Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-11-27
ground and buried her face in her
hands, while the little lantern dropped

l.
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 hcr 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 il
she would never get through the cut.
She paused moment, when she
reached the lower end, to gather breath
and to brush the salt mist from hel
eyes before she looked upon the awful
scene she knew must be prepared fol
her.
And then-why there was the train,
the rear car rising close in front of her,
while the others (and 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 ap'
parently saie-all, except one great,
dark mass, whose polished metal gilt.
tered in the varying lights that flashed
upon it, and 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 tends who had planned
the wreck. The passengers were
swarming out of tho 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 a
glimpse Of 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 carving a
heavy burden, and others were follow
ing, ana Katie heard them say, as she
larted by:
"Who is it,"
"Why, it's the conductor. He was
thrown from the platform of the for.
ward car"
lis he killed?"
"They say so. Nobody else was
hurt. He was splendid fellow"
A tall, handsome, bearded man, in
dark-blue clothing, but his face was
CHASTITY 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 a cut or SO. All,
there's rib, two of 'em, and bis 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 ahead, !
should say. Hullo, what's that light
on his face 2"
The light in the room, what with the
crowd and the country candles, had
been none of the brightest, but just al
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 sigh that was
half 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:
II 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'll"
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 a present if she
would have allowed them, but the only
really welcome words she heard from
any one were those OF the surgeon:
What, kilied9 A man like him {?
Nonsense ! he'll carry his arm in a
sling for a month or so, but he'll be up
again in fortnight"
OF course, no time was lost in re-
pairing 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 katle's own room, and she herself
had by no means clearly comprehended,
as yet, the happy consequences of her
railway signalling. It was very much
like a dream to her, for Katie was
no prophecies, nor could even the Ian
tern throw any light npon the future.
She could not see, just then, and yet
the days that followed brought it all to
pass, that neither she herself nor
grandfather and grandmother Crownin-
shield would consent to any more rail
reading or signalling. 1t was much
better, indeed, they declared, nor did
he pretend to deny it, that Katie's hus-
band should farm broad acres of the
fertile valley than that he should be
at the mercy of train -wreckers and way
side lanterns. and whom the question
was decided to her liking, such hing
and kiss was that which Katie Crown
inshicl'l gave
"TO whom 2"
6 Why, to her lantern, of course"