The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-07-04
WHOLE NO. 1856.

over i'm To keep the sleet fl, "a oue
gues ahead with lantern. and two
or three more about with Iauters ; IS
TO lIghs the way. Wen we y,r to
tie break it was just as ] expected.
Track, road, culvert. everything
gone, clean as cut of with a knife
The water was pi.ehin' down the
run six feet, carryin' big rocks and
boulders that pounced aud pumped
from side to side and up Into the air
clear out of the water. 1t was aw-
ful to look at. How the child &c,
over the gap. which was at least %
feet wide, don't know. A tree had
come down and lodged erosswsys,
and | suppose be must gone over
that. Wen we come TO il we was
most afraid to try it, for if you slip
ped of the log it was all day with
you. didn't like to trust the boys,
n l ses to Jake. "Crazy, you won't
drop the baby. will you?" Hepoints
down into the break, u ses: "Lath-
am, we'd all be down there, every
mothers son of US, but for your little
pard. I'd drop my soul first"
Well ! we got i'm home safe at last
Mary was asleep when we got to the
house, and scared as bad as me when
she learned what was up. We put
i'm back into his bed, %. sure enough
he never walked up. Next mernin'
they threw trestle over the break,
and trains was runnin' ag:n. But
the doctor stayed with us. Just out
Of bis own head, you know, but be
seemed anxious. Seemed as though
be took to the child. Don't wander
at that, neither. Most every body
did.
| watched by i'm all that night, n
towards day ] got out all his old
Christmas things N set 'em on the
table near the bed where be could see
them the first thing. But fever
came on i'm, % wen be woke be was
out of bis head. Ispeaks to i'm and
ses: "How goes it, Pard ?" But
be didn't know me. That was
Thanksgiving day, you know. n l
sat there by i'm hopin' / could give
Inn his things and have our holiday
jest az we used to do. But he KEEP
gettin' worse from hour to hour.
He was sick jest one week and
wanderin' and wild from first to last.
| stayed with i'm all the time, for
hadn't wits enough left to handle
machine and the boys sent word not
to bother myself about business and
they'd see me through. So between
them they did my duty and No 30
went up and down in her regular
runs Jest as if was at the lever N.Y.
self You know | was tellin' about
the water tank near the house. 1t
didn't used to be used much, but
that week it seemed as though there
wasn't train either way. that didn't
get out of water just there, and some
of 'em would come over n see about
the boy. And their wives kept send
in nice things--and they was oil
poor people, too. You see somehow
1t travelled about fast what little
Pard had done stoppin' the train
that Eight, a be such a might of q
child. N it got into the newspapers,
n the President of the road came up
to see i'm n oil that. But be jest
went on from day to day, for Death
struck i'm from the first moment as
he stood there in the winter rain.
From his talking while be was de-
lirious we found out pretty much all
how it was. / reckon be heard the
storm in his sleep n the roarin' of the
rue, p that set i'm to dresmin' OF
course be knew it was my night, n
had often told i'm what bad place
il was and what to do if anything
hsppened-never thinking that bed
60 to doin' it bisself. But be gifts up
in his sleep, takes his lantern, and
goes out to meet me- I'D be a sit
tin there wstchin' of i'm by bis bed,
n he'd begin first, jest kind o. NUT
term, q I'd hear him say, softly
like, as if be was talkin' to hisself:
"Pard's due at the run In twenty
minutes. kin get there 10 timen
'Peared like it was all goin'
through his mind sgin' and be was
doin' over sgin jest what be did that
night. We could tell wen be got to
the place where the road broxe, for
be aes, "Kin | get over that log ?"
If don't nv psrd will be killed
Then be seemed as though be was
goin' down to the curve where we
found i'm. N he'd shiver like as if
the cold rain was strikin' him.
You see we could mostly foller i'm
by watchin' and ketchin' what he
said. Onct or twict be shook right
hard, ard his teeth chartered. We
thought it was the cold he was feelin'
agin as he felt it out there in the
night with nothin' on 'im. Then he
keeps still awhile like be was waitin'
and listenin' for the train, and you'd
see i'm hold bis breath iearin' be
couldn't ketch the sound Pretty |
soon be speaks agin, gently like. aud
ses:
Kin be see the light in timey
N be waits bit. Next be jumps
up in bed on bis knees and screams
out at the top of his voice:
Stop her, Psrd. Stop 29p
Stranger, I've seen frigbtful things
10 my time, but never seen things
so awful rs that was. Pale and wild,
with the fever on him, that mere baby
was trying to make me hear, sod the
wind how lin and the rain rosrin' the
way il was. N we'd try to keep i'm
still, n his mother would coax 'im n
Try TO quiet him. q he'd scream agin
'Culvert's gone Stop her pard y
N I'D take i'm in nay arms, n bed
be all of quiver. Then it seemed
like be heerd me whistle, for be ses
All right He's blowin' brakes
N | pu. him back in bed, n be
lays still a mint like be was listeuin'
n ses:
He's reversin' of 80, he is My
Psrd-Pard's safe