Litchfield enquirer., 1876-10-19
far thls way to be saved on single track.
 

A4M \H0 SPC110u IL OuG) FnOG Qu1t0 as plain as the rest; fault of the pen, doubt. less;" then he carefully plotted the paper and put it in drawer. Now he went slowl y to closet, and opened it. shud- dered, as l thought he might have some weapon there. He did take something carefully from shelf; it was in case. It was almost sunset then, and the room was getting trife dark. There was slight snap, and started to my feet. thinking it was percussion cap. Mir. Thor was lighting match, which fickered for a moment, and presently he applied 1t to a pipe.
 ''Please now take the instrument, and do not be too quick, or in the least bit fiustered; Thor must not lose it's reputa- tion. Just say,' and here he blew g steady cloud of smoke,-'You do not mind my smoke ?-iust saY,"-
 This IS tantalizing, MT. Thor" cried, now quite beside myself. "What-what shall I say ?'' ~
 ''Thor to smoil. We will do our best.
 "THoR.
 "We-we !" exclaimed; "what can l do ?"
 ''Why, shut yourself up in your closet, if you want to, and criticise my map there. You shake your head? I wish you would. By studying out the localities you might devise for me place for grand female university, or pantheon.
 ''This is trifing, sir, said, as I jump ed up and walked the office in an agony of suspense. There was large clock hung up on the wall, which now suddenly acquired the power of ticking, and its beats resounded through the room.
 "Agitated you are, and trife nervous, Miss Brown" he said, in rather planter ing tone; then seeming to be aware of my condition he remarked, "I am brute; know it, but cannot help it." Here he opened his closet, and made @ running in- ventory of its contents. "A violin, six teen volumes of agricultural reports, a demljohn of acid solution for batteries, and a bottle of patent medicine. Wish I could pour it down Kettr1dge's throat; it might do his business for him. Suppose we reason this out little. Providing he is running under full head of steam, it will take fully fifteen minutes for him to get here. That clock is right to half minute or so. If had now only the ab- solute time of that train We must find that out some way.-when 1t started on this race. An here comes something from Twoboys.''
 With palpitating heart read off:
 "Kettridge's train just passed, tearing through; valves all open. Watch out for him. Only had time to move construc- tion-train on siding Have started engine after him. Look sharp. Time, six forty l fve." MAND1Y."
 "Good l" cried Mir. Thor, ''there Fare some data to go on. Then he may be here three minutes sooner than we expected. " l looked at the clock, which now indicated some five minutes before seven.
 ''The intensity of sound,-as you may have been taught, Miss Brown, for sup pose your scientific requirements are on @ par with your historical information,-the intensity of sound is at times very much increased, and at other times sensibly dl- i unfinished by sudden atmospheric changes, and it looks as if we were going to have a thunderstorm. These storms mostly come from the lake shore; the lake lies this way" and he pointed to a window away from the railroad. "Now you had better go home as fast as you can-and take my umbrella-before the rain comes" By this time had been wound up to such pitch of nervous excitement that I was quivering all over. Yet the idea of leaving the office was furtherest from my thoughts. I do not think I could have gone to my boarding house, had I tried to. felt like locking myself up in my closet, and covering there, but then, I knew that would be dastardly act.
 Ut is rough for you, Miss Brown" said MT. Thor, looking at the clock. Though apparently careless about this ugly business, am not assuming char acter foreign to my nature."
 scarcely listened to what he said. The clock-face had a fearful fascination for me. 1 only shuddered at his indifferent talk. Just then heard-I am certain it was before he heard 1.-the indistinct, far-off rumble of some train, and I shriek- ed out, "What in Gods name are you going to do?"
 ''It is the train, sure enough. Track makes loop near the lake shore, and the sound comes uninterruptedly over the water He is good way off yet. Now, he will stop. Crazy though he may be control his madness If he does whistle, then signal down brakes; there will be no trouble about it"
 But the depot hands, who might help you. where are they, sir ?"
 "They have gone home just an hour and five minutes ago?"
 "But," I asked in a whisper, Eff he does not whistle, does not stop, what then ?''
 Well, suppose shall have. to olimb into the water-tank, hang on the spout,- ludicrous position, no doubt, and drop into the tender or the train as 1t passes underneath me; that is, if he is going too fast for me to jump en-"
 "But 1t will kill you-must kill you. It will be the sacrifice of another life, ;" and 1 caught him by the sleeve; you would not have one chance in a thousand You might just as we'll lie across the track, hoping to stop the train. You must in- evitably be crushed to atoms" Just then a plaintive screech was heard through the storm of wind which was now blowing "He has whistled! Thank God for tbat!' l said, with an intense feeling of relief.
 ''Tnat is three miles off, and he must now slacken his pace, whether he will or not, from the fact of there being just there bad bit of track and an up grade. But, Miss Brown, knew all this, and that there was likely not to be much dan- ger about it. Kettridge, think, will stop in-say, five minutes. It is wonder ful how fast the time goesH'
 ''No, mol" exclaimed; ''there has been to me whole existence in these last ff- teen minutesi" ''You don't say so! Would Miss Brown be kind enough to hold my pipe ?" and saying this he placed the pipe in my hand. gazed at him as if in dream, when he continued, Its quite good bit of meers- chaum. I cut the sea-horse on it. Please do not break it. l shall want a good | smoke when I come hack " Then I felt the tremulous motion an an. preaching train imparts to the ground, | next heard the rapid shorts of the ex. | haust steam, and then the whistle scream ed, and it seemed to me that the train l would whiz directly through the office the | next moment.
 ''Jnst third of mile off: now he 1 slows, and the train hands must have some Idea of their danger, and may un- couple, or put down brakes, and SO pre- vent his budging. So good-by, Miss Brown. And with this he leisurely walk ed out of the office. Now I strained nv