The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-09-06

dle there with Joe, my Joe, my poor, brave
BOY. Ii would have been mercy to me
then, but God in His Infinite wisdom had
ordsrsd otherwise, and it was not to be.
scarcely know what happened. 1t
was quicker than words can tell. A great
engine sprang past me on to the siding.
mere was sad, pale face in the cab. A
calm, sad face, but the brown ewes that
loveu shone with strange, unearthly light
as ne gazed down on me. One look, and
that was all but, boy" and the old mans
voice dropped 10 a whisper, sit was look
from the other world, look that burned so
deop INTO my brain that were | to live
Thousand years, l conld never root it out.
Ihere was one terrific roar, an explosion,
ana all was over. | was knocked down,
deafened and stunned. Kind hands picked
me up and laid me here and it was some
time before l came to my senses. When |
did, got on to ny feet with difficulty and
tottered feeblv toward the wreck; | was
going to find j rs; but the boys stopped me
and led me gently away. They had found
him pinned under fragment of the fire.
box, torn and crushed beyond recognition,
and thought it best that | should
not see him. And perhaps they were
right Ny poor old brain could not have
stood the strain upon it, and it were
better that | should remember him as | had
known him in the past; but it was terrible
10 thlnE of being separated in such a man
ner and never to see my boy again-my
poor Joe. Tve never been the same man
since. The blow struck too hard. Young
fellows like you soon forget grief; you out
grow it, it simply rufles the surface for
moment like ripple on the water, and is
gone; but with men like me whose loves
are strong, death only makes them stronger
and the griefs the harder to bear.
"The boys felt pretty bad over Joe's sad
DEATH for he was favorite with them all.
They draped their engines in black and
went about with sorrowful faces for many
: day; but now comes the strangest part of
| ms whole story-the girl, up there, do you
Know, was almost heart-broken when she
! heard the news; she cried and took on so
they could hardly do anything with her. |
knew it. She loved Joe all the time, and
now that he was gone she refused to be
comtorted. 1t was too bad, and, poor girl,
[ felt sorry for her. She suffered deeply
enough for her part in the matter, and in
sisted on taking all the blame upon herself.
She's living up thereSyet, snd comes down
to see me once in awhile and we have some
good visits together. She's taken a great
interest in me and has done great deal
toward Frightening my lonely life. The
lads all like her, too, and they tell me that
of all the graves up there on the hillside,
not one is more frequently visited or more
| carefully watched over than Joe's.
LAS for the lying scoundrel who was at
the bottom of the whole affair, she refused
to have anything to do with him, whatever,
after the accident, and he left the town.
And it was well for him that he did, for
the boys all had sort of bitter grudye
against him and there might have been
trouble had he staid.
Hes gone now, nobody knows where,
and may my curse go with him and follow
him"
"Here she comes, Toni" interrupted, as