River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-12-02

lantern frantically TO and fro, while
she now tried to make her sweet girls
voice heard through the roar and
clamor of the rushing train.
On came the railway giant, Juggling
with him his precious freight of human
life, and it flashed upon Katie Crown
inshield's mind what an awful capacity
for suffering that train might have on
board. On, with the great glare and
the all-absorbing torrent of sound, and,
almost before Katie knew it, the OBJ
lect OF her hope and fear had dashed
ruthlessly past her, and was quickly
swallowed up from her sight in the
rocky jaws of the deep cut. With
cry of grief and disappointment on
her lips, and a strange thrill of pain at
her heart, the poor girl sank upon the
ground and buried her face in her
hands, while the little lantern dropped
neglectedly beside her.
Only for one brief instant, however,
did Katie yield to the terror and trou-
BILE of it, for in another she had picked
her starry friend, sprang to her feet,
and darted down the railroad track to-
ward the cut. She was light of foot as
any fawn, and there were sad wings to
her speed, but it seemed to her as if
she would never get through the cut.
She paused a moment, when she
reached the lower end, to gather breath
and to brush the salt mist from her
eyes before she looked upon the awful
scene she knew must be prepared for
her.
And then-why there WIS the train,
the rear car rising close in front of her,
while the others land there were but
few of them that night stood all erect
upon their wheels beyond-not all
upon the track, to be sure, but all APP
parently safe all, except one great,
dark mass, whose polished metal gilt
tered in the varying lights that flashed
upon it. aud whose hoarse throat
screamed angrily with the escaping
steam, for the locomotive had come to
grief pretty decidedly among the gran
tie boulders that were heaped on the
track by the fiends who had planned
the wreck. The passengers were
swarming out of the cars, and none of
them seemed to be hurt at all, nor did
Katie hear a sound that told of pain as
she swiftly threaded her way among
and past them. She had caught
glimpse OF a group away beyond even
the shattered locomotive, however,
which forbade her lingering for an in
slant. Right down toward her own
garden gate four men were carrying
heavy burden, and others were follow
ing, ana Katie heard them say, as she
darted by:
"WhO is it /"
"Why, it's the conductor. He was
thrown from the platform of the for
ward car
lis he killed 2"
"They say so. Nobody else was
hurt. He "as a splendid fellow"
A tall, handsome, bearded man, in
DARK blue clothing, but his face was
onastly pale when they laid him on
Grandfather Crowninshield's own bed,
and the surgeon, who had been among
the passengers. bent gloomily above
him.
Head all right" muttered the man
of science. "Only cut or SO. All,
there's rib, two of 'em, and his arm
below the elbow. Struck the ground
| SO, that's clear, and the other bones
are likely to be all right. Must have
been leaning out to look aIead. l
should say. Hullo, what's that light
on his face
The light in the room, what with the
crowd and the country candles, had
been none of the brightest, but just at
this moment clear golden CLEAN was
poured down on the face of the injured
man, and slowly, as if the radiance
itself had awakened him, he opened
his eyes, and looked dreamily about
him.
The surgeon heard a sigh that was
half a sob close behind him, and
looked up to see that the sudden light
came from Kate and her lantern, but
just then the questioning eyes OF the
wounded conductor fell upon her face,
and he exclaimed, family but earnestly:
81 knew it was you. There was
hardly room to stop the train in, but
we'd have all gone to pieces if it hadn't
been for you and your light. You've
saved them ali. God bless you!"
And so Katie Crowninshield sud
denly found herself heroine, with a
swarm of grateful people about her,
very much to her discomfort. They
would have made her present if she
would have allowed them, but the only
really welcome words she heard from
any one were those of the surgeon:
What, killed. A man like him2
Nonsense he'll carry his arm in
sling for a month or so, but he'll be up
again in a fortnight.
OF course, no time was lost IN re-
pa ring the track and in forwarding
the passengers, and few hours only
saw the old farmhouse as quiet and
peaceful-looking as ever. Even the
surgeon had done his work and gone.
The engine lay battered and helpless
among the boulderS where it had
forced its willful way. The conductor
lay still on grandfather Crowninshield's
bed, and the ftful slumbers the sur
geon's Opiate gave were starry with sig.
nails that white fingers held up before
his dreaming eyes. As for Kate and
her lantern, the latter had fairly burned
itself out and asleep ON the little table
in Katie's own room, and she herself
! had hy no means clearly aompraban1ada