The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1872-11-23

1
| lated to herself what they said
| I; WAS proper thing for Nudge to be an en-.
siae-r's wife. She thought it fitting thing TO
| be Charley's wife under any circumstances, l a..
.ute ycu. There WAS now only = strip of time
between Msdge and Charley. She looked over
that little strip, and ssw just how it would be.
| They were to have cottage on a clean street;
her grand parents, if they becal.s infrm, were
| TO have home with her; sand these two little
hands" said Charley, will make me- the dearest
nest; I'll be 50 glad to run into it az night"
Madse's pink face took on ross as sks thought
of all these things, looking up and down tho cut
TO sss if the track WAS clear. ss her grandfather
| had said. It wa clear. She felt relieved and
foolish about coming out there through the twi.
| light to spy for Cnsrleys welfare, and much in.
clned to hide from the 81 re rising far OF.
! But those unstable sandy We lie towering over
his way; Nadgs watched them jealously. Just
! as ths thunder of ths train could be heard her
heart stood still to see them dissolve, like pill.
lars ground down BY some mai, ious Sampson,
and piled upon the track until nothing could be
eeen for yards bat ono long hill of earth and
| storesi
Now, lit 10 Kadge, if there il any hsroism in
| you it must meet and lasso that iron beast
! whiring q hundred people upon death! A
hundred? The W7lo!e uorld was in the engine
house. lie wouldn't try to save himself when
!
| would set his lips, bend nerve and brain 70 the
emergency; she saw how car would crush into
car, the wreck lie over a burning engine, and
Charley be ground and chsrred under then, all!
o sublimely selfish womanl She few over
the track like thing of wings. II was life and
Charley, or death with Charley. The headlight
flashed up Though the dusk. There were
matches in her pocket she scraped them on a
rail- and tore of her apron. Oh, they would
AZ. all
1t is rolling down on her 80 swift rs air. Bless
the loom which wove the cleth which made the
cotton apron. She teesed it, blinking aud blag.
ing, shove her head, walking slowly backward.
The red eyed fury rosrd down y. her, but you
can't terriiy a woman when her mind is made
up. It should run over Der before it should
reach the sand heap.
She wss sean. The engine rent evening with
its yels; the brakes were on; her lasso had
caught it; it could now be stopped in time.
She darted aside but the current WAS too stron z
for her. She was dizzy; fell aaa clutchsd in
the wrong direction. Poor, poor little fingers!
Now the people pour out; they run hero and
there. Women are crying-pcrhsps becau
they wern't hurt The engineer darts along
lie mudmsn, looking under the train. There,
dszen feet before the engine, rises the sand
hill. Everybody wants to knew how they
stopped before they rounded the curve.
Here she is!" shSated Charley, striding up
with a limp bundle, like king who had sicri.
feed to the good Of the state. she showed the
signal and stood to it until saw her-until
we almost run her down. There's half the fin.
gers cut off her left hand There. what do you
think of that now, for the won an who saved you
all ?" holding up the mutllated stump.
God bless it !" prayed an Old gentlemen, tax.
ing off his hat.
"Amenv' roared tho crowd. With one break
they raised three shouts which shook the sand
hills until they came down handsomely g sec.
ond time, Charley standing above their enthusi
asm, with the iainting child in his arms, like 9
, regent holding some royal infant
"Iet me see her y sobbed first one woman
then another. SO Charley sat down and ls
them crowd around with ice water cologne, an.
linen for bandagss. He even gave the men
glimpse at her wsxy face, just unfolding to con
,, sciousness. Like al western people, they want
8 ed to pour out their hearts in "a purse" Madg'
: hid her face on Charley's blouse, and would
!, none of it,"
He carried her home at the head of process
! ion which stopped before her grandfather hut
and sheered her "last appearance" So do PEG
pie froth up in gratitude
An hour aiterword, when the neighbors wer,
dispersed, and Casper stood convinced that ga.
, ingen" might not be the best brace for Madge'
nerves., when her hand was dressed, and he
grandmother was qasvering psalm in the cor
ner, kadge turned such look on Charley al
even that stout-hearted fellew could not stand
He leaned close to Qer, and not having WASHED
the smoke of his face, was as Vulcan-like love-
. i. as you could desire. But Madge always saw
!, the good, not the mechanic.
"0h, Charley how can make little mes
for you nowP After the feeling of tonight i
over, you will wish that You had married any
body rather than manned girl!"
Unwise Asdge! She drew her fate upon her
self. do aver, that to this day her nose is mucl
y. 6attsned BY the vice.lke punishment Charlie,
= made her suffer for that speech.
When he came next evening he laid paps
. in her lap, and watched tho pale face as i
. expanded and blossoned while she read
deed Of gift to her of the prettest cottage on tn
,, prettiest street in that city. The compan
which Charley served, and which could d
i handsome things as well as thoughtlsss one
begged her, in . fstterinS note, to accept tn
: gift as only a small acknowledgment of thei
obligations to her.
"Hew could she make little nest for him Z
= asked Charley, looking at her through brlmmin
u eyes.
"Why, with her hands. after sll," .aswore
=. Madge, crying!
u "And this will always be the prettisr hand
the two" said that foolish fellow, touching til
:, one that was bandsgsd.
Conscience Money.
IT Thackery says he never could rerd that So-an,