Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-09-26


Tim had been Winn's stoker.
Two little country doctors, surgeons say,
who, in default of anything to be done for
poor Tim had been sitting on n boulder, con
sulting over little bottle of whisky, came
towards the Flyer
Ellis wife ?'-to Babcock "No; they
haven't found him yet. It's not ten minutes
since they took this one out She going
down 2"
Mob was tearing her way through the
blackberry vines around the mouth of the
Gully.
"Here, madam. | wouldn't advise you to
go down. They'll bring him up as soon as
found. If you eW 90, though, you'd better
take little something stmulnting-hc :"
Meb didn't turn. Down the rough dcciv-
ity,--over lodges, bushes, boulders, tripping
against wheels, stumbling over mass Of
broken sidings, sinking ankle deep in grain
-Babcock and the doctors following with n
confused murmur of, Great strain "nerv-
GUS system'-a little something stimulating" ="
The shattered Bucephalus had been drawn
out, and fires that had started up from the
scattered Goals been extinguishod ; but no man
knew what flames might be slyly creeping on
beneath the mass.
The men working in the deJris did not oh.
serve Meb until her voice, like steel iayclin
smote the sides of the Gully: "Winn :"
Inyoluntariy every hand paused, and the
cry broke through the silence
"Winn, Vim q"
Then, faint and feeble only few feet
away,-a little back, little beneath came the
response
Here, Meb here
They clustered upon that part of the ruins 4:
they piled axe, and pulley, and lever. lift
ing wheels and trucks, tossing aside grain.
throwing off giIders and fragments Of sid
ings.
Up on the track stood three petroleum cars
a fourth lay halfway down with its stout
guard broken, its sides battered, but thank
God whole. A fifth, hurled on the sharp
projecting rocks, had been rent. and poured
its contents through the wheat 4 dozen
grain cars had been crushed and piled in be-
tween this place and the engine, but how rap
idly the petroleum would penetrate, or how
quickly it might be ignited by some uuextin-
guished ember no man could tell
sudden pause in the work. they had
reached Vim. A silence like that following
Aleb's ry,-thry had drawn him forth. Up
the sides Of the ravine struggled the process
sion, stretcher. woman, physicians, men
with AIDES, axes, shovels, crow bars
No one observed a slender spire Of blue
smoke that curled up at the edge of the sat
urated grain but in less than ten minutes
all the wreck was a mass of cracking, roaring
flame, flame blazing up in red and blue
points to the cool, moon.lit heavens. tapping
the wcather-bcaten sleepers Of the bridge,
and swapping through the branches of the
oyerhanging hemlocks but Vim was safe
safe upon the track
He had lain with his lower limbs too near
the escaping steam. FastidiOus people, read
ing of the accident in the morning papers.
wished reporters would spare the public such
horrible details
The doctors administered brandy and in
jected morphine, and Whn WAS unconscious
of much pain. While the train backed rapid
ly down to the Olinchy turn-table he lay with
his head upon a pillow in Meb's lap, looking
up at her silently. His eyes fell at length
from her face TO her shoulders.
"Oughtnt you to have worn something
thicker"
so, don't winn you'll kill me if you think
of me now, ="
The first tears Meb had shed since those
ELECTED 10y Mr.. Charlie Fordyces tender sym
pathy, raincd on Winn's upturned face
The rush onward was electric with hope
Winn might die, but he was alive and had
spoken The engine shouted its ecstacy;
the plumy pines Of Gobble thrilled, and the
rocky eragS Of Bear lifted grateful faces
Hes alive shouted Ebal. Alive"
echoed Gcrzarim alive" repeated the
shining river in thousiIhd variations.
The Flyer was racing through the tortuous
dcfile now. On and on to the open plain
again, and familiar buildings rushing past.
Were almost home, Vim, home Do
you understand =
Meb bent, covering one side of Winn's face
with her tears and kisses; wiping it dry with
the precious illusion that had unfastened and
danglrd from her throat.
The house WINS LIGHTED linen AIRING nv the
kitchen fire, and that colorless Mrs. Weir
moving about with wet bandage around her
head.
Railroad men thronged in, proTering as
sistance.
Under the circumstances she can't wish
him to live Mr.. Charlie Fordyco had re-
marked upon his way down.
Once in passing through the hall, Meb en-
countered Mr.. Fordyce.
''Is there anything in my power to do for
you? = he inquired mprt ssivcy.
Mr.. Fordyce had nothing in his own ma
ture, observation or experience to teach him
the revulsion Of healthy soul toward any in
dividual once instrumental in diverting its
sentiments from legitimate channels.
As he stood attitudiuizing with his grand
mothers eyes, Mob turned and surveyed
him
She hated his soft voice, hat, Il his great
limpid eyes, hated him, hated him, hdted
him
You? Oh! yes; you might 60 to the
druggists The doctor wishes to send. If
Winn dies there is nothing in the whole wide
world for which care"
Mr. Fordyce shrank little. He had ex-
pected nothing less than opportunity to con-
sole her with an honorable reticence in ex-
preston.
Then followed weeks wherein the rival
powers of the physical world, life and death,
locked arms and cOntended for dominion over
Wnn. Life came off hard pressed. wound
ed victor. 1t was long after be was out of
danger before the man seemed to lht for OBJ
servation the remaining threads Of his con
nection with the world
One morning when Meb, who had been
singing about the kitchen, came in with his
beef, eggs, and ale, he threw out his hands
and cried:
80, Meb, why didn't you let me goy 1t
was cruel to keep me,-a cripple What can
ever be? z"
Meb sat down the waiter, grasped one of
the sick, corded hands, and raised 1t to her
lips.
sing all the time. You are a living, thinking,
feeling human being in Gods good world
and Just to be that is worth everything. Isn't
it? 1t is worth everything for me. We shall
get along just see how large and strong my
wrists are"
Winn could have clasped three such wrists
between his thumb and fore-fnger.
Railroad mon are a generous set. There
was the aid from the Brotherhood. There
were packages of groceries mysteriously in
troduced within the front gate on dark nights,
express wagons unloading at the back door,
and rattling off before any questions could be
asked, young bachelors bringing handker-
chiefs to be hemmed and rents to be darned,
and then paying unheard-o prices with an
overwhelming citation of precedents.
About the date of the surprise-party that
presented Winn with the wheel-chair, some
difficulty arose at the office in connection
with Mr.. Charlie Fordyces figures.
A firmly established kind of antagonism
seems to exist between figures and gentlemen
of Mr.. Fordyce's tastes and principles, in
whatever station in life they may move. An
investigation was entered upon, and Mr.. For
dyce quietly disappeared.
The position was reserved until Winn
,Vas able In come down on his artificial limb