The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1885-09-30
TRAIN TALK.

''lf you writo stories for the papor,"
said a Rock Island RIilway freight
conductor, "lct mo toll vou 4 true ono
that camo under my observation last
winter out noar Dos Moincs when
was running on lii" Iowa division.
This is no railroad yarn. bu, fact
saw 1t with my own eyes. Ono day
we were runnln. along and | WAS in
thc engine. AZ we bossn 10 cross q
bridge wo looked ahoad AMI thuro was
II little girl about six years old clam
bcrlnS or"r the limburs. She had
some school books in hur hand, and
was evidently on her way home from
school. Tho onginour whistlv,i. whom
sho turnod her Eco toward US. I'll
novor forgot that face az long rs / 1.-Two.
1t WAS just as whito ~ tho snow on tho
leo in tho creek thirty or forty foot bo-
low hcr. But she didn't scream. nor
try to jump. nor do nothing. She Just
looked ut us with stondy slaro us il
She 'd stop tue train with hur uyes that
wu were unable to do with our brakes.
At first wo were all so broke up wo
hadn't any idoa what 10 do. and be-
licvo we'd OF stood thore like posts IL
shc hadn't suddenly stretched out hcr
littlo arms toward us In II muto appeal
for help. Woll. sir. that broke tho
charm. and wo al started up wildly.
swung way out as far as l could,
holding by ono hand. and with tho
other motionng hor to get down
down between tao timbOrs. Would
you bolicvo ill That littlo thing fol-
lowed my directions as il sho'd boon a
man. And she took her time to it,
too. and climbed down ~ deliberately
rs if she'd been at home She was
mono too quick. though. for hor littlo
brown hood. with rod ribbon iuttor-
ing from it. had no sooner disappeared
betwcon the timbors than wo thunder
ed over hor.
Lot hor out. Bill, shouted 10 tho
engineer. let her out lively. or that
little thing will mover be able to stick
down thorc till wo got ovor tho bridge.
Turn her loosor
$50 Bill ho lot hor out, but she'd no
sooner reached tho bank than l Jump
cd oil and went heols ovor hoad In a
snow bank. got back to tho bridge
us soon as l could. and waited for our
long train to got by. Don't mind toll
in ye that as stood thore did some-
thing l noyer did aforo-yos. sir,
stood there and prayed that that littlo
ono might be able 10 stick it out till
could get TO hor. But guoss my
prayers are no good, for whom tho
train was by l rushod out on the
bridge. ovor timbers by tho dozen, OK
pectng every minute to SEQ that little
rod ribbon. But it never showed up.
Tears began TO fill my Dyes so that l
could hardly SOC tho crosspiecos-I
have littlo girl of my own. you know
but on and on l went, and no brown
hood or rcd ribbon could find. Then
turned and looked to tho icc below,
and thero sho WAS. Yes. sho had fall
en- thirty or forty foot through tho
bridge.
"llow | got down 10 her don't
know, but got there. lifted her up
in my arms. Hor cyos wore closed,
bat shc oponcd thom. looked at mo u
second, and sad
How did you got down heroe'
This question would havo made mo
laugh if lad felt sure she WASN'T hurt,
but rs it WAS hurried up tho bank
and TO tho caboosu. Sho said she
wasn't hurt much. but know she
couldn't toll. and wc started for tho
next station.
'Im going homo. ain't l?' sho in
quircd. aftor we had liked hur up in
our bunk.
Il told hor yes, KNOWN that min
ute that We wore going right by her
house WAS III such - hurry to get
90 surgeon that thought it right to
deceive her. Pretty soon She wont of
to siocp. and sho lookud 10 doathly
lying thero that all Of us went to wip-
in our Dyes ike women.
'B"ys. says I. If she never wakes
up ia quit the roSi. never want
to scc tGat bridge asin.
And you nAvc quit tho roadp"
mo. I'm nj tho old business. She
got we'll. and all Tho spring u.od to
watch for my train as sho would for
her papa coming home from work.
Wo neveT passed. hor house unless she
was out wavihg that lililo brown hood
at as aud making that red ribbon
dance. Our engineer usod to whistle
for hor regularly. and sho got SO sho
could toll that whistle as fur as sho
could hoar it. Once in a while. whom
not in - hurry. wo'd stop our train
and have talk with her Sho said
she loved us all, cvon tho old engino,
but sho has ncvor sot her foot on tho
track since that day sho foil throug gh
the bridge. This is a true story, and
tho littlo girls namo Is Lily. . Chi
cdgo Herald
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