The Van Buren press., 1879-10-25
don't know; what does mother

|
"Oh, mamma, do ?" said Nell, who's,
heart was even softer thar Fred's.
"Oh, 'es, mamma, do" urged littl,
Willie.
Mamma thus appealed to looked per
picked Her motherly heart had gon,
out toward the lonely little stranger, bu
she had many cares and quite children
enough to occupy both heart and hands
I'm help take care of her." pleaded
Fred.
1--WE might keep her awhile" MANN,
said, and SO we did.
Willie clapped his hards and criec
Hurrah! Nell said, aOh, goody 2
Fred said, "That's jolly!" but Quiz
said nothing, only took up her fork ant
went on with her dinner. D
In time we all became .fery much at
tached to her. Her demuse, funny way.
were constant source Of amusement
and she was gentle, atfectiouate aud gen
erous. al
But it was Fred who held complete po
session of her heart. For him she saved
half Of her candy, apples and other good
les, for him she learned 10 sew, draw
pictures and write letters, and when she
came to go to school it was to him she
confded all her troubles and trumphs
and to him she went for all and assis.
tance in mastering hard sums, and so We
called her Fred's protege.
When she first went to school Fred
gave her the name Of Orphania, and the
children called her Orphie," but she re.
tanned her habit of asking questions
about everything, and so, partly for fun
and partly because the name suited her,
we continued to call her Quiz, and thus
things went on until she was twelve years
old and Fred was twenty.
One day Fred went to the city on bus
mess for papa, and we did not expect him
home until the eight clock express came
in the evening. Toward night, there came
up furious storm; it thundered and
llghtened, the wind blew and ratified the
window easements, while at times the
rain fell in torrents. As we were all
seated around the evening lamp with our
work and studies, mamma shivered and
wondered if Fred had an overcoat with
him, and ifpapa. who bad not come up
from the Office, would think to take one
over to the station.
A few minutes afterward Quiz arose
and slipped quietly out Of the room, but
we thought nothing lit. for she was Ia
the habit of slipping away without say.
ing anything, and we concluded that she
had either gone to the kitchen to Biddy,
or else had gone to her own room.
She had none neither, however. Step
ping quietly into the hall she had frs,
put on her thick water proof and rubbers
then lighted Freds lantern, taking bis
oyercoat from the nail, went softly GU,
of the front door into the driving storm
The wind almost blew her over, and
the rain beat hard on ber face; but she
only tossed her head detiantly, and whis.
pere1:
1.-The elements cannot beat me.
know them they obeyed my voice once. y
just then the wind caught up her cape
and blew 1t over her head in such q man
ner that she could not zee where to step,
and stumbled against the fence and al
most fell down.
The saucy wind twisted and pulled al
her clothing, the rain beat into her face,
and the thunder rumbled and roared on
every hand.
But Quiz didn't care; she struggled
braAely GU until she reached an old dis.
used shed near the bridge which she had
to cross on her way to the depot. Here
she paused moment, partially sheltered
from the storm, to regain her breath be
fore attempting the highly exposed
bridge.
The village streets were deserted, FOR
no one would venture out in such a storm
unless urgent business called them, yet
Quiz heard voices quite near her
She was frightened at first, but listen
ed moment and finding that they came
from the shed against which she was lean
ing, she was about to hurry on when q
sentence attracted her attentiod and she
stood still and listened.
but, Jim, the hull train'll 60 to
smash
"Don't kere guess it'll teach 'em not
tn discharge feller like me fur nothin'.
You see johnson, the engineer, and Hink-
ley, the conductor, are the ones that re
ported me. The bridge is turned now
anyhow, Corey an Kemp. the bridge-ten-
ders, are dead drunk, and there's nothin'
fur you an but tn skulk, and see 'em
all go to Satan"
The bridgt turned Quizs heart gave
a grert jump, and then sank like lead
her head grew dizzy, and che was o bliged
to lean hard against the shed to keep
from falling.
Then she stepped cautiously around
the corner OF the shed, and, with beating
heart, looked down the river. A fash
Of lightning showed her the railroad
bridge turned, and the dark river rolling
between it and the bank where the ex-
press train would soon appear. In imag-
ination she saw the locomotive plunge
down the bank, followed one after anoth
er by the cars loaded with passengers
unaware Of approaching death She
heard the shrieks of the poor victims as
they were buried in the crash, and the
groans of the dying as they struggled
with the waves, or lay gasping meath the
rnins.
Then she covered her face with her
hands to shut out the vision and thought
could she save them9 But how2 What
should she do /? Go back homer There
were none but helpless women there.
Hurry on to tell papap 1t would be too
Into