Marshall County Republican., 1876-08-10

cussing my luck at every breath ]
took.
"Wal, you bet yerself the next day
1 was tricked out like drill sargent
boot shiny-black pants, with roll
at the bottom, SOS to show the stifi'n.
in'-b'iled shirt, with ruffled front
red butterfiy-an' crush hat that
seven dollars and ninety-nine cents
wouldn't buy If that cut didn't take
her eye then 1 would throw up my
hand
sShe come to the door but whirled
round like flash, maxim an excuse
o. goin' after the dipper again. But
L see the corner of her mouth go up,
an knowed she was a larfin' at my
sudden blowout She was a cute
one, an knowed thing or two. /
could see that plain enough.
But with my store clos on I kin
face anything in calico; an / done
myself proud that time, 1 know. Be-
fore l came away, had bouncin'
bowl of milk. 1t was mighty thin
drink; but I'd "a swilled dishwater il
she'd offered it,
after that my fireman run the
train mostly. while lay in the grass
under the trees an hear her singin'
about her work, once in "a while COM
in to the door to give me a pleasant
word. OF course I'd a-got the grand
bounce if the thing had got to head
quarters; but my fireman liked to
learn, an as long as he didn't find no
fault at his double work it want no
one else's funeral. SO things lasted
two weeks-such a soft job couldn't
run long-an' the bottom soon fell
out.
"But Mary an me had come to be
right smart friends by that time; an
when / was put on the passenger /
blowed a signal jest before came to
the house, an she'd stand i'm the door
an swing her sunbonnet at me as we
passed.
| ~Of course you all know that most
o. the Western roads was built on the
bogus plan. The farmers along the
proposed line was persuaded to give
mortgages on their farms to be used
as collateral to borrow money Oh, the
railroad companies guaranteein' to
pay the interest on the mortgages
and pay the farmers handsome divi-
dends on the stock they took in ex-
change for the mortgages, SOS it 'u'd
be all i'm pocket with them an never
cost 'em cent. All went lovely till
the mortgages fell due. Then the
companies busted; the stock want
worth cuss; an the farmers had TO
clear off their mortgages themselves,
or git kicked out of house and home.
'Twa'n't more'n human natur' that
they should rile at that; an fur
awhile they pulled up tracks and
dumped trains into the ditch kinder
promiscous, you bet.
wal, as the fall passed, the eve-
Minis got shorter, until didn't git to
Marys house until after dark. Then
she used to stand in the open door
way, with the light behind her, or
when it stormed at winder.
Zone night pulled out dead ag'in
a tearin' norwester. 1t was blacker'n
the inside of a stone ink-bottle, out;
an the rain lashed ag'in the cab win
der SOS 1 couldn't see through the
glass anyway.
"Just by Mary's house there was
quite down grade, an at the end o.
that grade curve round the face OF
a bluff, with. a thirty foot fall on the
outside OF it-a mighty nasty place
to git ketched, ole boss. or I'm liar
I thought about it before got thar;
but says to myself, says L:
A man that's born to be hung, III
never git drownded.'
$50 pushed ahead as usual.
"Just before comm to the Lock
worth farm blowed my signal an
stepped back out o. the cab, to see
the light in the winder. The trees
was jest more'n lashin' an tossin' as
1 could see by the flashes O. lightnin';
but there want no light.
Il was goin' to step back into the
car mighty disappointed, considerin'
it was such leetle thing, when
crash come something through the
cab winder. By flash OF lightnin' I
caught glimpse OF woman stand
in beside the track. bareheaded, an
with her hair an clos blowin' wild,
an heard a shrill voice scream:
"'Capl Cap! Capp
"A glance showed me the frame of
a lantern rolling on the cab floor.
That was enough. 1 knowed IL
meant danger.
"To whistle fur brakes like mad
to reverse the lever-to throw the
throttle wide to sand the track
didn't take no time at all. An tben
swung out on the step an looked
ahead while my fireman strain
ed the tender brake to the last
notch.
1T seemed an age before she be-
gan to slacken up; an when she
came to a standstill the nose o. the
pilot was within ten. feet of as dew
'lish devise as you ever seen. Half
way round the curve, an in the very
worst place, a crosspiece was spiked
to the track, an on this was an incline
pintin' our way, fur the pilot to run
up on.
! Il reckon thar was some white IA
ces, when the passengers piled out o.
the car an see that they had come
within ten feet o. kingdom comel
Some one asked me how / had found
out i'm time to stop her. 1 didn't an
swer him nary word; but jumpin'
on that engine again, elft the boys
| RI ramove fhe obsfructious while r