The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1884-12-05
DEER LODGE, MONTANA, DECEMBER B. 1884,
rHE ENGINEER's STORY.
NV Wilkins I


We were driving the down express
viii at the steam, at the coal
Over the valleys and villagesl
Over the marshes and coppicesl
Over the river, deep and broad!
through the mountains! under the roadI
Fiying along! tearing along!
Thunderbolt engine, swift and strong.
Fifty tons she was, whole and solei
had been promoted TO the express:
warrant You was proud and gay.
III was the evening that ended May,
And the sky was a glory Of tenderness
We were laundering down TO midland
1t makes no matter about the name
For we never stopped there, or any where
For dozen miles on either side:
80 ITS all the same
Just there you slide
With your steam shut Off, and your brakes
in hand,
Down the steepest and longest grade in the
land
At pace that promise you is grand.
we were just there with tho express
When caught sight Of muslin dress
On the bank ahead; and as we past
You have no notion Of how fast
A girl shrank back from our baleful blast
We were going mile and a quarter a
minuts
With vans and carriages down the incline
But saw her face, and a sunshine in it,
HOOK d IN her eyes and she looked In mine
As the train went by, like shot from a
mortar,
4 roaring hel-breath of dust and smoke;
And ] rnu'el for minute and then awoke,
And she was shind a mile and a
quarter
And often saw her-that lady mean
That spoke Of before. She often stood
Atop o. the bank; it was pretty high
IA ~ fa..t "A a.LyfI Lxra
She would pick tho daisies out Of the
To fling down at us as we went by.
We had got to be friends that girl and |,
Thoug "a was rugged, stalwart chap,
And she ladyl I'd lift my cap,
Evening by evening, when I'd spy
That she was there, In the summer air,
Watching the sun sink out of the sky.
Oh, didn't see her every night;
Bless youl no; just now and then,
And not at all for a twelvemonth quite
Then, one evening saw her again,
Alone, rs ever, but deadly I,ale
And down on the line, ON the very rail,
While light, Us Of hell, from our wild
wheels broke,
Tearing down the slope with their devilish
And deafening din, As of a giants hammers
That smote in q whirlwind of dust and
smoke
All the instant or so That We sped To meet
her
Never, Onever, had she seem'd sweeterl
l let yell the whistle, reversing the stroke
Down that awful incline and signal'd the
guard
To put on his breaks at once and HARD
Though we couldn't have stopped. We
tatter'd the rail
Into splinters and sparks, but without avail.
We couldn't stop; and she wouldn't stir,
Saving to turn us her eyes, and stretch
Her arms TO US; and the desperate wretch
Ipitied, comprehending her.
So the brakes let off, and the steam full
again.
Sprang down on the lady the terrible train
She never finched. We beat her down,
And ran on through the lighted length of
the town
Before we could stop TO see what was done.
Oh, I've run over more than one.
Dozens of 'em, to be sure, but none
That pitied as pitied her
III could have stopped, with all the spar
or the trains weight on. and cannily-
But IL wouldn't do with q lad like me
And she a lady-or had been. Sirf
Who was shei Best say no more of her.
The world Is hard; but I'm her friend
Stanch, sir-down to the worlds end.
IL is a curl of her sunny hair
Set I'm this locket that wear
picked ii off the big wheel there.
Times up, Jack. Stand clear, sir. Yes;
We're going out with the express.