Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-11-29
KATIE'S LANTERN.
BY W. o. sToDDARD.

y
ioned farmhouse, at the foot of the narrow
and rocky ledge, had a most picturesque
position. Away TO the southward wound |
and smiled the fertile valley, a goodly pro-
portion of whose acres appertained TO
Grandfather Crowninshield, and along the |
edge thereof swept the curves Of the rail-
way, after what seemed its birth IN the |
cloven ledge so very near to Katie Crown-
insheld's house. As for Katie herself, |
with her sweet, fresh face and her merry |
brown eyes, the little valley and her nest |
ling home were all the world to her-all. |
indeed, that she had ever known, for she |
had been but wee thing when Grand |
father and Grandmother Crowninsheld
became father and mother to her, in place
Of those whose faces she could hardly now
remember. Neither did it ever occur to
her that she was in any sense an heiress,
for she seemed rather to belong TO the val
ley than the valley to her; while the idea,
if anything had brought it to her mind,
that her good old grandparents were not
to live forever, would have turned the
brightest June day to the gloomiest De
cember.
But. in these latter years, one great entity
had painfully struggled into Katie's world,
with an apparent mission to unite the val
ley with that great unknown, which lay
beyond the hills and lodges. Katie had
seen the ragged rift cloven in the granite
wall, watching it curiously from door or
window, and listening for the dull reports
of the blasting charges, until the barrier
was pierced and the railway crept out and
found its way down through the valley !;
and, ever since the trains began 70 run. she
had connected with them the IDEA OF a life
that was almost human. She had waved
her handkerchief enthusiastically to the
very first train. and had been literally re-
sponded to by passengers and conductor /;
and, although she had been then little girl
and was now young lady, she had never
yet dreamed of any unmaidenly boldness
in giving the same white signal Ofwelcome,
at times, when the great railway mystery
came rushing out of the cloven wall. There
was one train in particular to which Katie s
attentions were at last pretty well restricted
"a through express which went by ut eight
O'Clock in the morning, and there was an
other from the same direction again at eight
o'clock at night. With the latter, for q
very long time, Katie had felt no sort ol
sympathy, since it could, as she Thought
neither see nor acknowledge courteous
greetings. while from the former, just a:
easily as her own dainty 'sgood morning.?
fluttered above the garden gate, so cert IN
ly would there be fleeting flash OF white
TO answer her from the platform of on'
of the cars, or even from the. engine
itself, for that, too, had happened. An6
Katie knew very well that, in these latte
days, at least, her answer had always conn
from the same hand. A tall, erect, mani,
fellow he was. dressed in dark-blue cloth
and Katie had been well aware, for goo'
while, that he was conductor Of the train
but she had never yet been near enough q
speak to him, or get any clearer notion
his face and its meaning than might D.
given her i'm those swift but almost dali,
glimpses. When or how he found hi
way back to the beginning of his perpetua
journey, was a question that Katie neve
asked even of herself. 1t was enough tha
every morning the swift train brought hir
out of the unknown country beyond tn
hills, and added something, that ha
grown to be very pleasant, to the peace an
quiet of the day.
There was something very noteworthy
even to railway-men, about the manner ]
which the road broke i'm upon that vale,
A deep cut, sharp curve, and heav
down-gTade, combined to make the preci'
point where the conductor had learned
look for Katie's greeting an interestin
one; and her white kerchief may eve
have seemed to wave species OF congrat'
lation at his repeated safe passage OF VIII
HlSnt db sill tlitiC nav oAa" B~Ns '~-- -~
danger.
Be this as it may, the railway ''cuts hi
brought to Katie Crowninshield, amor
other results, shorter and easier path
the home Of her aunt, her mothers siste
who lived just little way beyond q
ledge, and who was never satisfied II Z
many days passed by without bringing c
sunlight of Katie's face across her thr'
hold. And so Katie had gone and
turned, many and many time, by t
narrow path between the granite wal
She had learned to walk the rails like
rope-dancer, and she knew the time of eve
train too well, as she often told Aunt Bet:
ever to get herself caught in the cut. Ey
if she should, she said, there We're ever
many places where she could Chamber
On the rocks at the side, and be entir.
safe. Nobody in that peaceful regi
dreamed of fear at being "out after DARK
and again and again had good Aunt Be
detained her pet until night had fallen,
though her only company homeward