Weekly Trinity journal., 1876-03-04
WAS 1T A WARNING ?

1t happened a matter of twenty years
ago, in lS5-. l was an engineer on the
V. G. Railroad, and running the "Amos-
keag" on the night line from N. to st.
A. 1t was a good ten hours trip, leaving
n. at 2. NJ. and getting into st. A. at
A. NJ, or just about day-break. Brooks
Vane was fireman. A young fellow, only
about two years married to as sweet a
little woman as you'll very often see.-
They had one child-a baby three months
old. Mrs. Vane had been delicate and
feeble eve- since its birth, and just at this
time was confined to her bed with a sort
of slow fever. Brooks, as was natural,
tretted good deal about her, and laid of
a day or two as often as he could find a
substitute.
The 25th Of September-I can never
forget that date-between three and four
O'Clock in the morning, we were running
on down grade, about forty miles from
st. A., when / noticed, some fifty rods in
front of us, what looked like n FIRE bull,
exactly on the track straight ahead
Brooks saw it as plainly as l did. W.
were not running at full speed. so to re-
verse the engine and stop the train was
not an affair of many minutes. Brook:
and I jumped out together and went
round in front Of the engine where we
found-nothing.
The fire, which saw as plainly ms ever
| saw anything in my life, and which
Brooks saw too, had disappeared utterly
and entirely. We went up the track half
a mile or more, but found no vestige of
anything to denote that any fire had been
built upon the track or anywhere near.
Brooks turned to me with white face.
My God, sir, what was it ?"
II wish l know" l said. Fifteen
minutes ago would have taken my oath
there was a fire, built by some stupid di t
or designing villain, on the track. Now
I can't understand it,"
Nor I-nor l." said Brooks, slowly /;
"you don't suppose, sir"
He stopped, confusedly.
"Suppose what ?" i said, as VIC stepped
on board the Amoskeag again.
"That it's a warning, or omen of dan
ger, sir"
This more firmly spoken.
Pshaw I"
But for all my affectation of contempt,
| was puzzled and confounded. Yet l
tried to convince myself that it was mere
" an optical delusion and nothing more
but my success was doubtful.
The next morning l could see that
Brooks was growing nervous and anxious.
!, too, was not without little futter OF
excitement at my heart, though should
hardly have cared to own it. 1t is, per-
haps, needless to state that this nights
experience corresponded in every partic-
ular to that of the one preceding. The
same seeming fire blazed and glittered on
the track in front of us. The train was
stopped again. Again we searched around
and upon the track for long way ahead !;
again we found simply nothing!
! don't deny that the repitition Of this
mysterious occurrence impressed me with
Il strange feeling Of commingled dread
and terror. And Brooks-the mans set
white face fairly frightened me. There was
little conversation passed between Us that
night. l think we both felt too deeply
for speech.
The third night Brooks Vane and l
stepped on board the Amoskeag with
much the same feelings, l think, as men
who go knowingly to their own death,
AS We passed out of the station at b.,
within a mile or two of the fatal place,
Brooks turned to me.
"Mr. Deane-" he stopped.
"Go on"
:" 1t may seem foolish to you, but /
think something will happen TO the train
tonight. i / should be killed."
"Pshaw Brooks, don't get such ideas
into your head. I"
81 know all you would say, Mr.. Deane,
but I'd rather you'd hear what I've got
to say"
" Well, I'm listening"
81 want, if you survive me, that you
should promise to lend my vile hell ing
hand if she should need one. Her folks
are well off and will be good 10 her, l
think but they are all out in Kansas,
and it will be pretty hard lines for her at
first, before she can hear from them, and
she'll need friends, poor girl" He stop
ped, brushing his hand across his eyes.
"If she ever needs help" | said, i'm.
pressed in spite Of myself by his earnest
ness, and sharing beside much of his APP
prehension, "my wife and | will stand
by her. She shan't want for friend
while we live. But don't get blue
Brooks. All this may amount to moth
ing," trying to speak cheerfully, but only
with partial success.
He shook his head moodily but did not
speak. We neared the mysterious place.
turned my eyes for one moment from
the road in front, to attend TO some triAing
duty. looked back just in time to catch
one glimpse of a light-not the seeming
fire for which we watched, but the head
light Of coming train ! The next in
slant terrible shock--a deafening roar
and / knew no more.
recovered my senses to find myself
lying on bed, in a low ceiled room Of a
farm house, standing not far from the
scene of the disaster. Stunned and bruised
/ was, but had sustained no serious injury.
In answer TO my eager inquiries, | learn
ed that the train colliding with me was a
heavy express, which | should have pass