The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-03-01

dark eyes opened and looked up ques-
tioningly into his.
..Is the train safeP" the boy asked.
family.
Hiram nodded.
Dyes; it's all right" he said; sand
we'll take you right into our car"
The other .breathed O little sigh of
relief.
There's a smash-up just ahead" he
murmured. "Tell the conductor to GO
slow"
Then he closed his eyes, while Mr..
Watson and one or two other gentlemen,
who had meanwhile come up, lifted him
in their arms and carried him on board
moved slowly ahead, Mrs Watson's
ministrations restored him to conscious
ness, if not to strength.
at was awfully silly in me to 60 and
faint" he exclaimed, alphabetically, as
soon as he could speak. "But, you see,
l ran pretty hard, and then I had nc
eaten anything since yesterday noon"
..But 1 don't understand" said Mrs.
Watson. Don't you live round here?'
He laughed a little nervously. 80
no." he said; 'tI'm a sort of stowaway.
I got locked up in the freight a at
Wentworth last night. We live i Went
worth, and my father is Judge Carlisle.
1.-THE collision hadn't stove a hole in the
cal, I'd be in there now"
"And where would we beP" asked
Hiram, soberly.
Walter turned pale again. "The
wreck lies across both the tracks," he
said. eff you had kept on, you would
have run into it. There are half a dozen
men buried in it now, sir''-turning to
Mr.. Watson. Everybody in the train
was smashed up but me. And the con.
ductor wouldn't let me stop to pull him
out. He began to give rue a message to
his wife but he wouldn't even finish
that, because he heard the train coming.
Here we are now, sir"-as the train
slowed up, and finally came to a stop.
'.Please let me get out. I'm all right
now, and I want to tell that conductor
l wasn't too late"
1t was not long before the train hands
were hard at work ~extricating the in
jured men, none of whom, happily, were
seriously hurt. How they escaped death
no one could tell, but no one suffered
more than a few bruises or a fractured
limb, which time would easily repair.
To Walters great delight, the conductor
recognized him at once.
"Ah," he said, as cordially as the pain
of his wounds would allow, you're the
hoy that saved the express. Well, /
guess Mr.. Watson won't forget it."
Walter turned red.
81 only did what you told me-" he
said.
"Well, you did it right" said the
conductor, as he limped away to the
express. mot everybody would have
had sense enough to do that. Only ]
don't see where you dropped from just
at that moment.
The boy laughed.
so, I live in Wentworth" he said.
81 was a passenger on your train. You
locked me up in that Blue-line a yon:
der"
look of amazement spread over the
mans face.
LOCKED up in the car, were your
And then brought to this place IN pur.
pose to flag that train! Well, 1 call that
Providential. Because if it hadn't been
for you, you know, that express would
have been a total wreck" He paused
for a moment as if the Providence were
more than he could take in. '.Well,"
he added, heartily. 'trn never forge
it, and I guess the company won't,
either"
And the company did not. A few days
after Walter got home, and when the ex-
element of his departure and return
had passed away, he received by express
a little parcel and by mail an official let
ter from the railway company. The
parcel, when opened, disclosed a beau
tiful gold watch, while the letter, which
was signed ''H. S. Watson, President"
begged him to accept the watch from
the directors of the company in recogni-
ton of his services in saving from de-
struction the Chicago express.
Along with the letter came a note adj
dressed in a boys scrawny hand, and
reading as follows:
"DEAR WATERPROOF didn't know papa wat
President of the road, did you? 1 wanted to
tell you awfully that day, but papa wouldn't
a beauty I hope il will keep good time. What
a lucky fellow you are, anyhow Not only to
gee q gold watch, but TO have the chance o:
riding on a freight train. Papa says / may
some day, but I suppose shall have to go in
the caboose. What I'd like is to be a brake
Now, what 1 want to know is this. Mex
month papa and some of his friends and / are
going out on the plains to shoot buffaloes, and
papa is going to ask your father to let you come
along. We have a special car, you know, and
If you can only come we will have Immense
fun. Don't you think your father will let you
Please let me know right away.
"Your friend,
"HIRAM WATSON"
To this urgent appeal Judge Carlisle
could not say no, and Walter cherishes
eager .anticipations of a buffalo hunt and
a long ride in a car which will be more
commodious and agreeable, notwith.
standing Hiram's preferences, than the
fast freigbt.-Harper's Young People.