Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-12-16
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| SertiOn.
/ reckon he heard the storm ia his sleep
and the roarin Of the run and that set IN
| to drenmin' OF course be knew it was
my night, n had often told II, what q
| bad place it was and what to do If any,
thing happened never thinking that he 4
| go to dom of it tisseli. Bot lie gifs Up
III his sleep, taxes is lantern and goes out
| to meet me- d he a stttiD' there watch
| in of i'm by his bed. III he'd begin first,
| jest KIDD o. mutterin' and ia hear him
| say softly like, as ef talkin' to hisseIf:
Parts due at the run in twenty mia
| its. kin get there in time
| Pears like it was all goin' through his
! mirG agin and he Was DOM ever Jest what
| lie did That night. We could tell wen s.e
got to the place " hel G the road broke, for
he ses, kin git over that log? Ef
| don't my pard ii be killed."
| Then it ssemsa as though ne was goias
down to he curve where we found him.
An he d shivel like, as of the cold Taln
was strikin' i'm.
| You see we could mostly folier i'm by
| wa;chln' i'm and ketchiD' what he said
| Onct or twict, he sho k right hard, and his
teeth chartered. We thought it was zhs
cold he was feelin' agin as he felt it cut
there IN he night with nothin' on i'm
| Then he keeps still awhile like he was a
waitin' and listenin' for the train, ana
| you'd see i'm hold his breath fearin' hs
| couldn't ketch the sound. Pretty SOON hs
speaks agin, gently like, and ses:
'Kin he see the light in time? ?"
N ne waits bit. Next he jumps right
| up in bed on his knees and screams out nc
| the top of his voice:
''Stop her, Pard Stop 20 -
Stranger, l've seen frightful things In
| my time, but never see anything so aw-
full rs that was. Pale and wild. with tie
fever on m, that mere b by was tryin' 10
make me he r, md the wind no In amt
the train roarin' the way it was. An
we'd try to keep i'm still' IA his mother
could C ak him. and I'd try to quiet hila
n he'd scream agin:
"Culvert's gone Stop her. Pard u
AN I'd take liza in my arms II he'd ba
! all of a culver. Then it seemed like he
heard me whistle, for hc says:
s'All right he's blown brakes. -
"An' puts i'm back in bsd snd ne lasa
still mint like he vas iisllpin'. and seq:
Hes rev ersin of 90, be is My para
-pa,d's safe"
Then he'd shut his eyes and drop az, and
smile in his sleep. lie he way satiA aed.
By-and by h ID begin aud go over 1t aejn,
and so, DAY after day, alters the same. Ue
seemed to hev it in his mind all the time.
The doctor, you know, him I WAS tell
in about, we'll. he stopped IF that night
and staid with US the who's week snd
nursed baby like lie was his own. n wen
it was all over I thought il was right. IN
l SEES to i'm ''Uoctnr crn / pay you?n
',Nol'' SEES he. Latham. you can't. His
life saved mine. n besides that, Latham
I've got one jest his age. There ain
nothin' you kin give ne bat that little curt
there on his forehead SO Mary takes tbs
scissors and cuts it OF. He kissed it, n
put it in his pocket IN went away.
On the night of the break at DEVILS lsen
wen got Off tbs machine TO see what waa
the matter. pulls out my watch and
it was II O'Clock ard three admits.
It was exactly q week after that ]
too out my watch and il, wac II
O'Clock and three mipits. Some Of ths
neighbora had cotne from around in the
mountains, n minister from 3 village
about fifteen miles off, didn't give no rs
tention to nothip', for I was stunned Ike
and didn't know how it all WIS. I IVES
settin in front of the house on a large
stone where Charley used to sit and wait
for me wen | was coming by, and f,tersel
d whistle. Az see q train. 1t stopE,sfl
near where | was. The locomotive wsa
No 20. The boys had her dressed in
mot mini Bill Walker was runniu' her
and Crazy was firm. There was three
coaches. filed with the boys and their
wives aid children. They was ih their best
Clothes, N when they came By where / was
sittin'- they all knew it was little Char
ley's place the man took Off their hats
and the women had their bandkeYehers so
their faces. [ allers knowed tney WIZ
very lOiitl o! uIlU. Dlt - ScfElt as liif'G2fi
they had lost all mig child. There wassx
little boys. all the same size, ana they touI1
'm up. and we all follered up the SIDE Of
the mountain. It was mild day. and rs
sun shinin' bright. We crossed Devils
Run and came to & place Of levas greuna
where there w as some large pine trees. It
was just over the elf. q little ways froHa
the road. say 100 feet, and ia plain sight
of where he stood wavln his lantern back
ward and forward slowly across the track
when he said. You ard mes pards, isn't
WEI"
After all, il was harder on Mary tkaa on
me. In three months tme ! took ler
there TOO. stayed on the Inns awbils al
Ter that. but / could never go back TO my
honse agin, aad whenever / was aon y b. ).
and saw those two heaps of fresh earth 1t
worked on me so l couldn t stand it.
AS I was teiIia'. l sometimes think Ia
like TO go back there AMI see the place
cnce more. but seems as If was afeeld |
don't believe in ghosts, hut on dark night
I'd see my little Charley waving his light
as he did that night when it cost him his
life.