The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1889-02-14


would nave acted Ikea buffer TO the
shock | had received, and deadened lta
effect on all my SYSTEMS hut every
months salary was precious 20 me nowi
II was 80 much more added 90 that al
ready laid up for the enriehing OF tho
humble little home whose prospect then
was hoayenl and before October had
Redeemed her parallels, | drove the Black
Bess again By night out Of Waterway,
Meantime my head was far from right,
| knew that by The dull ache that hate
upon ID like u leaden capt by the sharp
pains that sometimes stabbed my eve,
balls, as III needles we're Ia the entering
rays OF llgnL uHen, TOO, when peoplb
were speaking with me, their wofdA
sounded duly o long way OIL, and " |
reused myself 10 some manner Of en-
forced attention, l paid for II by a frehh
assault Of binding pain, When In this
condition, / went through many Of my
dutiea by mere mechanical routine, and
| think my faithful fireman, George
Rowe, did more at such times toward
running the train on time than did In
enginepr-unleRs the Black beaa were
herself gifted with that sort Of wlzardry
aud more than human power which i
sometimes fancied belonged % her All
this annoyance OF mine, however, Was
but intermittentl had II been otherwise,
had II been constant, | should not live 10
remember W. and gradually ! began 10
believe that II vas wearing OFT, never
dreaming that II was but assuming q
new form,
My spirita had been greatly depressed
during the period whom | felt these TO-
suits Of my disaster tho most aeutelyi
they became as much too buoyant when
| found that my nRtmal strength and
vlgOr were Conquering tho recurrence Of
tho attacks, / had fully realized how
wrong and how impossible my Intended
marriage with Margaret would DO under
such circumstance, aud only when |
found myself able % look tho rising sun
In the face, and 10 drive from twilight
10 twilight from the gray Of evening 10
the gray Of dawn, without an extra
throh IN my temples, did ! dare 10 dream
fresh drcnmA Of my long desired homo
and Its dellghta, Tho only trace OF
trouble that appeared 20 be remaining
with @, NJ lma6t, wNa q slightly Impaired
CycsIght, 80 that what once / could dis
tInctly sec In detail when NJ tho distance
Of a milo, nov became but u blur, and
rendered me, OF moro or less seldom oc'
caalOn, subject 20 aomo optical delualon,
However, this did not interfere with my
business, and, aa | said, | went and came
In such an atmosphere Of expectation
and assurance, that might have seemed
70 any spiritual observer like II trans
| figured and walling IN a nlmhua,
Things were In this state With me
whom one night, aa usual, ! took tho OK
press out Of Waterway, II was q some
what heavier train than my ordinary
one, and In the safe Of the special car
that went through with .us was u largo
amount Of coin Opd yalWblea, Remqm'
boring some daring robh@ioa, In which
trains had been thrown from tho track
by means Of obstacles placed thoro by
the ylllnina who subsequently rlllod
/ them, / resolved ON an even moro pQT-
| tlculnr lookout than common; ! told the
Black Boss, 40 ! mounted, that she must
spring a. Il, for there was work 10 do,
and she answered 20 my hand like a 1.-Two
creature, ! heard them sounding the
irons down our long lCngth-th0n tho
word was given, and our q%uiycring car.
ricr, starting well IN hand, soon warmed
TO her work, and bounded along as II she
meant 10 be- the victor Of some domoni'
acOl race,
/ have often thought, since those days,
that thoro can DO nothing like that mans
ecnao Of mastery whose hand II IA which
! gives the first motion 20 some long train
crowded with bugtling life and tumult,
All those beings, their ioya, their fears,
their expectations, their very futurcann md
cXistcnccq, Orc his, hang on the falling
Of his oyClid, on the turning Of hia finger,
There " not such u potgntatO aa hc tho
earth over, But when | drove I'M engine
myself, | thought Of no such thing; were
my wheels oiled, my boiler fed, my valves
right, were we well wooded, wa | on
time, ahould | carr my p%ittanco a day
my fQncios seldom took q higher flight,
But this Ia aside,
II was qttheC loseQl adOrk aud stormy
Gay, soon deepening Into q black autumn
evening, Of which / was about 10 speak.
No stars IN heaven, no lights on earth.
Tho dir was that fresh, wet GOODNESS 90
delightful 10 breathe oven whom you got
II, % did, between puifs 0nd whiGfs OF
amokoi pools Of water, everywhere on
our way, walked up 10 laBh nko moons
IN our light 0s We left thom; little now
made brooks were chasing onch other
beside uA, woody pl0ccs kept up n per
pctunl dripping dhd dropping; and tho
whole earth was soaked In running rivem
Of rain, Tho long perspective Of tho
track, with 49, rails glittorlng IN molg-
turc, rose by all It's longth into heaven,
and seemed 20 hing up shiningly before
us Ike n ladder Of Light, the only fixed
thing m oil the changing, shimmoring,
cOlendcrCd darkness,
40 we appeared 10 wind our path up
this eploudid highway, suddenly whit
had been but u blot Of blackness upon II
o long way ahead, resolved itself 10 my
vision into Il less indistinct body, and l
f0nci' d some l0boror, returning from his
days work, had fulton nsloop beside the
track, had, perhapa, In his sllmbor, rolled
ovcr upon II, Such stupid reollosBnoss
was not uncommon, / sounded tho whlB-
tlo 10 warn him, and then, us he did not
stir, 10 put down the brakes, We had n
full head Of steam on, and wore rubbing
forward with hardly abated progress,
tliNi NliNhlhih NY EunNi 4 lIlnl
tho thing had taken for q man now,
by tho size Of tho dark spot II filled,
must BIO u woman, with her drOpery
blown loosely abroad by tho brooge. !
snQtchod my field glass, and, stoadying
II for n moment, q faco flashed IN tho
dlsk-O single momont-and then, my
horror stricken eyes blinded, my tongue
oleQying TO the very roof Of my mouth,
with u mighty shock | reversed the ON.
gino, and, the wheels revolving tho
other way, we slipped alowly up by our
impetus and paused within u yard Of tho
actual place,
l leaped OF 20 search tho spot. George
Rowe, likewise, lcaped after me. There
WINS nothing whatever on tho track save
tho shadow Of n clump Of bushes break
Ing th long glitter OF its steel. looked
about mo with q frantic s~wlftnoss-f
could not feel convinced that no real OBJ
Joot lay there, | heard tho car windows