Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-11-20

AAht llo" SilC " DIS out Ill tliC opCl dlI =,
beyond the upper entrance, and she could
Aunt Betsys window. But there was no
time to go there for help.
The train must be so very near!
Katie did for a moment think of kind
ling a bright fire on the track, but that
would take too long, and the great ruin
and horror would come before even a
small fagot would be well ablaze
There's nothing but my own little Ian
term" almost sobbed poor Katie. "May
be he will know it when he sees it, but he
must be warned before he reaches the
cut"
The lantern shone like frosty little
star, determined to be seen, as Katie
sprang forward up the track. She had
not far to go, for the train was ahead of
tune that night instead of being behind,
as would have been more desirable under
the circumstances Never had anything
appeared to Katie Crowninshield more
suddenly than did the great, glaring eyes
of the locomotive headlight that now
glowed upon her out of the overshadow-
ing night, and her lantern seemed to have
lnstantaneously vanished
at is so small" she cried, in agony,
land he will never see it."
Nevertheless, on q low mound Of earth
and stones, close by the side of the track,
Katie took her post of charity and dan
ger, and swung her little lantern frantical-
ly 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 hallway giant, Juggling
with him his precious freight of human
life, and it flashed upon Katie Crownin-
shields mind what an awful capacity for
suffering that train might have on board
On, with the great glare and the allah
sorbing torrent of sound, and, almost be-
tore Katie knew it, the object 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 neglected
ly beside her.
Only for one brief instant, however, did
Katie yield to the terror and the trouble of
1t, for in another she had picked up her
starry friend, sprang to her feet, and dart
ed away down the railroad track toward
the cut. She was light of foot as any
tawn, and there were sad wings to her
speed, but it seemed to her as if she
should never get through the cut She
paused a moment, when the lower end
was reached, 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 was the train, the
rear car rising close in front of her, while
the others land there were but few ofthem
that night stood all erect upon their
wheels beyond not all upon the track,
to be sure, but all apparently safe-all,
except one great, dark mass, whose
polished metal glittered 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
granite powders 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 al 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 a group
away beyond even the shattered locomo-
tive, however, which forbade her linger
ing for an instant Right down toward
her own garden gate four men were carry
ing a heavy burden, and others were fol-
lowing, and Katie heard them say, as she
darted by
''Who is it?''
"Why, it's the conductor He was
thrown from the platform Of the forward
car"
us ne killed."
They say so. Nobody else was hurt.
He was splendid fellow"
A tail, handsome, bearded man, in dark
blue clothing, but his face was CHASTITY
pale when they laid him on Grandfather
CrOwninsnields own bed, and the surgeon
who had been among the passengers, bent
gloomily above him.
Head al! right" muttered the man of
science only a cut or so. All, there's
a rib, two Of 'em, and his left arm below
the elbow. Struck the ground so, that's
clear, and the Othei bones are likely to be
all right. Must have been leaning out to
look ahead, 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 mo-
ment a clear, golden CLEAN was poured
down on the face Of the injured man, and
slowly, as if the radiance itself had wax
ened him, he opened his eyes and looked
dTeamily about him.
The surgeon heard sigh that was half
a sob close behind him, and looked up to
see that that and the sudden light came
from Katie and her lantern, but just Their
the questioning eyes of the wounded con-
ductor fell upon her face, and he eXcls inn
ed, family but earnestly:
Il 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 all,
God bless youn'
And so Katie Crowninshield suddenly
found herself heroine, with a swarm of
grateful people around 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 We're those OF the
surgeon:
"What, killed? A man like him? Non
sense. hell 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 repairing
the track and in forwarding the passen
gers, and a few hours only saw the old
farm house as quiet and peaceful looking
as ever. Even the surgeon had done his
work and gone The engine lay battered
and helpless among the powders where it
had forced its willful way The conduc-
tor lay still on Grandfather Crownin-
shields bed, and the fitful slumbers the
sIrrpOn'S ODiate gave him were starry