The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1873-11-14
SELECT STORY.
RATIES' LANTERN.

hd1ION anu ACNHg --N-- - ---
turesque position. Away to the south
ward wound and smiled the fertile val
lev, a goodly proportion of whose acres
appertained TO Grandfather Crownin-
shield, and along the edge thereof swept
the curves of the railway, after what
seemed its birth in the cloven ledge 50
very near to Katie Crowninshield's
home. As for Katie herself, with heE
sweet, fresh face and her merry brown
eyes, the little valley and her nesting
home were all the world TO her-all, in
deed, that she had ever known, for she
had been but a wee thing when Grand
father and Grandmother Croruinshield
became father-and mother to her, in place
of those whose faces she could hardly
now remember. Neither did it ever oc-
cur to her that she was in any sense an
heiress. for she seemed rather TO belong
TO the valley than the valley to her,
while the idea, if any thing had brought
it to her mind, that her good old grand
parents were not to live forever, and
would have turned the brightest June
day to the gloomiest December.
But, in these latter years, one great
entity had painfully struggled into Ka-
ties world, with an apparent mis-
sion to unite the valley with that
great unknown, which lay beyond the
hills and ledges. Katie had seen the
ragged rift eloven in the granite wall,
watching it curiously from door or win
dow, and listening for the duh reports
Of the blasting charges, until the barrier
was pierced and the railway crept out
and found its way down the valley; and,
ever since the trains began to 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 lib
orally responded 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 Of welcome, at times, when
the great railway mystery came rushing
out of the cloven wall There was one
train in particular to which Katie's at
tentions were at last pretty well restrict
ed-a through h-express which went by at
eight o'clock in the morning, and there
was another from the same direction
again at eight o'clock at night. With
the latter, for very long time, Katie
had felt no sort of sympathy, since it
could, as she thought, neither, see nor
acknowledge courteous greetings, while
from the former, just as easily as her
own dainty "good morning. futtered
above the::garden-gate, so certainly would
there be feeting flash Of white 10 an.
swer her from the platform of one of the
ears, or even from the engine itself, for
that, too, had happened. And Katie
knew very well that, in these latter days,
at least, her answer had always come
from the same hand. A tall, erect, man
Iy fellow he was, dressed in dark-blue
cloth; and Katie had been well aware,
for good wkile, that he was the con-
ductor of the train, but she had never
yet been near enough to speak to him,
or get any clearer notion of his face and
its meaning than might be given her in
those swift but almost daily glimpses.-
When or how he found his way back to
the beginning of his perpetual journey,
was question that Katie never asked
even of herself. 1t was enough that ev-
cry morning the swift train brought him
out of the unknown country beyond the
hills, and added something, that had
grown to be very pleasant, to the peace
and quiet of her day.
There was something very noteworthy,
even to railway men, about the manner
in which the road broke in upon that
valley. A.deep cut, sharp curve, and
a heavy down-grade, combined to make
the precise point where the conductor
had learned to look for Katie's greeting
an interesting one; and her white ker-
chief may even have seemed to wave a
species of congratulation at his repeated
safe passage of what might at any time
have shaped itself into danger
Be that as it may, the railway "cut"
had brought to Katie Crowninshield,
among other results, shorter and easier
path to the home of her aunt, her moth
er's sister, who lived just little way
beyond the ledge, and who was never
satisfied if too many days passed by
without bringing the sunlight of Katie's
face across her threshold. And so Ka-
tie had gone and returned, many and
many time, by the narrow path be-
tween the granite walls. She had learn
ed to walk the rails like rope-dancer,
and she knew the time of every train
too well, as she often told Aunt Betsey,
ever to get herself caught in the cut
cut Even if she should, she said, there
were ever so many places where she could
Chamber up on the rocks at the side, and
be entirely safe. Nobody in that peace
full region dreamed of fear a. being "out
after dark" and again and again had
good Aunt Betsey detained her pet until
night had fallen, although her only COM
pany homeward was her little star of a
lantern. 1t was neat little lantern,
with sort of piquant and winning
character of its own, like everything
else that belonged to Katie Crownin-
shield, and she herself was half inclined
to make confdant of it.
In fact, Katie's lantern found its own
occasion for putting on almost the SEM
blance of personal friend. There
came day when Katie's handkerchie1
fluttered in vain, and then another, wher
even the reply she received from the
train convinced her that there had beer
change of some kind, aad that shs
would receive no more signals from tbs
same hand. 1t was odd enough, but hel
long-accustomed bit of morning pleas
ure seemed suddenly turned into some
thing childish and uninteresting
worn-out amusement that it was time t.