The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1885-10-08
TRAIN TALK,

"If you wrilo stories for tho paoor,"
said Rock Island Railway freight
conductor, ''lo' mo tell you II true one
that came under my observation last
winter out near Dcs Moincs when I
was running on tho Iowa division.
This is no railroad yarn. but Il fact !
sawlit with my own eyes. Ono day
we wero running along and / was in
tho engine. AS wo began to cross q
bridge we looked ahead nnd thoro was
littlo girl about six years old clam
bcring over tho timbcrs. Sho had
somo school books in her hand, and
was evidently on her way homo from
school. The engineer whistlcd, when
sho turned her facu toward lis. I'll
never forgot that face rs long as live.
1t WAS just as white as tho snow on tho
icc in tho creek thirty or forty feet bo-
low her.. But sho didn't scream. aor
try to jump. nor do nothing. Sho Just
looked st us with steady glare as if
slIc'd stop the train with hor eyes that
we wcro unable to do with our brakes.
At first wo wcro all SO broke up we
hadn't amy idoa what to do, ana be-
lievo wo'd Of stood thcrc like posts if
shc hadn't suddenly stretched out hcr
littlo arms toward us in a mute appeal
charm. and VIC all started up wildly.
l swung way out as far as l could,
holding by ono hand. and with tho
other motionins hor to got down
down between tao timbors. Would
you bol;cvc it? That lit,lo thing fol-
lowed my directions rs if she'd boon q
man. And sho took her time to it,
too, and climbed down as deliberately
rs if sho'd boon ut home. Sho was
mono loo quick. though, for hcr littlo
brown hood, with red ribbon iutLer-
ing from it, had no sooner disappeared
between tho timbcrs than wo thunder
cd over hcr.
" Lot hcr out, Bill, shouted 10 the
engineer 'lot her Dub lively, or that
little thing will nevor bu ablo to stick
down thcro till wo get over tho bridge.
Turn her loosc!' ''".
80 Bill he lot hor out, but sho'd no
| sooner reached tho bank than l Jump
cd of and went heels oyor hoad in q
snow bank. | got back to tho bridge
rs soon as could, and waited for our
long train to got by. Don't mind toll
in yo that as stood there 1 did somo-
thing never did aforo-yos, sir, 1
stood thcro and prayed that that littlo
ono might be ablo TO stick it out till I
could got 10 hor. But l guess my
prayers arc no good, for when the
train was by l rushed out on tho
bridge, over timbers by the dozcn, ex-
pecting every minute to SEQ that little
rod ribbon. But 1t never showed up.
Tears began 10 fill my eyes so that
could hardly soc the crosspicccs-I
hare little girl of my own, you know
but on and on l went, and no brown
| hood or rcd ribbon could find. Thon
1 turned and lookpL TO tho ~;cc below,
and there she was. Yes, sho had fall
en thirty or forty feet through tho
bridge.
"lIow l got down 10 her I don't
know. but got thore. l lifted hur up
in my arms. Hor eyes were closed,
but she opened them, looked at mo a
second, and said:
How did you got down hcreo'
'Ihis question would have made mo
laugh if had felt sure she wasn' hurt,
but as it was | hurried up tho bank
and TO the caboosc Sho said she
wasn't hurt much, but ! knew she
couldn't toll, and wc started for the
next station.
I'm going home, ain't lP' she in-
quirod, after wo had fixed her up in
our punk.
Il told hor yes KNOWN that min
ute that wo woro going right by her
house. was i'll such u hurry to get
to surgeon that thought it right to
deceive her. Pretty soon she went off
to sloep, and she looked SO doathly
lying there that all Of us won't to wip-
in our Dyes like women.
Boys. says !, If sho never wakes
up I'll quit tho road. l never want
to SEQ tnat bridge agin.' "
And you have quit the roadP"
mo, I'm 1T the old business. She
got vol. and all the spring used to
watch for my train as she would for
her papa coming home from work.
We neycr passed. her house unless she
was out waving that littlo brown hood
ut us and making that rod ribbon
dance. Our engineer usod to whistle
for hor regularly, and sho got so sho
could toll that whistle as far as sho
could hear it. Onco in whilo, whom
not in q hurry. we'd stop our train
and havo IL talk with her. Sho said
sho loved us all, oven tho old ongino,
but sho has mover sot hor foot on tho
track since that day sho foil through
| the bridge. This is q true story, and
tho little girls namo is Lily. Chit
cago Her0id