The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-06-02

the matter at all, we thought we a
wrenged Halliday by suspicious
1t was d dark night in November, with
considerable fog in the air, and strong
appearances Of rain.
was at Golosha, the northern termi-
nus of our road, looking after some
repairs on a defective boiler, and / was
going down to New York on the 1850
train-Kirke's train.
About seven there came a telegram
from old Whately, whose summer resi-
dence was nearly midway between Co.
losha and New York, and the old heather
had not yet foraker it for the city. The
telegraph operator came into the house
where Kirke was at work (for he was
always at work) and read it to him.
Kirke made q note of it in his pocket
book:
Paw train on the line. VIII meet you
lust west of Leeds at6iO;15. Shunt on
to the siding at behring's Cut, and
wait. WHATELY.
Kirke's watch hung on a nail beside
the clock. It was a fancy of his always
to hang it there when he was off the
train, SO that he couh make no mistake
in the time.
He glanced at the clock, and FRONT
to his watch. Both indicated the same
hour-7:15.
"7:15," said Kirk, m~editatively, "and
we leave at 1850, and the pay train
meets us at Dee1:ngs cut at 1915.
Scant time to make the run in this
thick weather, but it must be man
aged"
And he turned away to give some brief
orders to the fireman.
Jack Halliday was there-he had..been
strolling in and out of the room for the
pasthalf hour, smoking acigar, and swear.
ing at the bad weather. His train did
not leave until near midnight, so he had
plenty of time to swear.
w all went to the door and took a
look at the weather, and unanimously
voted it deuced bad, and then we
walked up and down the platform, and
smoked u atter-supper cigars, and by
the time we Were through it was time
for the train hands to be getting into
their places. Both the clocks in the en-
CINE room and Kirke's watch indicated
TAO.
Kirke was putting his watch in his
pocket as he said:
"Garth, are you going with me Oh
the Flyawayw
"No, thank ye,' saidI, 81 get enough
of that sort of thing in MY everyday
life. / am goingto do a little swell bus,
9 mess tonight, and take passage in the
palace Car. Want to rest my back. Good
night to you, and hold her in we'll round
=, Rocky bottom curve. The road-bed's a
q little shaky."
"Aye, aye, sir" responded Kirke, and
swung himself to his position on the
! Fiyaway.
:, The bell rang-I scrambled to my
compartment in the Pullman and felt
horribly out of place among the silks and
~broadeloths and smells of musk. But
was in for "frst-class," and made the
best of it so eRectually that five minutes
after Gibsoa, who iancies he owns all
creation because he has got a silver cot.
fin plate on his breast with conductor"
: on it, had shouted, IAN aboard!" I was
. sound asleep. "
!, What occurred in other quarters to
!. affect the fate of Kirke's train, Learned
, afterward.
> Old Wbately, the superintendent Of
!, the road, as I guess I have already said,
had a country residence in Leeds, on a
, mountain spur, which commands a view
of the surrounding country for more
than a score of miles. The line of the
railway could be distinctly seen in each
direction fifteen miles, and Whately
was wont to say his lockout was worth
more to the safety of trains than all the
telegraph wires on the line.
Whately was a rich old buffer, kind
enough in this way, but shary2as q ferret
in looking after the road hands, and de-
termined that every man should do his
duty.
He had but n child, a daughter; and
Floss Whately was the belle of the coun-
try. She was brave, beautiful and spir.
tied, and more than once, when her
father had been away, had she assumed
the responsibility Of directing the trains,
and she had always acquitted herself
with credit.
Old Whately was very proud of her,
as he had a right to, and he kept all the
young fellows at a distance, until it was
said that he intended keeping his daugh-
ter single until the car of all the Rus
slams came on to marry her.
This night in November, old Whately
and Floss were out on the piazza of their
country home, peering through the
gloem and for the Golosha train, which
was nearly due.
"It's very strange it doesn't come in
sightr' said Whately, laying down his
night-glass in disgust. at is hard on to
ten now! They ought to show their
light around Spruce pond by this timep'
"You telegraphed them, father? You