The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1872-01-17

tn0ugnt was 10 keep tne ruIndu uoWn.
was only capable, indeed, OF this thought;
a few minutes had elapsed when ! heard
a distant rumbliDg like approaching thnn-
der. 1t increased. 1 seemed to feel a wind
blowing against my face. l tasted. too, q
| continual draft OF smoke and steam. l krew
that a train was approaching. and my hair
lifted on nv hi ad. What rails were We on:
The suspense was frighftul.
Nv s~sailant increased his struggles. lie
became furious. He was evidently fighting
TO throw me dc .l. and over in the direction
of the side of the tunnel along which came
the roar Of the train. | saw his object, and
madly preset upon him. Hi body franti-
cally Writhed. He twisted under me aSh
he revolved on a pivot. He endeaV0rtd ID
shrek some words to me, hut nv throttilnS
grasp made his voice no more than a horrl-
Bile ho"rsenesS.
Isaw the red AID green lights Of TIL ell
CINE approaching. They grew m SIZE aho
luster with a hideous rapidiry. There was
a roar, a shower of dust, a wind that struck
mt down like Il blow from a strong man 5
fist then folio wed the dying rattle. end'ng
in a dull and sullen moan.
Irose to my feet. crossed over to thr
wall. and feeling along. t0ox 10 walking
with all the speed my sinking frame would
suffer me to put forth. How long l walked
know not, My passage seemed intermin-
able. The damp OF the wall, against "hicn
nv left hand constantly pressed, froze my
blood. Now and then I stumbled over piles
of rubbish lying grouped against the side.
and sometimes my cropping was 5ewlldered
by coming across recesseS into which my
hands guided Int.
At length | saw a star, tremulouS, glori-
Gus, in the distance. 1t was d~aylight-the
aperture of the tunuel-and I pushed for
ward with invigorated spirits. neared it
slowly, for this star seemed to maintain an
memorable distance, and would not enlarge
How shall l describe my JOY as I gained the
twilight of It's refiection-as l advanced and
felt the pure air of heaven upon my dry
cheeks and burning lips,-a as | saw the
blue sky and the dim vista of pale green
banks.
AS got into the light a cry escaped my
lips. NY rousers were splashed with blood.
There was one enSangulned line, as lfa fOun-
tain of blood had played upon me.
lseated myself to recover my strength. |
could see that | presented a dismal and ter
rible spectacle. NV coat was torn, my hands
were black-sO. TOO | judged, was my face
my collar had been torn from me-, and the
skin at the ends ofmy fingers was lacerated.
Alter reposing myself climbed the bank,
and perceived at about the distance of a mile
a small station: ! made towards it and
gained it. A railway official who was
tduuibS i'ohi'S 4" WV M pfNy
ing in a back garden uttered a loud cry of
alarm as he spied me-. | narrated my story
to him as cOherently As | could. and then
sank upon the ground in a iainting condi-
ton.
OF what happened after this I have no re-
membrance. When | came 10 my senses
[ discovered thar | had been taken to the
house of the station master. and carefully
tended nv his wife From him I learnt the
-l,~,N, sc fht- stnnttlar Incident ~ ., ~
life. 1t seems that after my story bad been
told. two men were dispatched into the tun-
mel in search OF my assailant. They dis
covered him living dead, with both his legs
cut clean of a little shove the knees. They
bore the corps to an adjacent dead house ;
and an inquiry into his death brought out
such particulars which are very easily antic-
ipated.
me- at VI had spdu2ed the betrothed of
a laborer, one Theodore Vertot. This The
odore, reckless 10 Of life, Swore to kill the
seducer. Mistaking me fer his enemy, he
| attempted 10 shoot me. ThuS falling. he
hung about the hotel armed with a stilcttO,
determined to STAB ne whenever I should
appear in the street. Hearing, however,
that was about l"ivia = for Paris, he pHrcriv-
ed a better and safer means representing his
design. by stabbirg me in the TUNE! through
] "iiiGi Bt hiit "S "'uiu pass, diil iLitH Js-
cape in the darkness. Reflection had ubyj, Us
IL taught him that revenge would be none the
less sweet hecau>e IL din not entail his de-
struction bv the In y.
Such is this simple hrt tragiGal story.
NV prototype, who had been the means OF
twice im periling my life, | have never seel,
since. / confess To 10 wish 10 see him II
u bad enough TO ha-" 10 bear tn" brunf of
ones own follies it is altogether miserable
to suffer from the iollies Of others. Ever
since the occurrence % this small episode |
have always thought there is n much wiser
providence mamie sted in tie dissimilarity
between man and man than our philos ophv
suffers us TO dream -GentLemen's Maqa
zine.