Wichita eagle., 1888-06-19
uOh. NV Godi The railroad bridget"

tram now nearly due, so soon 20 rush GOWN
steep grade to leap into that yawning chasm!
Her first impulse was to start up the canyon,
but she instantly checked herself. What
folly, when miles Of overflow lay between her
and the doomed trainl Word must be sent
down to the station, and from there teie-
gram to the next stopping place above the
bridge. But how! The hired mani jim had
gone an hour before to the village to get the
mail and have his daily gossip with the
loungere Of the place. Even II he were here,
neither horse nor man was feet enough to
cover the circuitous road that lay between
Then she looked at the PROSTATE sycamore.
Down the stream, leisurely, but nearer and
nearer still, sailed the great timbers-
Marian, take little brother and 60 straight
to the house and stay there till mamma
comes back"
She had already pulled herself up by one
OF the roots and was creeping stealthily
along the swaying trunk Here her dress
caught on branch; there she had to climb
down and crawl along with her feet under
the water, to avoid an upright limb. Once
she slipped and lost her hold, and was nearly
sucked into the eddying current, but she
caught at stout projection and swung her
self up again.
She could hear the swash Of the heavy
timbers up stream as they rocked lazily upon
the water but she did not dare to look. Be-
fore her the main trunk Of the tree was lost,
and she saw two diverging limbs, one low in
the water, the other locked with the oak in
mid air Which to takei She dared not
hesitate, but commenced a perilous climb
along the upper limb, slippery and naked in
places, wavering SO that she grew dizzy, and
shut her eyes to keep from falling. And SO,
lying prone upon it, hand over hand, she
crept the entire length, and the great stick
If timber struck heavily against the fallen
sycamore, and just as Kate swung herself
into the branches Of the oak she felt her sup
port give way and with groan and crash
and wild up tossing of its skeleton arms the
old tree tore loose from its moorings and was
swept down stream toward the bay.
Her hands torn end bleeding, Kate Middle
ton reached solid ground at length, and first
her maternal instinct asserted itself, and she
looked back and saw her children standing
still and looking after her. She pointed
honeward with a gesture that they dared
not disobey, and saw them turn and run up
the lane, then sped along her way.
She was not light Of foot as in her girl
hood; whereas, she was once fleet as deer,
and swift motion was a very joy to her, she
now realized that she was growing to be a
stout and middle aged woman. She moved
heavily and clunsily, and labored FOR breath,
and her feet were like clods beneath her.
There was a mile Of rough and rocky ground
to be covered before she reached the station,
and the train-oh, but to possess once more
the agility of her girlhood
Which would be firsti Would the train,
flying across tho upper levels of the Coast
Range, reach the next station before the
brave woman had sent her message of warn
ingl How many times she asked herself the
question she could not have told She scarcely
dared hope that she might be in time. Her
heart seemed ready TO burst with grief for
the terrible misery threatening SO many
happy homes. Alas! for the orphaned chill
dren who might cry aloud to heaven that
night Alasl for fathers and mothers whom
the morrow might behold bowed down with
sorrowi Alasl for husbands and wives
Shs was crossing the bed Of one of the
many abandoned channels of the impetuous
mountain stream, a rocky pathway, strewn
with the spoils of bygone freshets, where,
even then, a shallow stream was ripping
past, token of the torrents surplus force. She
faltered, smitten by new and awful thought.
What Il Tom-Tom, who was not to come
home for two days more; Tom, who had
started out in an altogether different direc-
tion-should have cut short his excursion, OF,
with his party, driven home by the continued
rains, somehow wandered to one of the upper
stations and boarded tho train therel
Where was her vaunted physical strength
hot cha Of h,,$
wretched woman, with trembling limbs,
every muscle clogged by this great horror
that had taken possession Of her, a fierce pain
gripping at her heart, something rising in
her throat which suffocated her, her eyes
blinded with babyish tearsl Thank Godl
her brain kept clear and true to its purpose
and urged on the tagging body. On, on,
over little hillocks, across level stretches Of
sand, down new ravines she ran Once she
cut her foot cruelty upon a sharp stone and
remembered for the first time that she had
on the light worsted slippers she had worn
in the house and had csrelessly reelected to
exchange for walking boots when she started
down the creek with her children. She even
bethought herself that her loose house dress
was scarcely the style Of apparel in which she
should like TO present herself at the station,
could she have had her choice, and in the
same breath sent up prayer of thankfulness
for its light weight, which scarcely encum-
bered her movements
With all the rest Of her senses dulled, her
hearing appeared to have become prefer
naturally sharp She seemed to hear the
chatter Of the approaching train twelve miles
away The throb, throb. throb Of the engine
kept pace with her beating heart She heard
The hollow echoes from the neighboring hills
as the train crept over entertainments, its
deafening clanor as 1t rushed across trestle
work, its dull rumble as it rolled over solid
ground. She even seemed to see the en-
gineer as he laid his hand on the escape valve
ready to give the iron monster voice as 1t
neared the little mountain town; then the
wild shrek Of the escaping steam, the clansor
of the bell, the pun, puff, as the train slack
ened speed, the CHATTER of brakes, the jangls
of couplings
Would she never reach the little red sta
ton house, now plainly in sight at the end OF
the smooth grnveled roadi She was passing
the postofice, where people idly gaaed at her.
What matteri II only there were a horse
and buggy in sight. to help her on her way!
II only one of the loungers would understand
and take up the mission which her spent
strength seemed inadequate to fulfill But
she might not turn aside
On the depot platform more ioungers, Jim
among them, rolling quid Of tobacco in his
chsek and talking earnestly about tho state
of the weather and the prospects Of the
growing crops. They all looked upon her as
q mad woman. as she ran past them Jim
mutoered an ezpletive under his breath.
moved by the strong indignation that must
always possess self respecting servant, when
master or mistress does something derogs-
tory TO the dignity of his family"
The station master was In bis Office, talk