South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1879-09-26


on the road. Why, she couldn't 60
wrong IL she vas to try! Are we-are
we far from tue draw bridge?'
The fireman suddenly started to his
feet, with hoarse. gasping cry,
The signall' be shouted. Tho red
light! Stop here. for Gods sake Sound
down brakes! We are on tho bridge.
aud the draw Is openr
In less than second the mists and
drowsiness and fatal lethsrgy seemed to
clear away from the engineers brain and
he bad fully comprehenlcd the awful
terror OF the situation---thc express
train rushed at dizzy speed toward the
yawnirg gulf; beueath which lay the
black river.
The signal And he had not seen Il.
Pretty Grace Arden. with the words
OF warning that he had lau ghed at-,he
coy hearihstone or the, Sheperd's Arms.
where the liquor had sparkIed redly
against the firelight-all his previous
life-seemed 10 rise up before him in
that second, with death beckoning dark
ly beyond. Mechanically he sounded
the whistle, sharp and shrill-brief, un-
earthly shrieks-and then sprang out
into the darkness, through which the red
light streamed like an eye Of sullen FIRE.
lie had done all he could TO save the
fated train, and he grasped blindly at
the one chance in five hundred for his
own lie. 1t was just possible that he
might in the rush and darkness chance
to alight in the coarse To1den. trestle-
work on the bridge, and cvon il he were
precipitated into the water why. it would
only be second or 90 sooner; thu
was all.
He sprung, and striking with bis
shoulders against a beam, lost all con
seriousness in the instant that the train
SKINNED by him its long array Of lights
cleaning and vanishing, the faces here
and there looking out Of the windows.
all unconscious that they were going TO
death.
a bleak December day. with the snow.
flakes clicking against the window pancs.
wood fire cracking on the hearth, and
Grace Arden's light figure coming and
going like little brown robed sister Of
charity, Royal Meriam's eyes vaguely
took in these things, lying among his
pillows before he remembered
Remember Remember that he was
an oulcast among men--a murderer!
Grace, he gasped, tell me !! How
came here? How was saved?'
They found you or the bridge, dear,
Hush You must not talk much. You
are very weak and feeble. You we're
quite unconscious and terribly bruised
'And-the train was it totally wreck.
ed?'
1T wasn't wrecked at all said C race.
with frightened face. The draw was
not OPEN
Not OPEN
No. 1t had been, but was just closed
again, and the man had not yet taken
down the open signal when the express
rushed on without any warning whatev-
er. They stopped it on the other side
and missed you
M ono vas Killed, then?' he shud.
dered, feeling as if a mountain Of hor-
ror was lifted from his breast.
Not one
Grace he whispered. hoarsely, draw
ing her down to him, i was drunk
Royal
Yes, was; and ifthe train had been
wrecked the blood OF all those helpless
passengers. men, women and children
would have been on my head. Cod be
thanked that he has not punished me as
I deserve.
Grace put her hand softly on his
throbbing forehead.
Don't think about it, darling she
said. in low voice. The past is gone,
bu. the future is oil our own
And in that future, Royal Merriam, a
prematurely old aud crippled man, lived
10 atone for all the faults and follies Of
his youth. He never rc-entered the pro-
fession-ho had not nerve enough for
that, he was wont to say, even if they
would have trusted him again but he
worked hard and earnestly for his bread,
with Grace, his wife, standing Loyalty
by his side. And never in all the long
years that followed did q drop OF ardent
spirits ever pass between his lips.
Il have had my lesson he said, and
IL is not one o. the kind that Ber read.
lily forget