The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-01-09

'They brought him back to me tina
night, sir, and laid him on his fathers bed
and, by piecemeal, then and afterwards,
learned what had happened that day,
'The train starting outso late, they wer'
forced to make up time somewhere on tht
line. So, on that long, straight stretch o.
track through the valley, they were making
sixty miles an hour. The train fairly flew
Jack could feel the air strike his face like
sharp wind, though it was abalmy spring
day.
''Then an awful thing happened! The
great connecting-rod of the driving-whee
on the right of the engine broke. Jack
seemed to live all his life over in that one
terrible instant when he saw the end of the
rod swing upward. 1t struck the cab un-
der him and and dashed it into thousand
pieces, and he knew no more till horrible
agony awoke him where he had fallen sense
less on the engine.
"Burned and almost blind, with the flesh
scalded and torn from his hands, he remem-
bered his engine, with its open throttle,
leaping on to certain destruction. He
seemed to see the passengers inside the
long train, as SO many times in the old days
when he called the morning papers through
the cars.
"He knew how they looked and what
they were doing-the men reading, smok-
ing, talking of the elections, the price Of
grain, or how stocks went up last week;
women, with growing, dimpled babies in
their arms; little children crowding to the
windows, vainly trying to count the whiz-
zing telegraph poles; young, happy people
going on wedding journeys, maybe, and
others coming home who had been long
away.
"He remembered that, as he hurried to
his place at the front that day, little girl
with cloud of golden hair had leaned
from car-window, to give one more good
by kiss to her father ON the platform.
Take good care of mamma, darlingP he
had heard the gentleman say.
s'The freman-no coward, either, was
Tim Harbrook, but with wife and babes at
home-let himself down from the tender
and escaped So might my Jack have
done But he crept along the side of the
leaping engine, carefully and painfully he
swung himself into his place, and with
every motion of his hands an untold agony,
he reversed the engine and put on the air.
brake.
"Then the train stopped, snatched back
from the pits mouth, and they took my
boy from his post-faithful and true
at was long time before Jacks burns
were healed. The road-people came often
to see him-no men could have been
kinder-and every week his wages came
in full.
"But one evening, after he had begun
to get out little, one of his mates came
in. Come, Jack, old fellow, you'll be
moped to death herer he said. You
want a change. There's big meeting of
the road-folks over at the hall tonight.
I'm just on my way. Come along"
What sort of meeting ? said Jack.
"Oh, can't say exactly-something in
teresting, they told me, and everybody in
vited.
':He stole queer look at me, and |
knew he wanted me to help him. So, as
1 really thought it might do Jack good, 1
said
-" Yes, Jack, go along with Tom
"'But I'm not presentable with this
face, said Jack.
'Pshaw, man! it's evening, and no.
body'll notice. Leastways, they needn't !
"With little more coaxing, Jack set
off with him. 1 had hardly heard the gate
click when the door opened again, and
Jenny Brown came in like sprite.
"'Quick quick, Mrs. Burton Put on
your bonnetp she whispered.
Where? What do you mean? p |
said, for was frightened.
'''To the meeting Hurry, or We shall
be late'
"She was tying my bonnet-string under
my chin as she spoke, and she had the
house-door locked, and me down the gar
den path and out of the back gate, fairly
without my will. She hurried me across
the square and pushed me through the
crowd around the hall entrance.
II was out of breath with nervousness
and fast walking, SO we sat down in back
seat. The room was full There were
great many ladies there, and on the plat
form sat the Superintendent and several of
the Directors of the road. Everybody
seemed to be whispering and smiling and
looking backwards towards the door, and /
looked too, though I didn't know why.
'sThen the door opened and Jack came
in with Tom. l heard somebody on the
other side of me whisper, "That's he ! and
another and another, and rustic crept
through the place, and then, all at once,
such cheer went up as, l can truly say, l
never heard in all my life before. The
people stood up, and the ladies waved their
white handkerchiefs.
"The Superintendent tried to speak, and
raped on his little table, but all in vain,
until the crowd had had their three times
three And through it all 1 watched my
boy. He looked around him, dazed at
first, by all the tumult, and trying to know
what it meant; but wherever he might turn
his eyes he met hundred others smiling
on him, and score of hands stretched out
to him as he passed, and, all at once-he
knew
30 sir, cannot tell you about it How
they carried him up the front, though not
on the platform-there he would not go
how they found me out and made me sit
beside him; how there were speeches and
hand-shakings and laughing and crying.
"And, at last, the Superintendent said
that there was little child there, the
granddaughter of the President of the
road, who had been with her mother on
the train that day, and that she had been
selected by many grateful friends to pre-
sent little token to the man whose faith
full courage had saved so many lives.
'Then beautiful lady, all in soft, rust
ling silk, came up the aisle, leading the
loveliest child 1 ever saw, with great
glory of golden hair around her head, like
the picture of an angel. felt Jack start,
for it was the very child whose face had
come to him in that awful moment on the
flying engine.
'The little thing let go her mothers
hand as she came near, looking up with
shy blue eyes, and in her small fingers was
a purse of gold. You could see the great