Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-04-06
In THE NICK OF TIME. /
a TRUE STORY.

telegraph instrument clicked busily
a thoughtful expression on her face.
A face whose expression was it,
charm, that never could be called
/ pretty but that nevertheless suggest
ed a possibility-oniy possibility
of being. handsome. For there is
a vast difference between pretty and
handsome. Pretty people seldom
know very much; but to be hand
some, person must hare brains
an inner as well as an outer beauty
FloodwOod was a forlornly. desc
late spot, and one where any.woman
except Lily, would have been afraid
to come, much lest to stay all night
with nothing but the wind sadly
signing through the wires overhead
and the shrill shrieks of the wild
cats way up in the mountain side
to keep her company through her
nightly vigils. But to her there was
something fascinating. in the very
desolatior Of the place. Fronlearly
childhood she had been accustomed
to commune, with nature in her
widest scenes, and played and wan
dered at will in the mountain glens
and canons. 4 With no foolish old
woman or SILLY. old nurse girl to
frighten her childish senses with
stories of hideous ghosts and mon,
ster goblins, she had grown TO won
anhood naturally brave and fearless.
In truth she did not yet understand
the meaning of the word fear.
q Her Office was nothing more than
a roughly built shanty, seven or
eight feet square with small win.
dow in each end, and in the door
which faced the railroad track. 1t
had been hurriedly put together
with green lumber while the road
was in construction, with the inten-
ton of only using it temporarily I'M
till better one could be built, but
as usual in such cases, it had done
duty for its original purpose ever
since. .ase 70. 49, -.
The rough implanted boards we're
now badly warped and fshruEken by
long exposure to the elements, and
in many places large knots had fallen
completely out. mtTl 3av9
I Nodoubt in the winter time, the
bleak mountain wind coldly whistl-
ed through these many apertures,
aaa while one side Of the operator
was being nicely Drowned like a
piece of toast by the red. hot stove,
the other side would be refrigerated
like a frozen rabbit. . ''s'''' BIT '''.
1t was about Il o'clock IN the
morning. wien Lily received an ord
er from the train dispatcher which
read as follows 4iIAl8 h R3Y0
! ITO OPERATOR, FLoODwooD :
Hold No. 81 until No % arrives. .. +
.ru e. Bad-.eH - oE .GE. II. C.2l
On receipt Of this order She imme-
diately displayed the red signallight,
which is fun nished. all telegraph sta
tiens for this parpose, in o conspic'
uous place, in plain sight Of passing
trains, and also where it could be
seen from the office window. e .tg9
The necessity of this order and
position of the two trains, briefly
stated as follows: t'a4 mai'' " 49j
No. % had arrived at Silver Greek
ten. miles west of FloodwOod, "a few
minutes after No. q2l had passed
Redwood, which was thirteen miles
east of Floodwood. % AS No. % was
late and could go no further. on the
schedule, according to the rules o.
the road, they would he compelled
to lay at Silver Creek until Nc. q
arrived there, unless they could gel
orders by telegraph to meet them al
some other station. Floodwood be
ing the only intervening telegraph
office between the two trains, the
dispatcher gave the above order tx
that station, and as soon as it was
properly acknowledged by Lilly he
sent another order to No. % at Sill
yer Creek, which read in this man
ner: ,t..19.''@... ~. >.
so Conductor and Engineer No
% y: 80 t.4tiu1 u .zIE7 zion.
e "a" Meet No. 81 at Floodwood. APP
proach carefully. aSH a.E. X. g.
The Intelligent reader viii readily
understand that by means, of thest
orders the two trains would NEE
each other at Floodwood in pertec
safety, Notwithstanding that one o
them knew nothing Of the arrange
ment. 4alaFu2 10 g5as[ 81
. 70 explain If No.. 81 should ar
rive first, they would be stopped b,
the red light, which showed tina
there were orders for them at th,
station. The conductor and En-
gineer would Immediately process
to the telegraph Office, where tn
operator would deliver them cop.
of the order to hold them for No. %
This would be sufficient, and the.
would wait until No. % arrived. /
No. % should arrive first, the execn
ton of the order would be yet NOR
simple. No. % would take siding
and soon as they were clear Lii.
would be at liberty to take down th
red signal lantern and allow No 2