Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-01-12
A DESPERATE RUN.
How Two Trains Were Saved.

one OF the lew holidays which life has
afforded me was made memorable to me
by an event of peculiar sadness. 1t oc-
CURED at secluded little village on the
Welsh coast, which shall call Machno
had retreatcd to this out of the way
nook to finish, in quiet and retirement
the great work on which l was engaged
which was one Gay to electrifv the world
and cover me with laurels. [ may Incl
dentally remark thai it did neither.
When | describe the place as on the
coast, do not mean that it was close 10
the seashore, between which and the vii
lage lay more than two miles of undulat-
ing noorland, traversed bv road which
wound away seward like white ribbon
among gorse and heather
Midway between the village and the
sea, railway--the II. line, which runs
tor many miles parallel to the coast
crossed the moor, intersecting the road
and just beyond the level crossing, with
its two white gates, the main line d.
Verged, following the curve of the coast
toward Corven, while the other set of rails
kept straight course inland to Brynteg.
At this spot stood points-man's Gin the
United States the men are called sswitch
men') cabin, with its trim little garden.
fragrant with mignonette, bright with all
the gaudiest flowers that blow
The little low, long bodied, white.
washed cottage in which I lodged was
the last in the village on the side next
the sea, and my window commanded the
whole extent Of the moor, all ablaze with
golden gorse and the purple heather and
the rich bronze Of whitening ferns. I
could watch the trains for miles as thew
wound, like long black serpents, over the
heath, the light puts Of steam scudding
away before the wind, and dappliug the
ground with fecting shadows.
Fully agreeing with Pope, that ';the
proper stud y Of mankind is man." and
being, moreover, of free and easy Bohem-
Ian HABITS, before had been tenant of
the whltewashed c. ttaee a week I had
established gossipping acquaintance
with every man, woman and child in the
village, had chatted with the coastguard
men at their lonely station, and with the
pointsman at his little cabin, scarceIy
less solitary, near the level crossing.
The responsible post was shared by
two men, who relieved each other every
twelve hours. taking the night duty in
alternate weeks. It was the Younger OF
the two Evan Wynne, who was nv ac-
quaitance, and [ loitered away many an
hour Chatting With him over the white
gate, or, when he was on night DUTY,
smoking il his little cabin, where everv
thing was slowed away, neat and ship
shape, as II it were ready at q moment s
notice to put out TO sea.
L sometimes took 3 moonlight walk
across the moor, where the fresh, salt
breeze came laden with the aromatic
smell of aheath and wild thyme, and
dropped IN Oh my friend the pointsmah.
just IN time to snare the last hour of his
solitary watch, and to walk back to the
village with him when it had expired.
He was staiwart young Welshman, of
an athletic and vigorous build, thou oh
with somewhat too much flesh for perfect
''condition;" a healthy, sanguine com
plexion, with dark brown hair, and
moustache and beard bleached to a light
er shade by exposure 10 wind and weather.
He was an Intelligent fellow, and ex-
cellent company, the path of his destiny
having led him through many varied
scenes OF lite before it brought him to
the village on the moor, and he had a
manly bearing and modest ease of man,
ner which were very taking.
He was bachelor; but from village
gossip which reached me, I gathered that
Mrs. Evan Wynne would shortly be in
troduced into society, and it did not re-
qulre much penetration to divine that a
certain plump, bux m, black haired
young Wclshwoman, with laughing dark
eyes under. her tllted-up sun bonnet,
whose business seemed to take her yerv
often over the level crossing, was the
s'coming woman"
In the course of my tete- a-tetes with
Evan Wynne l acquired an immense
amount of information concerning rail
ways IN general, and the II. line in par
tlcular;l was initiated into the mysteries
OF ''points,' and grew learned on the SUBJ
Ject OF signals: could tell yon the start
lng-polnt and destination Of every train
which passed across the moor, from the
"a 30 up" which was the first in the
morning, to the "12: Is down. which
was the last at night. They were numer-
Gus, for the Il. line is the highway to
Ireland still, the pointsman seemed to
have plenty of leisure at odd times for
Horticulture and gossip.
l remarked as much to him one night
"a silent, moonilt autumn night-as we
leaned against the garden fence, waiting
for the zig 15.n
'You are right, sir, there is not so
mnch to do" he answered; sand yet it
Is life that takes good deal out of q