The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-01-06

seemed to lnslnuate slight contempt Oh
the ability Of woman to understand rail
roads, said, ell walk it..
" It's rather far-for lady" said the
station master, gently "and you'll be
afraid and, he added, officially, "you
mustn't walk on the track"
1T isn't too far for me-" she said,
boldly, "and sha'nt walk on the track ;
shall walk beside it. And 1 am not
afraid at least, shan't be 'if--if you can
lend me boy"
ing about, as if he kept boy in each
pigeon-hole of his desk, and the stock
had unaccountably disappeared when
most needed. ssI haven't any, lust
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 a
solitary female on a night pilgrimage
along railroad track, Miss Banks de-
cided to engage his services for that
purpose, and at six o'clock she and
Johnny left the little station and walk
ed off bravely, followed by 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 dissipated, was
entertaining to an unexpected degree.
She found herself amused and Interested
i'll his stories of boyish naughtiness,
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 ambition of the
youthful Tweed in regard to baseball,
pugilism and skating, and turn it into
the peaceful paths of geometry, ancient
history and Latin. 81 wish 1 taught in
boys school," thought Miss Fair
banks "girls are dreadfully tame, ~ and
III listening to the epic of Johuny's
contests, the time passed so swiftly
when they reached the little station
which stood halfway between her start
ing point and her destination. The
building was closed and dark, and
Johnny, who carefully inspected the in
terror through three different windows,
reported that the stingy old thing had
put out the fire."
Well, what of it," asked Miss
Fairbanks, coolly.
"Well, if he hadn't" said Johnny,
"Id have gone in and got warm. 1
know window that he always leaves
unlocked, and the door only fastens
with a night-latch, and we would..haye
had Jolly rest. But the minute the
last accommodation goes by, old Hicks
disconnects his telegraph wires, and
puts cut his fire, and goes home, and
if your rich aunt was dying, and they
wanted to telegraph to you from the
city to come and get your name down
i'll 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, al
though she would rather have died than
acknowledged it, entertaining some
slight nervousness regarding that down
express, although it was not due for three
hours. 1t might come little early, she
thought, and whiz around Il curve with a
greedy shrek, and rush over them and
leave only what the newspapers would
call their mangled corpses." She
dreamily imagined the accounts of the
affair i'll those same papers, and the
family conversations over the "mangled
corpses, and wondered what the officiat-
ing clergyman would find to say about
the dear brother and sister departed, if
the body should be in several fragments;
and then she shivered, and was conscious
| of a nNf &c
rupted her reverie with startled whis-
per of What's that p
Miss Fairbanks looked forward At
the point at which she stood, the road
ran through deep cutting, and about q
hundred rods before her was curve so
short that in the dim twilight it seemed
as if a wall extended across the track.
The embankments were high and steep,
and the leaf1ess tree, which waved upon
their summits leaned together and almost
shut out the sky, 80 that it seemed as if
the travellers We're walking along tunnel
family lighted from the roof. Halfway
between them and the curve was light,
a strong bright glare, placed half 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 as her
glance followed their course in the direc-
tion of the light, and how as they came
near to its clear brilliancy they grdually
assumed 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 mean2
Johnny answered her mental question
almost as soon as it was formed.
Somebody's trying to throw the train