The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-08-27

| Ine Pheasant WOru. VI course u q SOb
the grand bounce if the thing had got to
headquarters; but my fireman liked to
learn. an as long as he didn't find no fault
at his double work it want no one else's
funeral. So the thing lasted two weeks
such soft job couldn't run long-an' then
the bottom fell out.
"But Mary an me had come to be right
smart friends by that time; an when I
was put on the passenger blowed sig-
nal jest before come to the house, an
she d stand in the door an swing her sum
bonnet at me as We passed.
"Of course you all know that most O
the Western roads was built on bogus
plan. The farmers along the proposed
line was persuaded to give mortgages on
their farms, to be used as collateral to
borrow money on, the railroad companies
guaranteein' to pay the interest on the
mortgages and pay tie farmers handsome
dividends on the stock they took in ex-
change for the mortgages, SOS it 'u'd be
all in pocket with them, an never cost 'em
a cent. All went lovely till the mortgages
fell due. Then the companies busted;
the stock want worth cuss; an the far
mers had to clear off their mortgages
themselves, or git kicked out o house an
home. Wwa'nt more'n human natur that
they should rile at that; an fur awhile
they pulled up tracks an dumped trains
into the ditch kinder promiscuous, you
bet!
oval, as the fall passed, the evenin's
got shorter, until l didn't git to Mary's
house until after dark Then she used to
stand in the open doorway, with the light
behind her, or, when it stormed, at q
winder.
"One night pulled out dead ag'in' a
tearin' north-wester. 1t was blacker'n the
inside of stone ink-bottle, out; an the
rain lashed ag'in' the cab winder SOS |
couldn't see through the glass, anyway.
Gust by Mary's house there was quite
down-grade, an at the end O. that grade
curve round the face of bluff, with a
thirty-foot fall on the outside of it-a
mighty nasty place to git ketched, ole
hoss, or I'm liar! l thought about it
before l got thar; but says to myself,
says I:
GA man that's born to be hung IL never
git drownedp
$50 pushed ahead, as usual"
Gust before comm to the Lockworth
farm | blowed my signal an stepped back
out o the cab, to see the light in the win
der. The trees was jest more'n lashin' an
tossin', as l could see by the flashes O
lightnin'; but thar want no light.
81 was a-goin' to step back into the cab,
mighty disappointed, considerin' it was
such leetle thing, when crash come some
thing through the cab winder. By fash
of lightnin' l caught glimpse of woman
standin' beside the track, bareheaded, an
with her hair an clos blowin' wild, an,
heard shrill voice scream:
"Cap! Cap! Capt.
ga glance showed me the frame of
lantern rollin' on the cab floor. That was
enough. | knowed it meant danger.
"To whistle fur brakes like mad-to re-
verse the leyer-to throw the throttle
wide-to sand the track-didn't take no
time at all. An then swung out on the
step an looked ahead, while my fireman
was strainin' the tender-brake to the last
notch.
at seemed an age before she begun to
slack up; an when she come to a stand
still the nose O. the pilot was within ten
feet of as dev'lish device as you ever
seen. Halfway round the curve, an in
the very worst place, a crosspiece was spik-
ed to the track, an on this was an incline,
p'intin' our way, fur the pilot to run up
on.
81 reckon thar was some white faces,
when the passengers piled out O. the car
an seen that they had come within ten
feet O kingdom come! Some one asked
me how found it out in time to stop her.
l didn't answer .cI nary word; but,
jumpin' on that engine again, left the
boys TO remove the obstruction while I
backed that train to the Lockworth farm.
81 found her beside the track, jest whar
she stood when we passed her, the wind
a-blowin' SOS she could hardly keep her
feet, an the rain a-blindin' of her almost.
When jumped down, she nabbed me by
both arms, an screamed, hysterical-like:
"'Oh, Cap! Oh, Capt.
"Then everything seemed to give way;
an she was as limp as an empty sack.
''She had overheard farmer what had
seen his family sot out O. doors, threaten
to dump train fur the railroad swindlew,
; an watchin' n'--because that was my run,
boys!-had discovered the plan to pile my
/ train over the bank. Krowin' that
I