The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1885-08-12
eyes, was onct, but left his senses in
this tunnel"

| les, was oncJ, DuJ lelb MS senses IN
this tunnel"
''Why, how was that9"
"Well, you sec, he's the son Of old
Judge Conrad, of these parts only
child, at that-and was sent to college,
and no end of trouble taken and money
spent to finish and furnish up his intel
lects. When he come home to study
law, what does he do but take after a
little girl named Mary Grubbs, da'ter
of the cooper, an she was poor as q
| pig an purity as painted wagon. Well
| guess she was about the handsomest
critter in this part of the vineyard. Len
Conrad was struck, 1 tell you, after Polly,
as we called her. an don't wonder: for
her hair was as soft and light as silk on
early corn, an she had the handsomest
teeth, an the biggest, wonder.
fullest dark eyes, an an angeli-
ferrous skin. But neither she nor
her old cooperin' dad had cent, so the
Conrads, bein' toploftical mahogany
! high parties, just shut down on her."
''Thc old, old story"
81 don't know ef its so old. Pcraps
you've heerd it afore, an can save my
wind"
81 mean that the course of true love
never does run smooth"
ooh that's it, is it2"
''No offense, old man. But proceed
with your yarn and tell me how Len
Conrad left his senses in the tunnel"
"That's what l was comm to when
you put in your chin music. When Len
found the family was forninst the court
in he took to meetin' her unbe-
knownst. That was found out, and
then it was decreed that Len should be
sent to Yourope. The evenin' upon Lens
departure he meets his girl, av course,
an they meandered naterly little too
late, an undertook to make a short cut
to the cooper house through the tunnel.
/ saw the doves go in. She was leanin'
on his shoulder weepin' an he looked
as if he'd lost his mother-in-law.n
'Mother-in-la -law!"
"That's little joke o. mine, mister. I
mean he looked like canned funeral.
l warned 'em not to try the tunnel, for
it was close on to the time for the light
ming express. But they didn't heed or
hear me-jes' kept on in. After they
had left | got that oneasy l took my
lantern an run arter 'em. Jes' as /
past Glen Cove-it don't stop there-an'
heard the whistle as the death on
wheels plunged into the tunnel. 1 jammed
the wall, l tell yez l could see Len push
his girl agin the same so the train
might pass and no touch, an like flash
saw her tear away. Now, whether she
was scarf and didn't know what she was
about, or wanted TO kill herself can't be
known, but she shot right in front ov
that train. saw the headlight shine
like flash ov lightning on white.
frightened face as / crowded back
against the wall, an then with a roar
like thunder, an the whole thing seemed
wiped out as if a sponge had sorter
sponged us ont. | heard the trains
thunder sort of speck as it left the tun.
mel, as if soundin' the murder
over the land, an 1 stood there
in sort ov q daZe lisnin'
to that roar die out in the distance
When l come round, which l did in a
mint, | ran on. l stumbled over poor
Len, lyin' as if dead, an then l run up
and down at least twice before l saw
heap that looked like bundle of rags
soaked in blood, an will you believe,
the bundle moved. 1t was only a quiver,
an all was still. She didn't make a
lovely corpse when we got it together.
Some people siCkencd an tainted when
they saw it."
"And LenY"
awe carted him home. The doctors
could not find any bones broken, cuts,
or hurt inside or out, but he lay sorter
stoopid six weeks and then got up an
has been looney ever since"
"Poor fellow"
"Should think so. Queerest thing
about the poor chap was that he took to
runnin' ahead NV trains, goin' through
the tunnel a-warnin' people off. He
sorter got that hammered out NV him."
"The old folks learned lesson, eh?" |
''Not much; can't teach sich old |
stoopids much. They do say the old !
jedge has softenin, NV the brain, but l !!
don't believe he had any to soften. -
Dom PiGu.