The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-09-11

around another curve.
Just after dark his fathers train al
WAYS came in sight, and Tom loved to
watch the bright headlight as it sped
along. He had little set of signals
which his father understood, and when
the train reached a certain place he al
ways waved his lamp, hid it for an in
slant and waved it again, as a signal
that all was well. Then the locomotive
would utter a shrill, piercing whistle,
and that was his fathers answer.
Toward the close of the afternoon
| the wind almost amounted to hurri-
cane, and the rain poured down so
hard that Tom could hardly see out of
the window. At last the fury of the
storm seemed to have spent itself,
and Tom breathed sigh of relief
as he heard the wind lessening, for
he always feared to have his
father cross the bridge over the gorge
when the wind was blowing high, lest
the train should be blown over. He
looked down at the bridge as it entered
his thoughts, and something that he
saw there made his rudy boyish face
pale with terror Dragging himself
across the room slowly and painfully,
he got his fathers glass down from the
shelf and looked through it. No, he
had not been mistaken. His eyes had
told HIM the truth Just at the begin
nlng of the bridge, and partly on it,
lay tall tree taat had been blown
over by the gale. Unless the train
could be checked in time, it would be
derailed and hurled into that terrible
gorge.
No wonder the boy felt himself grow
ing faint with terror at the thought of
his fathers peril, as well as the dam
train. How could they be warm ed in
timer The twilight shadows were a.
ready growing deeper, and it would
soon be dark. Tom looked at his
bandaged leg with groan Of
despair. If he only had the
use of it, he could soon
have made his way down the mount
ain side, and built fire beside the
track that would have warned them!
There was no hope that he could posi-
bly, drag himself that distance; even if
he could have borne the torture of
dragging his broken limb after him,
his strength would not have held out,
and then, too, the time would have
been too short. Tom groaned aloud.
Must he sit there and see the train 90
crashing over the edge of the gorge
without saying n word to stay FTP
In less than an hour now the train
would come laundering along, his
father would exchange signals with
him for the last time, and then. But
the thought of the signals sent an idea
. through Toms brain that took his
breath away. Perhaps he could signal
with the lamp, and make his father
understand the danger. He put the
lamp in the window and waited 1t
; was the only chance, and as the slow
minutes dragged themselves away,
and each one shortened the boys
| agony of suspense, perhaps you can
guess how his whole heart went up in
; fervent prayer that his father would
understand.
I At last the train rumbled through the
| tunnel, and coming out into open air
: swept around the curve, its headlight
v cleaning like baleful eye. The en-
, gineer was running fast now to make
}, up for delay at the station they had
Just passed. He glanced up into the
y darkness that shrouded the mountain
r to see his boys signal Presently it
y flashed out, then instead of waving
g backward and forward it was suddenly
t obScured, then it cleaned out again.
I Something, the father never knew
what, made him connect the sudden
G flashes with the little electric instru-
: ment. He watched eagerly. Yes, he
: was right, the boy was trying to tell
, him something. He slackcned the speed
e of the train, and spelled the letters one
1 after another.
S "D-a-n-g-e-r-G-o-r-g-e"
n That was all, but he understood, and
S under the hand of its master the train
:, came to a sudden standstill. Not a
d moment too soon, for when the train
: hands ran forward with lanterns they
Y found the fallen tree not six feet from
I the engine.
u u 1t would have been a terrible acct.
i dent beyond doubt, and as the pas
: sengers learned the cause of the de-
bNlllOh hllllO lllC lllCll NClG CltdlluO
= the track, they shuddered at the
thought of the terrible peril they had
escaped. A purse was made up for
= Tom, when they learned how the en-
a gineer had been warned by the boy in
|" that lonely cottage on the ledge.
y When Tom saw the train stop and
knew that his father had understood,
v he did something that, boYlike, he was
very much ashamed of afterward. He
~ tainted, lust like silly girl" as he
o. contemptuously expressed it. The
p strain had been terrible one, and the
II JOY was too much for him, enfeebled
as he was by his confinement
y When Tom was well again he ap.
4 piled for the post of telegraph opera.
u tor, and to his great delight he was
pronounced competcntfor the position
q and now his father and himself live in
, pretty little cottage near the station
:, which Tom purchased with the thank