The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1872-02-08
A Desperate Ride.
BIZ R. G. FRANKS.

!
the engine room Of the Crewe de-
pot, Charley Bent and 7, one cold
December night, smoking and talk
ing of old times and events that had
happened since We parted, some six
or seven years before.
SHOW is it that l find you so
much altered, Charleyg' Iexelaim-
ed at last, breaking the long silence
You look almost ten years older
than I, while, unless my memory de
ceiyes me, you ought to be at least
three years younger"
''Alteredw he replied, rousing
himself from his reyeric, and shak-
ing the ashes from his pipe. ''Ycs,
I am altered since the day when we
parted on the platform at Rugby
Junction, seven years ago. Fill up
another pipe, old fellow, and I'll tell
you the story-the old story of love
and death I don't often speak of
that time, but tonight I feel as if l
must talk about it to some one.
'.WelI, it was just five years ago, I
was engaged to be married to Mary
Aylmer the daughter of one of the
clerks at the Rugby depot. You
never saw her, as you had left Rug
by before her parents came there;
but she was a alr-headed, blue-eyed
Lancashire lass, and as good as she
was beautiful.
at was just such night as this
the 10th of December. l shall new
er forget the date. Mary and I we're
waiting at Rugby for the midnight
mail express to take us to London
on a visit to my mother.
ooh, Charley! show me the en-
gines,' she said to me, while we were
standing on the platform; and as we
had an hour to 9ait, I took her into
the shed, where several engines were
standing, with steam up, ready for
work.
"Well, after taking her around the |
engine room I left her, for a few mo-
ments, standing by one of the en-
gines, while 1 went to give some di
rections to the driver, who was to
take my place till our return from
London.
''On coming back to the place
where had left her, I was horrifed
to perceive my Mary standing upon
the engine, which either in sport or
by accident, God only knows how,
she had set in motion, and which
was already lying out of the depot
at a rate ofspeed which rendered it
utterly impossible for me to over
take her
Charley! Charley !help mer were
the last words I heard from the lips
Of my darling, as the engine vanish
ed in the darkness down the incline
beyond the station.
%To jump en- to another engine
and follow the runaway was the work
of a moment; but by the time we
we're started upon the main line, my.
darling, knew, would be rushing
1t fearful pace, faster and faster
every moment, down the long incline
Rugby and Ormsby Bank.
"T'hen commenced a terrible race
for life or death-mile after mile
every moment increasing our
speed, until wewere going at a per
eetly awful pace. We dashed away
nto the darkness, I standing on the
ront OF my engine, watching with
strained eyes for the one ahead Of
Is.
"AR in vain Past stations after
tations we dashed at lightning
peed; onward over bridges and via
luctss through the wind and dark
less. yet never q sign Of the runa-
ray engine and its one passenger
s'What had become of her2 Had ]
he sprung from the flying eagine to I
more speedy, yet not less certain
eath at the bottom Of some deep
mbankment? or had ], in my Wild,
eekless pursuit driven over
''God the thought was madness!
tell you. Frank, that midnight
hase, though it lasted only two
ours. left me ten years older. Al
eredl I shonld think I oss altered,
Id fellow. That one aight changed
le from > gay, Hght-harbed boy, falfi {
{ hope and happiness. to 2 broken