The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-01-03
THE FATAL PRESENTIMENT.

CLOVIS the connection, ConductorTom?"
"On the cot, Harry, and Wen get away
on time, sure"
'WelI, I'm glad of it, for, TO tell truth,
l don't feel like fast running tonight"
''Ain't losing your grip, are you, Harry?'
"Well, for this night, maybe | am but
you need not fear but that I'll make time.
I'm feeling blue 10 night that's all, and
have Oeen trying to convince myself that
it all comes from Indigestion, although |
always thought heretofore that my inside
works were built on the ostrich order"
"And pray what has happened to give
you the blues old fellows You have
good lump on pay day and | have heard
you more than once say that you had a
cuzy home paid for aud owed no man
penny. What, theu, pray, is there TO give
you the blues ?"
''You may possibly laugh at me, Tom,
but, the fact is, it all comes from pre-
sentiment"
No, my boy, I'll not laugh at you but
I'll say that 1 am surprised that one with
your strength of mind, aud freedom from
superstition, should give way to that cloak
to idle fears ycept preseutiment.'
'sRut, dear Tom, remember in how many
cases these preseutiment's IF danger and
death have come true. There was the case
of Llewcllyu Wymmess, the Welsh eugi-
neer. He told a dozen Of us that he would
be killed at the Black Raviue some time,
and vel | remember how we laughed at
I him, aud attributed it all to the Old Country
superstition that still cluug to bin. Aud
/ what was the result? In less than a month
/ poor Wymmess was hurled over into the
/ Black Raviue and crushed Out of all re-
semblauce to humanity ere he reached the
[ ditch below, with engine and cars pileo a
/ top Of him. How do you account for that?'
Il grant you, Harry, there have been
cases where these premouitions of death
have come to pass exactly as foret0ld by
! the one having the premoni;iUu OF present.
| ment. But, then, i. don't follow that a
/ tithe Of these superstitious come true. 1t
/ gets to be chronic habit with some to
. have them for a time and then forget them
. until new cause for uueasIuess arises"
"A railroad man knows the must danger
Gus points of the road, aud where an ac-
cideut is most likely TO occur. From think
ing Of it often the idea becomes fixed IN his
mind that at that very point he may meet
his death. The transaction from that i.
easy enough to the settled conclusion tGat
he will be killed "a; that very point.
think that was the case with Nymmes.
and others you may have Ia mind. anc
these condolences have had the effect o
Strengthening the same superstition IN th'
minds OF Others
.sYour Argument is reasonable. / II admit
| 1 y
this pTeseuriment became implanted in m.
mind | have striven TO drive il away b,
every means, but in vain. II grows strong
er with each passing hour, and to day
. made all my arrangements, SO that, shOUl,
be side tracked by Superintendent Deatb
my dear ones shall be provided for. Tom
old boy, you and | have put in many da.
and night on the road together, but | ieal
that | am about at the end Of my run
aud that my feet viii soon press the foo
board fOT the last time"
''Wel, well, Harry, we've all got to g
sometime, and railroad man should al
ways be prepared for his hual runuin
switch But it's waxing toward our time
and I'll go i'm and see if we're to be bother
ed with OrdeIs.'
'.My word for 1t old fellow, you'll forge
all about your dismissal prophecy, or pre-
sentiment or whatever you may be please
to call It, when you are shaking the dus
out Of the train, and once more feel the eX
hiaratiug gallOp OF your melted charger.
Conductor Tom went off laughing, an
Harry returned to his engine and busie
himself in getting every Thing in shape t
leaving con the dot
\ few minutes later the connection cam
in, aud when Harry received the signal {
. pull out, the face of the big depot clOc
: seemed wreathed in smiles as the hand
,
;he night express on the \. & b. II. I
was leaving ''un time"
But the geuiu- cf good luck deserte
them ere a run OF fifty miles had bee
made. At Hamlet a freight engine off th
track at the switch detained them half a
hour, and that nccesSitated fast running
make the meeting pOiA. at HicksvIle Il
Z the fast line.
At Auburn fifteen minutes were lost
Saving" by freights; aud when, ia star
ing from Conway the link between the e
- gine and expies, car broke, Engineer llarl
r begged his fireman tu 90 somewhere out
e hearing, aud use sfufug words for two.
e Through the inadvertauce OF the brak
I, man not = link was 90 be found on Il
.faiu. aud while search was being mae
for one, much valuable time was lost, ce
tain passengers who were chronic grur
. bleis at any cause Of delay, held quite :
Indignation meeting little thinking that
= this very circumstance they would, throus
L Providence, owe their lives.
+, At last a CT; cked link that had be-
.t....,,.. agf,Ia ~ yv.tfhlaES WAS found. T.