The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-05-23


he put the dripping boy on his legs fbr
drainage purposes. ''What in the void
have you been doing here?"
"Fishin'."
$40 you chase the fish into the watar9v
"No; [ scoop 'em up. There's NV hat
now" and the young fisherman pointed
out that article, escaped from emplovfnant
as net, floating down the stream. gvra.
ting through eddies and around roclss
and slowly filling with water.
Take off your jacket and wiring IL ont. ),
said Tom, chasing the vagrant hat with his
mountain staff, and rescuing it lust as II
became water-logged. Then, seizing tho
soaked garment in the boys hands md
giving it twist that would have done
credit to the Squire's laundry woman. he
exclaimed:
"Why didn't you take the things out of
your pockets? What's this?"
1t was only yellow envelope well
soaked.
so, that's the dispatch LEFTY gave me TO
carry up to your house," said the bow. 81
was a-goin' there"
"By the way of the brook? Sammy,
Sammy! what if the fish had eaten Won y,
What is it, Tom?" called Florence,s
voice from the bank above them.
"a dispatch for father. He has left on
| ing at his watch. "And here"-carefullv
| spreading out the wet copy on his knee
''they want him at the other endo of the
| line. Well, | can attend to this business as
! well as he could, but | must get to TIE sta
| ton in thirty minutes. viii you Drgive
| me if leave you to the care of ths other
folks? Here they come now. Tumble in,
| Sammy; I'l take you home;" ans while
| speaking Tom had unfastened oneof the
! teams. "GoOd-bye, and God bliss YOU
| Florence. Meet me at the station with the
| carriage when the down express cefies -
| tomorrow. l wouldn't go a step now I'M
| less | knew it ought to be done for father"
Miss Van Amden's hand was still ting
| ling with Toms fervent grasp when Tom
himself and his small companion had clat-
tered out of sight along the road toward
| the station.
The evening at Squire Porter's mansion
was a duh one for this young lady, and she
| arose the next morning under the possess
sion Of that indefnable unpleasantness of
| general sensation which we know by the
name of presentiment. Not even the men,
Dry of that scene in the woods the day be-
fore offset the disagreeable and persistent
| impression that something was about to
happen. She had Dorothy, the girls quiet
| horse, harnessed up more than two hours
before the express was due, and drove off
to make the circuit of the Blue Hill be-
fore meeting Tom at the station.
Down by the railroad it was seasonably
hot. The reflection from the long line of
rails stretching into the distance quivered
| in the heated air that rose from the yellow
sand entertainments. The vast stores of
pine-wood piled beside the track sent out
balsamic odors as it baked under the rays
of the sun. The crane-like spout that fed
the locomotives from the tank at the end of
the freight-house stood erect and parched
as the throat of Tantalus. Lefty piled her
palm-leaf fan, and sighed for the thunder
showers which the telegraphic friend at
her elbow-Only hundred and fifty miles
distant-had just announced as clearing
| the air in that more favored locality.
The accommodation had passed. The up
express had stopped for water and gone its
way. Two freight trains had numbered by.
The afternoon was well advanced, when
| "thunder-caps" began to pile up from be-
hind the hills, and Lefty imagined that she
shifted moisture and freshness in the air.
It'll be a ripper when we do get it," re-
marked the station master, looking in at
| Letty's window. ''There's a tremendous
black streak round at the west"
From that quarter there was rising a
| dark screen with ragged edges, pushed up
from below, and steadily cutting away the
| bright sky. The spruces on the high hill
sides caught the voice of the messenger
| winds sent in advance of the tempest, and
whispered it to the valleys below. whit
of the breeze reached the station just as the
edge of the storm cloud gashed the disk of
the sun. 1t was followed by another,
| whirling little eddies of dust from the re-
pose in which they had been left beside the
track by the last passing train. Then the
| wind began to blow more steadily, and Let
! tY shut down her window with prudent
precaution, calling to Sammy as she did so.
| Sammy did not respond; but at the mo-
! ment of closing the window the sound of a
carriage rapidly driven and drawing up
hastily at the station fell upon her ear. No
train was due at this hour, aud it must be
| some one seeking shelter under the carriage
shed from the approaching storm.
Suddenly the door of her little Office was
| swung violently open, and on the threshold
| stood the young lady whose arrival she
! had watched from behind her curtain little
more than two weeks before. She was
pale now and agitated.
"Where is the mantle station master
the one in charge here?" asked Miss Van
Amden, hurriedly, breaking in before
Lefty had time to formulate the naughty
little salutation that was rising to her
lips.
'"He has gone home for few minutes,
but will return before the express arrives.
Do you wish Il ticket:"
mo! no! no." cried Florence, with as
| near an approach to wringing her hands
as women of this day know. 81 want to
save lives There is a great landslide on
the track. l saw it as | came around Blue
Hill, and drove on as fast as could to get
help. What must we do? Quick quick! -
and the excited girl grasped Letty's arm
and almost shook her.
Letty's experience in the business of
running a railroad by telegraph stood her
| in good stead at this crisis, and her sense
| of superiority to the situation was evident
| in the calmly frigid air which she opposed
TO her companions eager anxiety. She
even INDUCED in sort of self-complacent
contempt for the frightened helplessness
of Miss Van Amden, while conscious of her
| single movement of her hand.
"There is no hurry" she replied, with
such dignity as her little figure and bird
like voice We're capable of expressing.
| "The express is not due at Marlborough for
fifteen minutes yet and shall telegraph
to hold it there until the track is cleared.
There is no other train on tris section
| except the up accommodation, which stops
| here. If you expect any friends on either,
you needn't be alarmed"
She seated herself at the table, and
touched the telegraph key with that grace
full motion which displays a shapely hand
| more effectively tt an any other employ
ment except violinflaying. She 'called''
the station at Flax borough. But as her
fingers ratified off the familiar dots and
dashes her practiced ear detected the fact
that no message followed along the wire
| in consequence. She examined the switch,
and quickly frightened screw. Again nc
life came at her manipulation. The spirit
of the telegraph had fed.
| Quickly rising, Lefty went to the closet