The national leader., 1889-02-02

revenge and everybody'd think twas
the drunken dagoes T. did it.
After they'd talked it all over and
arranged as how they was to 60 by diff
ferent routes to Swanton and meet
there again. they separated and walked
off.
MARY had made up her mind. She
knew that everybody in town had gone
to bed by that time, and she was the
I: only one that had any chance o. Savin'
Jack and the other passengers on 81.
There was an old red lantern o.
Jacks in the woodshed OF her house,
and she hurried around and got it. Sne
found a match in the shed and lit the
lantern with it. Then she cum out to
the road again and started for the
depot.
Just as she struck the railroad track
the moon went behind pack o. dark
clouds and. as she had only the light
of the red lamp, she had to almost feel
her way along.
She didn't know what time it was,
and was mortally feared she'd be too
late, 'cus she had over half a mile to
90, and that there big trestle to cross,
and pack o. drunken Italians to run
the gauntlet of.
sShe had grit, though, as I'm tellin'
We or, and she made that old crutch o.
hers work pretty fast till she got down
to the trestle.
over that, She started out on her feet,
but she couldn't see whether her
crutch was strikin' the ties or goin'
between 'em, and before long she made
a misstep, and plumpl-went one leg
down between the ties.
She got up pretty badly bruised, and
tried it again, but before she'd gone
far, down she went, and raised big
welt on her forehead from strIkin' 1t
+, against a stringer.
Then she gave it up, and got down
on her hands and knees and crawled
along In the dark feelin' of her way
with her hands.
FINALLY she got over, but she was
that bruised up from fallin', and she'd
lost so much time kneein' of her way
accross the trestle, that she knew she'd
got to strain every muscle in her body
to get beyond Dugan's in time to stop
No. 81; and tell ye she just laid her
Sell out TO get Gnort.
"Twas plain sailin' now It'll she got
down to the telegraph shanty, witch is
| jist this side o. the pit, and though
twas almighty dark, Mary made good
time, and when she got to the shanty,
where the long stretch of straight track
begins, ole 81 wasn't In sight ylt.
She could hear the 'tally-mens' a
singin' and raisin' the OF Ned over in
their shanty. but that didn't stop her.
She only gripped her crutch the harder
and hurried to get by. They's path
along the pit side o. the main track,
between the telegraph shanty and the
east side of the sidIn' where the swamp
begins, and she thought she could get
| along better by fOllerln' that as far as
t'went.
She was a stumping it along as fast
as God'd let her, when Of sudden her
foot hit suthin' layin' in the path, and
she fell head first across it Onter the
ground.
The thing grunted and rolled over
and she knew twas man layln' there,
but he was so drunk he didn't wake up.
'Mary was so startled, though. by
the suddeness o. the thing, that before
she knew it she let out a yell.
Three or four Italians that was
standin' outside o. the shanty door
heard the screech, and they picked up
some torches, such. as they use for
diggin' gravel by at night. and started
over to see what was the matter.
'Mary'd picked herself up. and she
crawIed along down the path, a hidin'
o. the red lantern under her overskit
till she got out o. range o. the torch.
light, and when the Italians was all
gathered 'round their partner, a layin'
there dead drunk, she lit out for dear
life.
when she got to the end Of the path,
she got up on the road-bed again, and
hadn't gone more'n forty yard when
she run onto the ties that the tramps
had piled on the track.
| Instead of bein' one or two, though,
there was a dozen of 'em, for the feller
meant bizness, an he'd made sure that
there was no way of the train gettln'
by the ties without runnin' off.
They wasn't all piled up together,
but was laid along one by one.
MARY stopped down and tried to lift
the first one off but somehow other
she couldn't make it budget
She tried again. but twas no go, and
then she saw that the ties were all
wedged down to the track ny havln'
two stakes drove slantln' across each
end of 'em.
just as she was beginnin' to realize
that she couldn't move 'em, she heard
No. 81 whiHtle for Swartsville curve,
bout mile II a half away.
she grabbed the lantern and started
down the track, a-sw.ngin' of 1t from
! side to side as she saw SIPS headlight
a'loemin' round the curve.
'Herel wat yer doin' with that yer
red light!' somebody hOllered at her,
and when she looked round she saw a
man get up from the shadder o. the
fence and come a-runnin' arter her.
1T didn't take her no time 10 guess
that feller was the one who was doin'
the wreckin' but she thought she could
keep ahead o. him till she got the