Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-04-13

son the train from Golosha was ten min
utes behind time, and it would not reacl
the siding at behring's Cut until the pay
train had passed beyond on to the single
track And then? Why, to read under
the head of 'sAppalling Railway Disas-
ter!' and few more homes would be rem
dered desolate, and few more hearts
would be made to mourn.
Father and daughter looked at each other
in dismay.
SIS there time 90 asked the old man,
tremhlingly.
"Selim can do it, said Floss, quickly
'.If can reach Leeds five minutes before
the train--yes, two minutes-all will be
well. Do not stop me. father?" as he
laid a hand on my arm.
"But you must not go! 1t is dark and
dismally lonely No, Floss!"
| II shall go, father! Selim knows only
me, and you could not ride him. I have
horse in the stable! Don't you remember
The others were sent to town yesterday"
Before old Whately could stop her, she
had ordered the hostler to saddle Seln
and she was already bnttoning on her rid
ing habit with rapid, nervous fingers.
The horse came paving to the door,
Floss sprang into the saddle, leaned down
and kissed her fathers forehead.
pray Heaven to speed me ~ she cried,
hoarsely, and touching the horse with her
whip, he bounded down the sharp declivity.
1t was raining steadily now, and the
gloom Was intense; but Selim was used to
the road, and he was sure footed and his
rider courageous She urged him on at
the top Of his speed, up hill and down,
through Pine valley and over the Pulpit
Hill, and then she struck upon the smooth
road which stretched away to Leeds two
miles, as straight as an arrow.
She could see the headlight on the pay
train far down the valley, distinctly now.
and to her excited fancy it seemed but
stones throw away. She even Thought
for a moment that she heard the grind of
the wheels on the iron track, but, no it
was only the soughing of the wind In the
pines.
On, and still on she went Selim SEEM
ed to fly. One might have fanced that he
knew his mistress was on an errand of life
and death. The lights of the station were
in view-nay, she even saw the station
masters white lantern as he strolled up and
down the platform-the white lantern
which was to signal the approaching train
to tell them to go on, for all was WE'LL
On to their doom!
She dashed across the railroad track,
flung the reins to an amazed bystander.
and, stl liking the white lantern from the
hand Of the astonished official, she seized
the ominous red lantern from it's hook, and
springing upon the track, waved it in the
very teeth of the coming train.
Two sharp, short whistles told her that
her signal was seen, and a moment later
the train came to a stop, and the officers
rushed our to see what iJ.all meant.
Floss told them in a few brief words,
and one of the men at the station went
forward to confer with the train from
Golosha, which had not yet been telegraph
ed from the next station beyond.
The man waited fifteen minutes before
Kirke's train slid on the siding, and it was
then known that but for the decision of
one young girl, the two trains must have
collided four miles beyond behring's Cut.
When told the story Kirke looked at
his watch.
The man from the station looked at his
Kirke's was ten minutes behind time!
You want to know how it happened
Certainly you must have guessed. Halli-
day did it. A man was found the next
day who confessed to have seen Jack tam
pering with the time pieces in the engine
house that night, but he had thought moth
ing of it, he said.
Jack? o., he left town, and was last
heard of in Australia. His little game was
not a success.