The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1888-11-16
miscellaneous.
''SIG."

drove over to CrOssheld station to meet our
father, but found that there had been a
change of time on the railroad, and the train
would not arrive for nearly an hour. After
lettering about tor few moments Harry
proposed that we walk down the track Bit,
to pass away the time.
We had gone but short distance, when
we came TO place where the rails crossed
the highway, aud there we saw an old man,
evidently u cripple, sitting in u wheel chair.
He seemed to have purposcly planted him
sclfin the middle of the track and he now
sat uncouccrnedly reading his newspaper,
apparently unconscious of our approach.
II declare" exclaimed Harry, If that isn't
stupid to sit between the rails Suppose
the train should come along!"
Then MS We drew still nearer, lie addressed
the stranger:
Don't you think, sir, that it is rather
dangerous to sit there on the track in that
way ?"
The old man looked up from his paper,
little surprised at first, and then apparently
much amused.
mo, young man, he answered, at length;
II don't think it rather dangerous. I've
been n tlagman on this road great many
years, and never got run over yet"
"Oh r. said Harry, altering his tone consd-
erably at discovering that the old man was an
employee of the road, and noticing for the
first time that the stranger had little red
flag rolled up beside him.
And besides" continued the fagman,
ave got into the habit of sitting here when
no tram is due. People feel perfectly safe To
drive over the street when they see me be-
tween the rails"
81 should think they would" said Harry.
And then, quite willing to change the subject,
he asked if there was anything worth seeing
farther down the track.
Yes" was the reply. "Theresa new
bridge quarter OF mile beyond that's worth
seeing, particularly as it was there we came
near havinga dreadful accident two years
ago, when one of the piers was carried away"
We thanked him, and were moving on,
when he added perhaps you'd like to
hear the story before You go down. 1t won't
takeloGg 10 tell it and its well worth telling,
too"
We were not so old yet that we were
not always ready for story, and we gladly
sat down on the grass beside the track, and
listened TO the following interesting nara
tive, which give as nearly rs possible in the
flagman's own words:
IF you should 20 down on the track" he
began, you would come to stone bridge, a
new one, because, two years ago this April,
on dark, rainy night, the river rose and
carried away the old one, which was partly
wooden. There is irain-an express-that
goes through here every night in the year,
except sunday nights, at 0.35. 1t does not
stop at the station, but comes straight on
down here, and over the bridge and away for
Boston. Two years ago it was apart of my
business to go up and down the track every
night, to see if the track was in condition for
that train 10 go through. My boy has to do
| it for me now.
"On this particular night took my lBn-
iern-I always took a red one, SO US to have
it in case should need to signal the train
and, calling my dog, started of down the
! track about half an hour before the train was
due. 1t WAS very dark, but it's about as easy to
walk on the track at one time as another,
and went on at n pretty rapid gait. All of
sudden felt the ground giving way be-
meath ne, and knew | was going dowo.
IL dropped my lantern, and tried TO save
myself, but there was nothing to get hold of,
and in an instant felt myself going faster
and faster. And then seemed to lose breath,
and strike with great violence against some
thing solid, after which | must have become
insensible
at was hours after that awokG, to find
myself lying in my own bed at home. 1t
seems that the first pier of the bridge had
been carried away, and had walked off the
! cmbankmcnt on this side. 1t was by one of
Gods wonderful mercies that in some way
had been caught among the fallen timbers be-
| low in such away rs to save me from drown
| ing, though, as it was, it cost me dear. My
spine was SO injured by the fall that ! have
mover walked II step since.
"One of the first things | asked, when
was able to talk of the matter, WAS about the
train Joe Varnish, the engineer of the ex-
press locomotive, who was Oft duty while the
bridge was down, was by me at the time, and
| told me the story.
"'How comes it that you are here, Joe,
instead Of at the bottom of the river, you
and the whole train 2 | asked.
He looked at me with queer look n mo-
ment, and then he stopped over, and took
up from the floor red lantern. | knew ii
the moment saw it, as the one had carried
that night, and remembered dropping it as
| began to fall.
60 It's that that saved us said he.
81 was puzzled both at his manner and at
what he said, but | was more puzzled-and
startled, tOo-when he went on to explain:
"'We were coming down the road little
| late full drive, at forty-tive miles an hour,
said he, and had just passed the station, and
l had whsted for the crossing, when caught
sight ahead of us and not n great way off,
either of danger signal, the red light. 1t
was right in the middle Of the track, and evil
IDENTIFY approaching, moving up and down
quickly, as though the man who carried it
was running with all his might
"'Of course, reversed and whistled down
the brakes in an instant and 1t wasn't BALI a
minute, maybe, before me came to a
standstill, with the light now almost upon
us And almost before we were fully stop
ped, jumped down and ran to meet it, and
learn what was the matter.
"' Ii was some rods ahead yet, and could
still see it swinging from side to side, as
though the person bringing it had now slack
cned his pace to walk.
ga second later it seemed stationary, and
seemed to be waiting for me to come up. AS
came close upon ii, you may imagine my
establishment to find it set down in the mid
die of the track, and not a soul to be seen