Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1875-08-19

'Pshaw! Brooks, don t get such ideas
into your head l."
81 know all you would say, Mr.
Deane, but I'd rather you'd hear what
I've got to say"
swell, I am listening.
II want, if you survive me, that you
should promise to lend my wife help
ing hand if she should need one. Hei
folks are well off, and will be good tc
her, think but they are out in Kan
sas, and it will be pretty hard lines fol
her at first, before she can hear from
them, and she'll need friends, poor girl
He stopped, brushing his band across
his eyes.
eff she ever needs help" ! said, inn
pressed, in spite of myself, by his earn
estness, and sharing beside, much Of biz
apprehension, my wife and l will stand
by her. She shant want for friend
while we live. But don't get ''blue, .
Brooks. All this may account to moth
ing" Trying to speak cheefully, but
with partial success only.
He shook bis head modify, but did
not speak. We neared the mysterious
place. I turned my eyes for one mo-
ment from the road in front to attend
to some slight duty. looked back just
in time to catch one glimpse of a light
not the seeming fire for which we watch
ed-but for the headlight Of a coming
train! The next instant terrible shock
"a deafening Grassland I knew no
more.
recovered my senses to find myself
lying on bed, in low-ceiled room OF
q farm house, standing not far from the
scene of disaster. Stunned and bruised
was, but had sustained no serious In
jury. In answer to my eagear inquiries,
learned that the train colliding with
mine was q heavy express, which l
should have passed at M, the next
station beyond.
Liquor did it all. Tom Jones, the en-
gineer, who, though known to be reg
ular drinker, was still considered trust~
worthy, had taken the train out Of ST.
A. all right as far anybody knew, but
whether he had taken en- extra glass
and got crazy drunk, Or whether he had
a touch of the delirium tremcns that
night, nobody could ever tell. He and
bis fireman were both dead, poor fell
lows. 1t was only known that he had
rushed the train through at full speed
disregarding the signals from the con-
ductor, and stopping at no station. But
But as for the thirty odd miles, from
st. A. to NJ, there was none but small
stations where the express stopped only
when signaled, Think no suspected any
harm until they reached H., where they
should have stopped, and from there to
destruction had been only brief ten
minutes.
There were half dozen killed and
wounded on the express; on mine one
of the brakemen, badly hurt, aud Brooks
Vane could rot be foal7aa.
Cant be found, man. ] said to my
ntormsnt-sswhat do you mean"
''That's what I mean, sir. The men
on your train have searched everywhere
and they can't find even trace Of him"
1t was odd, to say the least. 1t was
now broad daylight, and I could not con
ceive how any search should have failed
to find him. I got up, lame and sore,
but still able TO move bout and went
out.
The house was only little way from
the scene of the accident. The dead
and wounded had been moved away,
and men were busy moving the debris
and clearing the track. The express
train was very heavy one, and mine,
though freight comparatively light,
since l had but few cars My engine
had been thrown completely from the
track, over a low bank, into wet, and
NASTY meadow lying alongside the road
The smokestack was half buried in the
mud. / walked around it, searching
carefully, but there was no sign of my
unfortunate fireman. looked for him
as long as was able, and then dragged
myself back to the house, from whence
! dispatched the farmers so to B., with
telegraph message to be sent to my
wife, apprising her of my saftey, and
begging her to see that all knowledge
of the accident was kept from poor
Vane's wife, and directed him to wait
reply. ofFN
He returned in the afternoon with a
message from my wife.
"Viola says Brooks body is buried
in the mash, under the smokestack of
the Amoskeag. Search for it there.
EMMA DEANE."
Viola was Brooks wife. / was con-
founded. l had not intimated to my
wife that the body was missing, though
of course, she knew from the wording
of my dispatch that he must be dead or