Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-12-23

smiled feebly and deprecistingly, and
| then, irritated by his silence, which
| seemed to insinuate slight contempt on
the ability Of woman to understand rail.
| roads, said: I'm walk it."
:" 1t is rather far-for lady, said the
station master, gently; lard you'll be
afraid; and" he added officially, "you
| mustn't walk on the track"
. 1t isn't too far for me-" she sand,
boldly, land shant walk on the track |;
| shall walk beside it. And l am not
afraid, al least shan't be, tiff you can
| lend me boy"
Well" said the station master, look
| ing about, as if he kept a boy in each
pigeon hole of his desk, and the stock
had unaccountably disappeared when
most needed, :" haven't any just now :;
but there's Johnny Tweed He would
| like the job, and his mother will like to
have him keep out of mischief for one
night.
As it appeared, upon questioning, that
Johnny Tweed was about fourteen years
| old, very strong of his age, and otherwise
well-adapted to protect solitary female
on a night pilgrimage along railroad
track, Miss Fairbanks decided to engage
his services for that purpose, and at six
o'clock she and Johnny left the little sta
ton and walked off bravely, followed by
a caution from the station master TO look
out for the ten O'Clock express, which was
the only train they would meet.
The lady rather liked the adventure.
The air was clear and cold, she was young
and strong, and loved the exercise of
| walking, and her companion, after his
boyish bashfulness was dissi pated, was
| entertaining to An unexpected degree. She
found herself amused and interested in his
stories of boyish naugh,iness, and, school
teacher though she was she could not help
sympathizing with his wicked little plans
for circumventing the pedagogue to whose
unfortunate lot it fell to subdue the am
bition of the youthful Tweed in regard to
| it into the peaceful paths of geometry,
ancient history and Latin.
Il wish taught in boys school,"
thought Miss Fairbanks; "girls are dread
fully tame and in listening to the epic
| Of Johnny's contests the time passed so
swiftly that she could hardly believe her
eyes when they reached the. little station
which stood halfway between her starting
point and her destination. The building
was closed and dark, and Johnny, who
carefully inspected the interior through
three different windows, reported that the
stingy old thing had put out the fire."
"Well, what OF it?n asked Miss Fair
banks, coolly.
"Weil, if he hadn't" said Johnny,
"Id have gone in and got warm. know
"A window that he always leaves unlocked,
and the door only tastens with a night
latch, and we would have had Jolly rest
But the minute the last accommodation
goes by, old Hicks disconnects his tele-
graph wires and puts out his fire and goes
home, and if your rich aunt was dying,
Gnd if they wanted to telegraph to you
from the city to come and get your name
down in her will, they couldn't do it.
Come along"
Miss Jane came, and for the next mile
they walked in silence, Johnny sulky
with regret for the rest of which he had
been defrauded and Miss Fairbanks, who
was gradually growing weary, although
she would rather have died than acknowl-
edge it, entertaining some slight nervous
ness with regard TO that down express, al
though il was not due for three hours. 1t
might come a little early, she thought, and
whiz around curve with a greedy shrek
and rush over them and leave only what
the newspapers would call their "man-
gled corpses." She dreamily imagined
the accounts of the affair in those same
papers, and the family conversations over
the mangled corpses," and wondered
| what the officiating clergyman would find
| to say about the dear brother and sister de-
parted, if the bodies should be in several
| fragments and then she shivered and was
conscious Of sense of relief when John
| ny interrupted her revery with startled
whisper of whats that"
Miss Fairbanks looked forward. Atthe
| point at which she stood the road ran
| through deep cutting, and about hun
! dred rods before her vas a curve so short
that In the dim twilight it seemed as if a
wall extended across the track The en-
| bankments were high and steep, and the
| leafless trees which waved upon their
| SUBMITS leaned together and almost shut
out the sky, so that IL seemed as though
the travellers were walking along tunnel
| family lighted from the roof. Halfway
| between them and the curve was light
a strong, bright glare-placed halfway
| up the bank and clearly illuminating the
| track for some yards in either direction.
| Miss Fairbanks noticed how the rails,
! which seemed faint and black lines where
| she stood, grew clearer and brighter AZ her
! glance followed their course in the direc-
ton of the light, and how as they came
near to its clear briliancy they gradually
assumed a glow, until, close To it, they
| appeared to be almost red hot and gilt
| tered brightly. But what was that mound
! just beyond the light, and what were those
! FREELY specks dancing swiftly over it, and
what did it mean?
Johnny answered her mental question
| almost as soon as it was formed
! Somebody's trying TO throw the train
| off the track" said he, in a whisper.
Look at the pile Of things they've
! heaped up. What'll we do:"