for the
salvation of their Lives. All in o line the
kneelers and prayers sent up into the dark
heavens such midnight voice of thanksgiving
as seldom, if ever, ascended from the earth to
Him who seeth in darkness as well as in Sc
cret.
Kindness is the music of goodwill to men !;
and on this harp the smallest fingers may play
heavens sweetest tunes on earth.