The Van Buren press., 1872-07-16
VAN BUREN,, ARK, JULY 16, 1872.


shan't rest content 10 risk his train with
another man on the road. What shall
do about it p
The little wife laughed.
"You know, Frank, you wouldn't stay
at home, il | said no a thousand times
or course you'll 60, and a shadow stole
over her face,
Railroad mems wives have such nerve
aching hours, and 1t Is such relief to
have one's cares within four wall now
and then, that it is no wonder that this
wife could not smile long this night. So
they wrapped him up. mufiiling every inch
OF skin that could be spared from the
cutting cold. Mary slyly took slices OF
chicken, sandwitched them into bread,
and tucked the bundle into big side
pocket Frank begged so to be taken
along that it was hard to refuse the lad
"Ths cold will make you sleepy. papa,
and you'll want me to prick you awake
now and then.
"Shall take him, Molly p asked the
brown faced father, but did not wait for
an answer, saying quickly: No, Franz,
stay at home and take care ofyour moth
sr, I'll give some poor soul ride with
me to night. There's always q dozen
begging to be taken, and feel good ma.
tured. I expect it's that baby ! saved
to day. Ishould just like to see tina, wo
mans face when she put him to bed to-
night. Good night and bless you, Mol
ly. Good.by, Mary Frank, you may
90 down and see me off, if it will do you
anv good, and so he went
Frank was at home again before eight
o'clock; having waited to see the engine
start on it long lonely way through the
gloom Of tho mountains and the shadows
Of the night Papa sent up newspa
per He thought maybe you'd be lonely
without him, he said; "and mamma.
he told me to tell you that he took up a
man for the whole trip, he thought you.d
feel safer if you knew, and he won't be
home again in two days, he don't think /;
but he said might run down to morrow
when the train comes back, and give him
the news.
~ will go down myself, Frank, said
Mrs Dee, opening the newspaper her
thoughtful husband had sent to her.
The passenger train was, meanwhile,
speeding along its iron way, with it's
scores Of men and women, every soul
Of them busy with this earth life of ours,
There we're men on that train going to
homes, that, IN the eyes Of the world,
were more than the home Of the engine
driver, but not one of them was bound
to a place, more full Of true and ten
der love than his own little home up
town.
Under the shadows OF the mountains
over III. darkly lined bridges; into the
plsins Of moonlight; past the low,brown
station houses along the line; through
the beautiful villages. hurried the express
train, and all was well. Within the com
Portable cars the passengers rested :
asleep, or dreamed at wide awake fancies,
as all the out -ofdoors swept by.
The man that Frank Dee had taken up
on his engine began now and then to talk
TO the engine driver. and in reply re
ceived words that were sharp and crisp
as words could be, for he wanted all Of
himself to guide that train to its destlna-
ton.
The moonlight saw, despite the crisp
words, a smile come and go, again and
again, on the brown face of the driver
He could not help it; he was thinking
Of that little boy IN petticoats that he had
caught from the crush OF death and toss
ed into the snow that day 1t made him
feel somehow akin to the angels who go
about on Divine crrands of bearing up
and snatching back from falling and from
sin He smiled again at :hc thought OF
angelhood for one like himself Me an
angel! Me! Within these brown, rough
weather clothes2 No! No! am only
an enginecr ona railroad, trying to do
my duty from q variety Of motives, but,
chiefly / do beileve-yss, do, from love
to tho Maker The little boy ! saved to-
day may have work to do in the world
that can never do, and be smiled once
more and looked steadily out, thinking
OF his comrade, Ben Lane. bending over
his dying baby. Poor Ben, he sigh
ed, "at least you will know your duty
was we'll done, while you watched.
How the hills rang and ratified how
the echoes clashed from lips OF stone
softly dipped in snow, as the long. brown
line Of cars trailed its length behind the
fiery eve that told to all the hills along
ike river that train was on its way to
the sea. Every night the hills heard the
same sounds, and saw the same $, i,,ht; but
this night there was, there must have
been, an undertone Of meaning in the
thud OF the wheels along the rails Many
A sleeper turned to listen moment, and
then forgot that there was anything pass
ing strange In the sound-forgot 1t, until
afterward.
A flaw in the iron! Who knew it was
thcrey Hidden away in the heart oft, a
flaw. Did the workman who cast the
wheels know it' Did the great manu-
facturer know, when car-wheels were
made out Of that iron, that 1t ought not
to be used for such purpose? Did he
to build up his own fortune thus risk the
lifo of his fvllowsi Somebody was in
fault. Possibly it was the man whose
duty it was to examine every wheel OF
the train. Because the night was cold,
and the cars many, and his ears well muf-
ied and he was tired. did he pass that
one by? Possibly it was tho contractor
or the president, or the poorest employs
on the road. Somebody was to blame,
and. Of that man, whoever he may be. the
voice of the Lord God was asking,