The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-02-28

hold Of Johnny's hand. Mr.. Tomkins,
when the passengers had left. stepped
back into the cars, and Johnny went
with him.
"Stay here, Johnny, in this seat,
and / will come after you,'' and Mr..
Tomkins placed Johnny in warm
seat near the stove in a rear car. The
train stopped over night at that station,
and Mr.. Tomkins thought he could
safely leave his little boy in the car 3
minute or two.
From that station down to the next,
at Rowe's Factory, it was a-down-grade
all the way. Start a car at the station
above, and it would jog along itself,
going more and more rapidly, till it
reached Rowe's Factory, where the
grade changed. And what should
Johnny car conclude to do but start off
for little trip on its own account to the
factoryp The brakeman had carelessly
unshackled it, not understanding an or
der given him, and when the locomo-
tive ahead happened to back the train
little, Invent bump against the rear
car, and started it en- an undesirable
journey.
Johnny was startled when he looked
up and saw that the car was in motion,
and a good deal frightened when, see
ing nothing before or behind the car,
he knew it was loose, and cruelty rum
ming away with him in the dark!
just then he caught the flash of
sharp, red light away down the track!
His heart gave such jump! He
knew enough about the trains to un-
derstand what it all meant. "a train!
trainr' he thought, "and we shall
surely go''-Johnny hardly dared fin
ish the thought. If he had, it would
have been, "go-crash into one an
otherr'
What could he dop
There came into his mind the words
of his mother about little boys weak
ness and Gods strength. He dropped
on his knees there in the aisle of the
car, and asked God to help little boy
in a runaway car.
He opened his eyes, and saw away
down the track the sharp fiery light.
One light made him think of another.
There was his fathers red lantern all
lighted near the stove. Why couldn't
he wave it at the car end toward the
approaching trainp Wouldn't the en-
gineer see it?
He snatched the light, ran to the end
of the car, and there he stood on the
platform, waving the lantern.
"What is thatp' said William Mar
ston, looking from the cab window of
the locomotive that was laundering
along, bringing on the evening express.
"A warning aheadr' said he to Jones,
the fireman. At the same time he shut
off the steam, reversed the engine, put
on the air-brakes, and whistled the
danger-signal. What sharp, shrill
cry!
"What is the matterp" said the pas
bobbing out of the car windows, like
turtles coming to the top Of the water.
"Dangerr' called one to another, as
they saw the light ahead waving.
The express came to a stop, and then
commenced to back, back, going faster,
trying to get out of the way of Johnny's
car, that was now rapidly dashing for
ward, the red light swinging steadily.
Away went the express train in safe
ty beyond the station at Rowe's Fac
tory, and Johnny's car was switched on
a side-track by station hand, and
came at last to stop, as the grade
changed at the Factory and slanted up
again.
When the passengers of the express,
stepping out, saw a little fellow with
red light on the platform of the rum
away car, and heard his story, cheer
after cheer for him went up in the
stiffness of the night.
A purse of money for him was quick
ly made up, but that was little to
Johnny compared with the comfort he
took in thinking he had saved perhaps
a hundred lives, that might have been
lost had the express train dashed into
the runaway car, and everything been
pitched down the steep bank.
So much for adding Gods strength
to a little fellows weakness.-E. a.
Rand, in Youths Companion.