Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1875-07-01

appearance of the light from her sister,
window, that Erminia had sought hel
pillow, then softly gliding through thu
gate, she hurried down the road with
the scarlet shawl drawn tightly ove1
her head.
81 will not be deceived and put off,
she murmured to herself. Il will FIND
out for myself whether he is to be
trusted or not"
The Miners Arms, at the corner Of
three roads was all light as she APP
preached it, and from the wide open
easements she could hear the loud
chorus of drinking song, the clink Of
of glasses, and that harsh sould Of
besotted laughter. And lifting trail
of scarlet-leaved woodbines which
formed natural curtain to one of the
windows, Hero Lewis peeped in.
With a sinking heart and chill
sensation of despair she saw Harry
Rivers rise, staggering to his feet with
trimming glass in his hand, and pro-
pose some hiccoughing toast, which
was received with noisy applause by
the riotous assembly. Hero did not
wait to hear more. Dropping the
woodbines once more, she hurried away
with white, set face.
"God help me! God be merciful to
me! she murmured, .."For the idol
whom I worshipped has fallen to the
the ground!"
Just at the moment the far-off
whistle of a train smote through the
silence of the night-a sudden CHASTITY
possibility took possession of Hero's
heart.
''The midnight express !" she mutter-
ed to herself. And he dead drunk at
the bar -room!"
Hurrying down steep raviue,
needless of scratching briers and cruelty
piercing thorns that rent her dress and
drew blood from her tender flesh, she
sprang like wild deer down the
declivity, scarcely even pausing for
breath until she had reached the IRON
track in the valley below, where side
rail marked the interesting course of
little freight road that led away
toward the north. At six every
morning and evening the freight trains
passed over the road bed, and it was
among Harry Rivers most important
duties to turn the switch that connected
this branch road with the main track,
after the freight train had gone BY"
Had he remembered to do so to-
night ? Or was the long and heavily
laden express from the west even now
sweeping onward to its certain doom
of death and destruction
Hero knelt to feel of the track. Her
deadly doubt had too much foundation
in fact--the switch had not been
altered since the freight came up at
six o'clock.
A chill dew beaded owe, her fore.
head, sinking sensation struck to her
heart. What was she to do? Where
she gifted with the flying footsteps Of
Mercury's self, she could not get to
Miners Arms in time to avert the i'm
pending catastrophe. And even sup~
posing that she could, was Harry
Rivers in condition to comp rehend
what was said to him? And with a
bitter groan rising up from the depths
of her heart, she realized all the
horrors which have their beginning
and end in the wine cup.
Suddenly a CLEAN of hope shot
athwart her brain. She knew where
the switch key was kept-she remem
bered having once seen Harry slip it
under projecting ledge of rock upon
a sort Of natural shelf, secure from dew
rain or tempest, just beyond where she
stood. What if she herself should
attempt to save the lives of the doomed
passengers every instant coming nearer
to their fate The idea and to act upon
it were telegraphedl almost stimuli
taneously from brain to hand, Snatch.
ing the key from its resting place, she
stopped in the faint twilight now
beginning to glimmer through the
breaking clouds, and strobe with all the
force of her weak woman's strength to
move the iron rails.
God be thanked! they stirred-they
grated in their sockets-and, even al
the moment in which the gray red eye
of the approaching express train
blazing in the foggy distance, Hero
dragged the switch into its proper
place.
Yet even then she could scarcely
believe that it was right, as with the
key dangling by her side, she leaned
painting against the rocks until, with a
shrek like that OF some fire throated
demon Of Avernus, the train swept by a
dizzy succession of delighted windows
and darkness and silence again settled
down over her.
Horo ou,io ooifbor fosufo1 ~ x,,o,,%