Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-05-02
In THE NICK OF TINE.

MISS LILY - uerS, nlgnG Telegraph
opeator at the Floodwood station, sat
before her table, on which the telegraph
instrument clicked busily q thoughtful
expression upon hsr face.
face whore expression was its charm,
that never could be called pretty, but
that, nevertheless, suggested possibility
only 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, a person must have brains; an
inner as well al outer beauty.
FIoodwood was forlornly desolate
spot, and one where any woman, except
Lily, would have been afraid TO come,
much less to stay alone ell night with
nothing but the wind sadly signing
through the wires overhead and the
shrill shrieks of the wild cats away up on
the mountain side 10 keep her company
through her nightly vigils. But to her
there was something fascinating in the
very desolaticn of the place. From early
childhood she bad been accustomed to
commune with nature in her widest
scenes, and played and wandered at will
in the mountain giens and canons. With
no foolish old womaR or silly nurse girl
to brighten her childish senses with
stories of hideous ghost and monstrous
COLLINS, she had grown to wOmaHhood
naturally brave and fearless, In truth
she did not yet understand the meaning
of the word fear.
Her office was nothing more than
roughly built shanty, seven or eight feet
square, with small window in each end,
and one in the door which faced the rail
road track. It had been hurriedly put
together with green Lumber while the
road was in course of construction, with
the intention of only using it tenn porarliy
until better one could be built, but as
usual in such cases, it done duty for its
original purposes ever since.
The rough Imprinted boards were now
badly warped and shrunken by long ex-
posure TO the elements, and in many
place large knots had fallen completely
out
No doubt, in the Winter time, the bleak
mountain wind eheerily whistled thorugh
these many apertures, and while one side
of the unhappy operator was being nicely
Drowned like piece of toast by the red
hot stove, the other side would be refrig
Grated like froZ d rabbit.
1t was about l o'clock in the morning
when Lily received an order from the
train dispatcher which read as follows:
"To Operator, Floodwood: Hold No.
q until No. % arrives. E. K. c."
On recej Ut of This order she immedi
ately displayed the red signal light, which
is furnished all telegraph stations for
this purpose, in conspicuous place, in
plain sight of passing trains, and also
where 1t could be seen from the office
window:
The necessity for this order and posi-
tion of the two Trans, briefly stated, were
as follows:
No % had arrived at Silver Greek ten
miles west OF FioodwOod few minuter
after No. 81 had passed Redwood, which
was thirteeh miles east of FlOodwood.
As No. % was late and could go no
further on the schedule, according 20 the
rules of the road, they would be compell,
ed to lay at Silver Creek until No. 81
arrived there, unless they could get orders
py telegraph to meet them at some other
station. Floodwood being the only in
tervening office between the two trains,
the dispatcher gave the above order to
station, aud as soon as it was properly
acknowledged by Lily he sent another
order to No. % az Silver Greek, which
read in this manner:
"To Conductor and Engineer No, %:
Meet No. 81 a. Fioodwood. Approach
carefully. +. X. c."
The intelligent reader will readily I'M
derstand that by means of these orders
the two trains would meet each other at
Floodwood in perfect safety potwith-
standing that one of them know nothing
of the arrangement.
To explain: If No. 81 should arrive
first, they would be stopped by the red
light, which showed that there were orders
for them at this station. The conductor
and engineer would Immediately proceed
TO the telegraph office, where the opera
tor would deliver them a copy of the
order to hold them for No. %. This
would be sufficient, and they would walt
until No. % arrived. If No. % should
arrive first, the execution of the order
would be yes more simple. No. % would
take siding, and as soon as they were
clear Lily would be at liberty to take
down the red signal lantren, and allow
No. 81 TO pass without stopping. No. %
having arrived, the object of the order
was already fulfilled. If both trains
should happen TO arrive at the same time
the red signal light would stop No. 81
and as No, % had instructions to sap
proach carefully" they would do so. ex-
pecting &c find Nc. % occupying the
main track.
LILY perfectly understood the import
ance of the order she had just received
and during the long hour, which wore
slowly away, she kept careful watch OF
the signal light, which, however, continu
ed to burn as brightly as ever. At las
she heard the rumbling noise away in tn,
west, which gradually became louder anC
louder and more distinct. BY this sht
knew that No. % was coming, and would
probably get in on the siding before No
81 should arrive.
The rumbling became louder and loud
er each moment; the earth began t,
tremble, aud the peculiar vibration in thu
air which gives warning of a rapidly ap
preaching train, hummed loudly in he
ears.
She began to feel anxious, as they wer
evidently coming st high rate of spec,
and not approaching as carefully as thei
order had instructed them; she also hal
not yet heard the whistle, which is Away
sounded by trains when approaching
station, and this omission increased he
fears that something was wrong.
But she was given no time for furthe
reflection, as the train now suddenl
dashed around curve not hundre
yards distant, running at full speed.
Lily flew out and stood between tn
rails, swinging her hand lamp Wild