The Potter journal and news item. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1872-1874, 1873-05-16

Madgle,' said he, lnslnuating the
emerald tops toward her.
'Oh, no, grandpa, keep 'em your
SELF shaking her head and smiling.
Il feel replied Casper, filing his
senses and his jaw with perfumcd
roots until blind man would have
pronounced him a Mexican, if his
nose had sat in judgment over Cas-
per, Il rally feel as if l needed
somethin' refreshin' workin' hard day
after day, for nothin' you might say.
Sort of seein' your work go to pieces
under your eyes and KNOWN the
danger to them on the road
What do you mean, grandpa p
cried Madge, turning white as her
bread and butter.
why, honey, you see we've picked
and picked in that cut, and the sile's
as unstiddy as water. The stones
and the earth just roll on the track
continelal. The company orto do
somethin' to that cut. Stones as bic
as you is Jared down every train
But then the roads new, the roads
new, yet
Men amt got no sense, broke in
the old wife. Don't you see you're
skeering that child to death for fear
Charley'll get mashed up. He runs
on the road
Two blades of keen remorse leaped
from Casper's bleared eyes.
Now, don't you be skeered, honey.
Take an injen, honey
He reached over to pet her fingers.
Charley didn't pass to-day when
the dirt was rattlin' down so. He
don't pass till half after eight this
evening and we left the track as clear
as this table. Yes, sir; them rails
is as free and bright as new tin pans.
So don't You be skeered, honey
I'm not scared about anything,
grandpa said Madge tremulously,
but smiling like rainbow.
There, now, mother cried Casper
triumphantly, turning to his onions,
YOU c;rtuc uown on me Tor nothn'.
She ain t skeered bit
No, not a bit. She flew around the
room like bird, washed the earthen-
ware, brought her grandfather his
pipe and dropped at his feet to tell
him some funny story afoat. IN his
enjoyment he wrapped himself in
such a cloud that she could hardly
see the clock.
Madge slipped out to the gate.
She was often there, looking up the
road. The two old people sat inside
thinking Of the days when they were
young.
She was restless and fitted over
the cinder sidewalk, following mag
net which would have drawn her from
the centre of the earth. To the road,
of course. How often had she watched
the rails converglng horizonward un-
til they sharpened themselves to
needlepoint. The railroad had a fas-
cination for Madge. When a baby
she used to follow her grandfather
to his work, and hide among the
bushes to see the big freights lumber
ing by, and the express trains whirl-
ing into town ike screaming land
demons. She had heard Of the sea
and the spell it had upon sailors, but
she saw the railroad and felt the spell
which nobody seemed to remark that
it cast over inland labors. She saw
her boy playmates sucked up by 'the
road;' heard her grandfather tell of
hairbreadth escapes from collisions,
of cool courage in men placing them
selves between the people they carried
and most horrible death. She had
learned the power and mission of
'the road In short, she was as loyal
a daughter of the rail as any Maine
skipper's child is of the sea. Madge
had affinity for an engine. To day
her throat swelled, her eye kindled
when the great iron animal swept
past her. Charley drove an engine,
and his engine was in her eyes fit
ting exponent Of the strength and
beautyof his manhood. Such was the
romance of her little dry life. Every
body must have his enthusiasm. She
had been in the towns great depot at
night arrived from holiday trip,
and had laughed aloud to see some
busy engine hurrying up and down,
picking up freight like a hen gather
ing her chickens; now breathing and
painting away at the head of it's
charge. She had walked from sleep
to hear them calling to each other