The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-10-17
"SIG." !"

One Saturday afternoon my brother
and drove er to Crossfield station to
meet our father, but found that there
had been change of time on the rail-
road, and the train would not arrive for
nearly an hour. After lettering about
for a few moments, Harry proposed that
we walk down the track a bit, to pass
away the time.
We had gone but short distance,
when we came to q place where the rails
crossed the highway, and there we saw
an old man, evidently II cripple, sitting
in wheel-chair lie seemed to have
purposely planted himself in the middle
Of the track, and he now sat unconcern-
edly reading his newspaper, apparently
unconscious of our approach.
~ DECLARE" exclaimed Harry, if that
isn't stupid TO sit right between the
rails Suppose the train should come
along ("
Then as we drew still nearer, he ad-
dressed 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.
"No, young man." he answered, at
length; al don't think 1t rather danger
GUS. I've been a flagman on this road
a great many years, aud | never got run
over yet"
%, h" said Harry, altering his tone
considerably at discovering that the old
man was an employe OF the road, and
uoticing for the first time that tho
stranger had little red flag rolled up
! beside him.
"And besides" continued the flagman,
| 'I've got into the habit Of sitting here
when no train is due. People feel per-
fectly safe to drive over the street when
they see me between the rails"
al 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. "There's a
new bridge quarter of mile beyond
that's worth see ng, part cularly as it
was there we came near having a dread
! full accident two years ago, when one of
the piels 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 take long to tell it, and it's well
worth telling, too"
We were not so old yet that we were
not always ready for a story, and we
gladly sat down on the grass beside the
track, and listened to the following in
teresting narrative, which l give as
nearly as possible in the flagman's own
! words:
"If you should go down on the track, "
he began, you would come to a stcne
bridge, new one, because, two years
ago this April, on a dark, Ia'ny night,
the river rose and carried away the old
one, which was partly wooden. There
is a train-an express that goes through
here every night in the year, except Sun
| day nights, at :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 a part of
my business to go up and down the
track every night, to see if the track
was in condition for that train to 90
through. My boy has to do it for me
now.
''On this particular night took my
lanterp-I always took a red one, so as
TO have it in case l should need to signal
the train-and, calling my dog, started
OF down the track about ha I an hour
! before the train was due. 1t was cry
| dark, but it's about as easy to walk on
| the track at one time as another, and
went on at pretty rapid gat. All of q
sudden felt the ground gi'iug way be-
meath me, and | knew l was going
down.
81 dropped my lantern, and tried to
save myself, but there was nothing tc
get hold OF, and in an instant felt my
self going faster and faster And then
seemed to lose breath, and strike with
great violence against someth ng solid,
after which | must have become in,
sensible.
at was hours after that awoke, to
find myself lying in my own bed at home.
1t seems thlt the first pier of the bridge
had been carried away, and had walked
off the embankment on this side. 1t wal
by one of Gods wonderful mercies thai
in some way had being caught among
the fallen timbers below in such a way
as to save me from drowning, though, az
it was, it cost me dear. My spine wa;
so injured by the fall that l ha e never
walked a step since.
'One of the first things l asked, wher
l was able TO talk of the matter, wa
about the train. Joe Narnish, tn,
engineer of the express locomotive, who
was oil 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 trainl' ! asked
He looked at me with a queer look