Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1878-02-21
heather had not yet forsaken it

read it to him. Kirke made
note of it in his pockct-boo'
"Pay train on the line. Wi
meet you just west of Iced
at 1915. Shut on to the sit
ing at Dering's. Cut, and wal
"WnATELY.'
Kirke's watch hung on a ma
beside the clock. 1t was a tar
cy Of his always to hang
there when he was off a trail
SO that he could make no mis-
take in the time.
He glanced at the clock, am
from it to his watch. Both in
dicated the same hour-7:15.
| "7:15," said Kirke, meditat
ingly, "and we leave at Toe
and the pay train meets us a
Dering's Cut at 1915. Scan
time to make the run in thi
thick weather, but it must b.
managed" And he turned a
way to give some brief order
to his fireman.
Jack Halliday was there--h,
had been strolling in and out OF
the room for the past half hour
smoking cigar, and swearing
at the bad weather. His trair
did not leave until near mid
night, SO he had plenty of time
to swear.
We all went to The door ant
took q look at the weather, anC
unanimosly voted it deuced bad
and then we walked up anc
down the platform, and smoked
our after supper cigars, and by
the time we were through it was
time for the train hands to be
getting to their places. Both
the clock in the engine-room
and Kirke's watch indicated
7:40.
Kirke was putting his watch
in his pocket as he said:
"Garth, are you going with
me on the Flyaway?"
"No, thank ye," said I. 81
get enough of that sort of thing
in my everyday life. 1 am 60
ing to do a little swell business
tonight, and take passage in
the palace car. Want 10 rest
my back. Goodnight to ye,
and hold her in we'll round
Rocky Bottom curve. The
road-bed's a little shaky."
"Aye, aye, sirl" responded
Kirke, and swung himself to
his position on the Flyaway.
The bell rang--I scrambled
to my compartment in the
Pullman, and felt horribly out
of place among the silks and
broadcloths and smells Of musk.
But l was in for "first class"
and made the best of it SO eff
fectually that five minutes af-
ter Gibson, who fancies he owns
all creation because he has got
4 silver coffin-plate on his breast
with aCoNDUCToR" Oh it, had
"AlI aboard!" ! was
sound asleep.
What occurred in other quar-
ters to affect the fate of Kirke's
rain / learned afterwaId.
Old Whately, the superin-
tendent of the road, as / guess
have already said, had a coun-
-ry residence in Leeds, on. a
mountain spur, which command
ID a view of the surrounding
for more than score
If miles. The line of the rail-
way could be distinctly seen in
ZACH direction fifteen miles, and
was wont to say his
ookont was worth more to the
afety of the trains than all the
elegraph wires on the line.
Whately was rich old buff
er, good enough in his way, but
harp as a ferret in looking af-
er the road hands, and deter
mined that every man should do
lis duty.
He had but one child,a daugh-
er; and Floss Whately was the
,elle of the country. She was
,rave, beautiful, and spirited,
md more than once when her
ather had been away, had she
ssCmed the responsibility of
Erecting the trains, and she
lad always acquitted herself
Iith credit.
Old Whately was very proud
# her, as he had a right to be,
nd he had kept all the young
elbows at a distance, until it
vas said he intended keeping
lis daughter single until the
Jzar of all the Russians came
N to marry her.
This night in November, old
" hately and Floss were out on
he piazza of their country
Iome, pecring through the
loom and fog for the Golosha
rain, which was nearly due.
cit is devilish strange it does
ot come in sight" said Whate-
=, laying down his night-glass
q disgust. dts hard on to