The Princeton union., 1879-08-20

i
she added, naively, as she walked away,
"but it seems to me should ii were IN
their places, an had as few ferns us they
! has-which you can't count many, don't
you see--only Uncle ammy as planted
the willows an knows the stories about
'cm, an the childer as carries 'em flowers
cos they's afearcd O 'em, an me as like
wise shivers wher t!,e willows blow white,
but feels frenzy, bein' likewise an unfor-
tunatc."
questioned "Unclc Sammy after my
return as sat upon the shady side of the
station platform arranging my flowers,
and he told me the three ''curis' stories,
while the square little girl stood near
with an eager attitude, nodding her round
yellow head emphatically now and then,
as some of her statements to me We're
confirmed.
"W, |, the one that sleeps in the green
est grave, said Uncle Sammy, as he care
fully fashioned a spinning top out of a
bit of white pine board with the keen
blade OF his jack knife, ''was a man about
twenty-five, 1 should jedge, thet was
killed by John Wilbur's freight one bit
ter, stormy day, a matter of seven or
| eight years ago, or so. The poor untor-
tunit was walking on the track, some
three mile abeve here, with his lead
do N, his cap pulled over his face when
| they come upon him in rountlln' curve.
| Afore there was time to pull the bell
! rope, or reverse the ever, the savage
snow-plow had hit him, an his soul had
gone up, up through the whirlin', bind
in snow back to the God who gave it.
sit was one Of the fairest, pleasantcst
| faces ever see when they brought him
here John Wilbur stood out there in tnc
| wind v ith the tears freeZin' onto his pale
| cheeks as he was tell1n the dretful story.
Just to think ont said he, that half an
hour ago this man vas full of life and
hope as any one Of us. 1t goes to show
| us how near our railroad runs to the gate
| of the other world
"Wall, we laid the unfortinite man out
decently in the freight-house office, and
then We telegraphed right and left, tryin'
to find out somethin about him. The
only clew we could git hold on vas that
an Englishman had been askin for work
up at Brackenboro' the day before, and
had been directed to the steam mill here
But in the breast pocket of the poor feller
short jacket was a little letter with no en-.
to it, much worn with many readins'
I knew it by heart. It said, Dear Johns
Baby Mary gro"s finely, and as soon as
she is strong enough to sail over the Sc;
I will join you at Brackenboro' The ole
grandfather IS sad at the thought Of oul
leavin' him behind, but I comfort HIN
every day with the kind words you wrote
t at when we had root of our n will
a willow tree at the door, he should sit ii
the shade of it and sing to the children
the songs Of cid England
1T was the letter Of one not used tC
writin,' guess with no address, but 'The
Willows, England It had no date, anC
was signed Alice Leigh The corners
jury brought in verdict of san unknown
man killed, with no fault Of the road
though it was plain enough to me that
the man was John Leigh of England
We buried him up there on the company
land-''
can Uncle Sammy praeyd for the unfor
TINT like q hero-I We heered' EN- say tha
war there" put in the square little girl
who still stood by with dilated eyes
| WHINING LII CNSly WOlu.
"There bein' no minister here, that wa
, my dooty," said the old man gravely
'sand [ laid away the Door, little worI
5 letter in my wife's upper boory drawer
5 tnat beln my dootY likewise. Wal, W
didn't hear nothin' about any friends Q
, the unfortlnit, and should "a we'll mig
t forgot all about him If Freeman's wifi
: hadn't seen his ghost off and on, whe
$ the wind blew, or the air was full of snow
= or most any time wnen news was skurs
, and there WASH much to talk about.
"One dark, rainy night after the ma
1 had laid out there alone nigh onto a veal
Frank Rays freight run into washou
down the road there by the Glenbroo
G culvert. 1 was in Freeman's wife
l kitchen that evenin', warmin' IN
e hands, and she was te!lin' inc that tn
: unfortnit stranger was mighty uneas
e for some time, that he had been lookil
a iuto her windows off and on all the eve
min till I come. There he is nov, poe
: fellow said she, but looked and didn
IL see nothin', of course. Jest then Fran
y Rays engine come shriekin' into tn
yard.
e ut seemed that the machine run ovt
I. the break safely, but the cars went dow
e through and piled up promiscus' enoug1
e The conductor and two brakemen W;
'e killed, and two passengers that was
n the caboose, probably. That was all IL
l. passengers there happened to be on tn
& night: They always brought more or lie
[e that had missed the 'youg' OWL down b
u low. Twas dretful sad time. My wi
q went down to the wreck with the wiz
s. of the men that was killed, and was the
when the caboose was nghtcd up. Their
1t quite dead in one corner of the short BIZ
T. car, holdin' her pooty baby girl to Ii
IS heart, was as handsome and pure-facc
7ee golden-haired little English woman as
y ever sot eyes on, with II smile restin' I
y her sweet face as if she had been cooil
IS with her last breath to the baby who W
e, smil1n' back at her.
ie "My wife LAID 'em out as decently
VI, VI, she could in the freight house o.lce, .je
IL where the poor dead man had laid-al
:. what do you think? She found pinn
M le into the bosom of the little mothe
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