New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-12-31

reckon he heard the storm In his sleep and
the roarin' Of the run and that Get i'm Il
droamin'. OF course he knew 1t was my
night, n had often tsld i'm what . bed
place it was and what to do if anything
hsppened-never tn mixing that he'd 60 Il
dom of it hisself. But he gifts up in hi
sleep, takes his lantern and goes oct t.
meet me. I'd be sittin' there watchin' Of
i'm by his bed, n he'd be in first, jest kind
O. mutterin', and I'd hear him say softly
like, a. eff he was tslkin' to hisself:
| "Pard's due at the run in twenty minits
| kin git there in time"
| Feared like it was al goin' through biz
mind sgin and he was dom over jest what
he did that night. We could tell wen he
| got to the place where the road broke. for
he eos, kin I GIT over on that logs Eff
don't my pard III be killed"
Then seemed as though he was goin
down to the curve where we found him.
An he'd shiver like, a. of the cold rain was
strikin' i'm.
You see We could mostly foller i'm BY
watchin' i'm and ketchin' what he said.
Onct or twict he shook right hard, and his
teeth chartered. We thought it was the
| cold he was feelin' again as be felt it out
there in the night with nothin' on i'm.
Then he keeps still awhile like he was Q
waitin' and listenin' for the train, and
you'd see i'm hold his breath fearin' he
couldn't ketch the sound. Pretty soon he
| speaks sgin, gently like, and ses.
kin he see the light in time9"
N he waits . bit. Next he jumps right
up in bed on his knees and screams out 1T
the top of his voice.
"Stop her, Pardi Stop 29v'
Stranger. I've seen frightful things in my
time, but l never see any thing SO awful rs
that was. Pale and wild, with the fever IN
i'm, that mere baby YVES tryin' to make me
hear. aud the wind howllu' and the train
roarin' the way it Was. An we'd try to
keep i'm still, n mother would coax him.
and I'd try to quiet him n he'd scream
sRin.
"Culvert's gonei Stop her, Pardw
An I'd take i'm in my arms n he'd be all
of y culver. Then it seemed like he heerd
me whistle, for he SEES.
"Ail right! he's BLOWN brakes"
Az it puts i'm back in bed and he LAYS
still mint like he was lisvenin' and ees,
He's Q reversion of %, he is! My psrd-
psrd's safe"
Then he'd shut his eyes and drop off, and
emile in his sleep, like he was satisfied. By
and-by he'd begin and go all over it agin,
and so, day by day. alters the came. He
seemed to hev it in his mind all the time.
The doctor, you know, him l was tellin'
about, we'll, he stopped off that night and
staid with us the whole week and nursed
baby like he Was his own. N wen it was
all over thought it was no more'n right, n
ees to i'm, "Doctor! can pay yoni"
mol" ses he, Latham, you can't. His life
saved mine. N besides that, Latham, I've
got one Jest his age. There amt n0tbin'
you kin give me but that little curl there
on his forehead" So Mary takes the scis-
sors and cuts it of. He kissed it n put it
in his pocket n went away.
On the night of the break at DEVILS Run,
wen got off the machine to 60 and see
what was the matter, pulls out my watch
and it was twelve O'Clock and three minits.
1t was exactly q week after that l took out
my watch and it was twelve o'clock and
three minits. Some of the neighbours had
come from around in the mountains and
minister from . village about fifteen miles
off. / didn't give no attention to nothin',
for I was stunned like and didn't know how
it all wac. l was settin' in front of the
house on large stone where Charley used
to sit and wait for me wen was coming by,
and l heerd q whistle An zee train.
1t stopped near where l was. The lOcOmo-
tive was No. % The boys had her dressed
in mournin', Bill Walker was runnin' her
and Crazy was firm. There was three
coaches filed with the boys and their wives
and children. They was in their best clothes,
when they came by wher' l was sittin'-they
all knew it was little Charley's place-the
men took of their hats and the women had
their handkerchers to their faces. l alters
knowed they was very fond of him, but it
seemed as though they had lost an only
child. There was six little boys, all the
same size, and they took i'm up, and we all
follered up the side of the mountain. 1t was
a mild day, and the sun was shinin' bright.
We crossed DEVILS Run and came to q
place of level ground where there WAS some
large pine trees. 1t was just over the cliff,
q little ways from the road, cay hundred
feet, and in plain sight of where he stood
wavin' his lantern backwards and forwards
slowly acrOss the track, wen he said: "YOu
and mes pards, isn't we9'
After all, it was harder on Mary than ON
me. In three months time took her there
too. stayed on the line while after that,
but l couldn't never 20 back to my house
sgin, and whenever l was goln' by and saw
those two heaps Of fresh earth it worked on
me go I couldn't stand it.
As l was tellin', l sometimes think I'd
like to 60 back there and see the place once
more, but seems as if was afserd. don't
believe in ghosts, but l know if was to
run . train around that curve on q dark
night I'd see my little Charley waving his
light a. he did that night when it cost him
his life.-Christian Union.