The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-28

don't have silver Innings" Again she
read, 'Crowds patronize it daily" and
in her mind she added, ''The crowds all
leave the cars before they reach this part
of the road, for / don't see one new face
a day"
Dissy evidently had a fit of "the
blues,' and yet she did not intend in the
least to be ~ungrateful to her good and
kind friend Joe. She was a smart, clover
girl and ambitious. She had read many
stories and biographies of good and noble
girls who had become great and grand
women Many a time the warm blood
had coursed quickly through her veins as
she read of the thrilling deeds done by
such women as Elizabeth Fry and Flor
ence Nightingale. and yer by girls like
Grace Darling and Joan of Arc. Dissy
wondered if any Of them would have
been heroines if they had been banished
to such a dull and out-of-the-way corner
as Cranberry Creek, Ohio.
Even as she speculated thus the door
was opened and aheavy football sounded
on the threshold. Dissy looked around
to behold a tall and powerful man, a total
stranger.
1.-The operator is awayr' he asked, in a
tone which implied that he only sought
for confirmation of something he al
ready knew.
Eyes, sir" said Dissy, for once rather
sorry to see a fresh face at Cranberry
Creek.
"How long before No, 8 passes here?"
inquired the man. Dissy looked at the
clock on the wall and saw that it was
just 8 o'clock.
SIN thirty-three minutes" she said,
and added, ''that is, if it is on time.
Sometimes No. 8 is late"
Dissy hoped it would be late this even
ing, for she knew that No. 9 was. the
train made up entirely of express cars
and she did not like the looks of this
strange man. She hoped, yes, and 81
lently prayed, that Joe might return
quickly. He had been gone more than
an hour already. =
But the man, who was, indeed, a bad
fellow, knew very well that the operator
would not be back yet awhile, for the
man who had enticed Joe into the woods
on the pretext of visiting the stave
works was one of his confederates.
81 want you to stop No. o." said the
stranger, with a sharp scowl that very
much frightened the girl.
"But I cannot do that, sir" she re-
piled, without orders from the train
dispatcher"
"You never mind the train dispatcher
or his ORDERS" gruffly answered the man.
'.Just do as / tell you, and I'll explain to
the train people. I'll give them a
mighty good excuse" he said grimly
enough. AS he spoke he leisurely trans
ferred from one coat pocket to the other
a horrible looking pistol. He did this to
brighten Dissy, and to some extent he
succeeded.
k-click-click" went the
little hammer.
"What are they saying?' asked the
desperate.
''They are asking if it is all right to let
No. 8 start from Newberry."
eyes; and all you have to answer is
o. K.-isn't that so?r
"No, sir; before they consider the road
clear | must tell them what time the last
train passed here going east"
"Well, hurry up and cut it as short as
possible. For. look you, my girl, you
mustn't tamper with me. l have lots of
friends and if anything happens to me it
will go hard with you. Fire away, now!'
But just then, and all in a moment,
Dissy thought of Joe Denman's kind
ness to her and remembered how he had
intrusted the cabin to her. She recol-
lected, too, that if anything serious hap
pened Joe might be punished and dis
charged for leaving the cabin without
permission. And somehow she thought
of Grace Darling and Joan of Arc, and
it struck Dissy that if she was but q r.
year-old girl she might be brave and
true to her trust.
So with the skill and speed of an ex-
pert she touched the little telegraph key.
'Click : click : clicketty : click click
click was all it said to the train robber.
But to the operator at Renberry it said:
'Send the sheriff and other help on No.
8. Robbers here"
In a few minutes a loud rumbling
noise was heard in the distance. 1t was
No. 0 approaching and it was almost
dark.
"Now, them" said the man, "you wave
the red light, right here, and when the
engine is at that mile post yonder wave
the white light for her to go on. Under
stand, now; my boys and l will be near
the post and if you don't do as I have
told you the balls from half a dozen pis-
tolls will fly clean through you. That's
ALL"
The man walked slowly up the track
and Dissy waved the red lantern as he
had directed.
The heavy train rumbled up slower
and slower, until the engine was opposite
the post that Joe Denman was so fond of.
Then five or six desperate and heavily
armed men boarded No. 8, but instead
of finding the express men busy at their
work they were received very warmly
by a sherif's posse.
Dissy did not wave the white light
either, for she told her story to the en-
gineer and conductor, who left a couple
of men to keep the child company until
Joe should return.
Well, Dissy is now at n of the best
Summaries in Ohio, and is no expense
xr,bafayar 10 Too nnyrnoo. for che 4.