The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-09-12

told me a thunder storm was coming
rapidly. Oh, the: long, flong minutes Of
| the next hour!
Ten O'Clock. The rain falling in tor
rents, thunder pealing, lightning flash
4 ing. Alice was afraid OF lightning. Or
| ten / had held her, white as death, trem-
bling, almost fainting, in such storm
as this. Had she feared to start, with
the storm in prospect, or was she lying
somewhere on the wild road, overcome
by terror, or perhaps stricken by light
ming?
Eleven o'clock. The storm was over,
| though the still night was inky black
| mo sound to cheer me, none to make
the hideous suspense more endurable.
A host of possibilities, like forgetful
| nightmares, chased one, another through
my already tortured brain.
Would the next hour ever pass? Once
the clock tolled midnight, all was safe.
l was drenehed with perspiration
wrung from my mental agony one hour,
chilled with horror the next. No words
can describe the misery OF waiting as
the minutes dragged along. In the dead
silence far-olf sound struck thrill of
! horror to my heart, far exceeding even
the previous agony. Far, far away
faint whistle came through the air.
Nearer and nearer, them the distinct
rumble Of the train growing more and
more distinct.
| The midnight up train was coming
| swiftly, surely, to cerJain destruction!
! Where was,my wife2 Had the rutii4ns
Intercepted her at the cottage? Was
| she lying dead sOmeW eWhere upon the
wild roadf Her heroism" was of no
avail, but was her life saved? In the
agony of that question the approaching
rumble Of the train was lost; far more
did | feel th9 bitterness Of Alice dead,
than the horror OF the doomed lives the
train carried. Why had let her start
on her mad erranuT
| tried to move, and writhed i'll impo-
| tent fury upon my chair, forcing the
cruel cords to tear my flesh as l Vainly
tried TO loosen even one hand. The
neavy trainrumbled past the telegraph
office. IL was an express and did not
stop at my station; but as | listened, ev-
cry sense sharpened by mental torture,
| it seemed to me that the speed slack
ened. Listening intently knew that it
stopped at the embankment, as nearly
as could judge. No5With the sickenipg
crash | expected, not preceding walls
and groans from the injured passengers,
but gradually and carefully. A moment
more and l heard shouts, the crack of
firearms, sounds OF some conflict.
| What could it all mean? The minutes
were all hours till l heard a key turn in
tue door Of my prison, and moment
later two tender arms were around my
neck and Alice was whispering in my
ear:
'I'hey will come in a few minutes,
love, to set you free! The villains lett
the key in the doorl L thought Of that
( before | started but there was a man at
| the front watching, L crept around the
1 house and saw him, SO l did not dare to
| be seen."
But have you been to Potsyine,
| dear?"
"Yes, DEAR"
| sln all that storm?"
"Selim seemed to understand. He
carried me swiftly and surely. / was
| well wrapped in my waterproof cloak
aud hood. When / reached Potsyilie
| the train had not yet come up
"BuJ is it here?'
"Only the locomotive and carriage
In that carriage was a sheriff, deputy
sheriff and twenty men, arm2d to the
teeth, to capture the gang at the EN-
bankment. L came toe, and they low
cred me from the platform when the
speed slackened, SO that could run in
and tell you ali was safel"
Wnlle we spoke, my Wlle's fingers had
| first united the handkerchief around nv
neck, and then, in the dark, ) found some
OF the knots of the cords binding me,
But L was still tied fast aud strong,
When there was u sound of many feet
upon the staircase, and in another mo-
ment light and JOYFUL voices.
"We'ye captured the whole ganRw
was the good news. Three, including
John Martin, are desperately wounded,
but the surprise was periecC! Now, old
fellow, for youW
A dozen clasp-knives at once severed
my bonds, and dozen hands were ex-
tended in greeting.
AS for the praise showered on my
plucky little wife, it would require a
volume to tell hall Of it.
The Would-De assassiDs and robbers
were sent for trial, ana sentenced to
penal serVitude.
Alice and [ LETT for more civilized
community the following year. But be-
fore we went there was an invitation
sent us to meet committee
from Jne railroad company at-I
PotsYIlIe. We accepted; had a dinner.
were toasted and cOmplimented, and |
then Alice was presented with a |
silver tea service, as tes- |
timonial from the passengers Of the
threatened up-train, she Company and
railroad directors, i'll token OF their
gratitude Tor the lives and. property
saved by my heroine Journal and |
Free Press.
A4-.-