The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1873-11-14

or piunder, or in the utter malignity OF
lost souls-katie never paused to SO
much as ask herself question, but lurn-
ed md fed back through the cut as for
life and death, for both were with her,
side, and hurrying step for step. She
had no thought Or dread that the wreck
ers had seen her, or would follow
Neither was at all likely; but Katie's
brain was too full of her purpose 10 ad-
NIT a thought of self, and she held out
her lantern fearlessly enough now. that
she might be doubtIy sure OF her foot
ing on the ties and gravel.
And now she was cut in the open air,
! beyond the upper entrance, and she
could see the peaceful light still shining
from Aunt Betsy's window. But there
was no time to 20 there for help.
The train must be 50 very near!
Katie did for moment think of kind
ling a bright fire on the track, but that
take long, and the great ruin and horror
would come before even small fagot
would be well ablaze
There nothing but my own little
lantern 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
= \ II /
to go, for the rain was ahead of that
night instead Of behind, as would have
been more desirable under the circum-
stances. Never had any thing appeared 10
Katie Crorninshield more suddenly than
did the great glaring eyes ofthe locomo-
motive headlight that now glowed upon
her out Of the overwhelming night, and
her lantern seemed to have instantane-
ously vanished.
at is SO small, ".she cried, in agony,
"and he will never see it."
Nevertheless on a low mound of earth
and stones, close by the side of the track
Katie took her post of charity and dam
ger, and swung her little lantern franti-
cally to and fro, while she now tried to
make her sweet girls voice heard
through the roar and cIamor Of the rush
ing train.
~On came the railway giant, tugging
with him his precious freight of human
lite, and it flashed upon Katie Crownin-
shields mind sswhat au awful capacity
for suffering that train might have on
board. On, with the great glare and the
| all absorbing torrent of sound, and, al
most before Katie knew it, the object of
her hope and fear had dashed ruthless
ly past her, and was quickly swallowed
up from her sight in the rocky jaws of
the deep cut. With a cry of grief and
disappointment on her lips, and strange
thrill of pain at her heart, the poor girl
sank upon the ground and buried her
face in her hands, while the little Ian
tern dropped neglectedly beside her.
Only for one brief instant, however,
did Katie yield to the terror and the
the trouble of it, for in another she had
picked up her starry friend, sprang to
her feet, and darted away down the rail
road track towark the cut. She WAS
light of foot as any fawn, and there were
sad wings TO her speed, bat 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
of them 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 10 grief pretty decidedly among
the granite bowlders that we're hesped
on the track by the fends who had plan
ned the wreck. The passengers were
swarming out of the cars, and none of
them seemed 20 be hurt at all, nor did
Katie hear a sound that told of pain ss
the swiftly threaded her way among and
past them. She had caught glimps of
a group away beyond even the shattered
locomotive, however, which forbade her
lingering for an instant. Right down
toward her own garden-gate four men
were earring heavy burden, and others
were following, and Katie heard them
say, as She darted by:
'Who is it?''
"Why, it's the conductor He was
was thrown from the platform of the
forward car"
'Is 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
ghastly 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 a rib, two of EN-, and his left arm
below the elbow. Struck the ground so,
that's clear, and the other bones are like
ly 70 be all right. Must have been lean
ing out to look ahead, 1 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 a clear, golden gleam was pour
down on the face of injured man, and
slowly, as if the radiance itself had wa
kened him, he opened his eyes and look
ed dreamily about him.
The surgeon heard sigh that was halt
a sob close behind him, and looked up to
see that that and the sudden light came