The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1880-01-14
LOVE AND A LANTERN

LOVE AND A LANTERN
Bsrstow's Siding is small station
on the g. s. and Western Railway,
and located out on the prairie at the
edge of a bit of scruhby woods.
The little village Of Barstow is about
mile from the station, and to reach
it one has to take rough road
through the woods. The line al
this point is perfectly straight, and
reaches to the horizon in both direc-
tions. These facts are essential to o
right understanding of the events
that took place at the station one
night about year ago.
Old Sam Britton, station m ter,
sat by the stove in the switch-house
idly looking at the dull red Goals in
the ugly stove. His daughter Mary,
about nineteen, sat by the little tel
egraph apparatus near the window
that looked out down the line. By
the aid of lantern she was rea ding
a stray newspaper, the Iron .rade
Reciec, strange paper for girl 10
read, but it belonged to q dea- friend,
and some singular pictures had inter
ested her greatly. She did more
She read and listened. Not q thing
stirred in the dull, bare little room
save the restless sounder on her ta-
ble. The incessant clatter of the
machine fell on her ear, and vet she
heard it not. Elm City was talking
to Centerville, forty miles of, and
every word was spelled on her sound
er Yet she heard it not, for her
mind was alert 10 catch another
sound. Her father had lie. fall the
paper be was reading. He could not
read for bitter disappointment kept
bis mind harsssed and troubled.
How long was this default Of pay
ment to the employees of the railroad
company to continue The last
months wages had not been paid,
and another monlh bad nearly pass
ed. The line needed repairing. One
of the signals was broken, and there
were two bad ties on this section.
The trackmen had complained that
very day that new and better tools
we're needed, and that more ballast
was wanting.
Suddenly, far away on the edge Of
the ses-like horizon, arose a star.
The girls eyes were on the paper,
and yet she saw it rising She look.
ed out the curtainless window and
watched the star grow bright. 1t
did not seem to rise, but grow big
with brightness. 1t is not for love
to sit and gaze. 1t must act. Size
rose, and in silence, went to one of
the great iron switch-bars and stood |
with both hands clasped about the
handle, and gazing far down the line
where the star bad become a great
flame.
Then came q far.away sound |
through the night She pulled the
bar forward; far down the track the
switch moved in the dark, and the
green eye became red. Up the line
in an opposite direction, another
green star became red
Samson Glider on bis high seat
with one hand on the .hrottle-valve,
gazing steadily ahead. A constella.
tion OF green and yellow stars had
sprung up in the horizon. Jack Gin
der, his fireman, on the other side OF
the engine, had given voice to the
monster as it painted on its way.
All! one star mad flashed red The
engineer blushed and smiled in the
dark, and then pulled the throttle
valve. Then came q puah and q jar
as The heavy freight train rumbled
behind pushed against the engine
The motive power had ceased, aud
the immense momentum OF the train
drove the idle engine swiftly for
ward. The whistle spoke to the
men behind, and they gladly pulled
the brakes. and the train entered the
siding. The head light threw lurid
glare on the switch house. and by
the light Samson saw a young a girl
standing by the track. She was
dressed for rough weather, and wore
q red hood that was not lovely.
To Samson it was lovely in the glow
of the great lamp against the sky.
1t may have been the peculiar effects
of the light; it may have been love,
for love has finer eyes than unloving
mortals.
They came into the swi,h house
together, she smiling and happy, be
pleased and grati6ed. yet with
shade Of care upon bis face. 1t his
hand be held Q new track-lsyer's bar,
such as may be used to draw spikes
from ties. He spoke to Sam Britton
pleasantly about the weather, and
then said
There's a bar for the section mas
ter. / bought it myself, The COM
psny seems to be too poor to give Its
men 6t tools"
ITO say nothing ,f our wages"
added the old man, roughly.
"Ob. father, why do you barp Cd
that! The company has great deal
Of property. 1t will surely pay us
our dues"
The engineer placed the bar
against the wall by the door, and
then turned to Mary. She led him
away to her little desk by the yin.
dow, and there they sat down TO-