The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1889-04-12

first one his love has grown as ne
has grown, and his weaknesses with him.
It may be that love seldom conquers
those weaknesses; but with the Other
love comes heavenly tyrant and usurps
the place of everything less noble; his
heart is clean swept and garnished-a
shrine for the object of his worship; he
has undergone a publication, sanctifi.
cation that is scarcely less than that Of
q sacrament. It was so with me,
know, at least, when I first thought of
wooing Margaret for my wife, and pos
session of her promise never made it
otherwise.
To say that she was beautiful would
fail to give even penciling of her pres
ence; and just as impossible would it be
for me to set down any categorical de-
scription Of her loneliness; of the large,
fair, pale face; the eyes, SO gray and
dark that they grew on you as you gazed,
like the shades of evening from which
the stars look out; of the features, which
would have been sculptured had they
been less instinct with pulsing and dilat-
ing life; of the tresses of finest, darkest
hair, sweeping down the temples in
countless curves; of the unspeakable
sweetness of the smile-that smile which
seemed to fill your heart and soul with
sunshine and warmth. Never was there
such another woman made as Margaret.
Her mind, too, was no less peerless than
her person. 1t had trait like light it.
self, and gave color and vitality to every
object that it rested on. OF humble
birth, and with no means of education
beyond those afforded by the village
school and the church library, she had
nevertheless cultivated herself to point
beyond that attained by many women
when living luxury Of life and breath
ing the atmosphere Of art.
1t has always made me wonder, my
relation with her, what she could have
seen in me so to bestow herself as she
did. l, myself, though still so young
was not entirely boOr; indeed, being q
poor man, was thought eccentric, per-
haps because I was not fool; but,
though now sitting at my ease, toler-
ably well read man Of wealth, having
climbed'easily by others help, specialized
largely and daringly, studied where /
could and as went, yet then was only
the master Of an engine on the Great
Interior Railway, running night train
across the state, and earning my living
by the sweat Of my brow, in SCOT and
CRIME and smoke, and all in the midst of
a wild relish of danger.
1t is singular fact that the .human
mind can become habituated to any ex-
perience. Though I shall never forget
the night when frst4drove my engine
out Of Waterway, not too familiar with
the route, dreading the darkness and the
responsibility, tremulous, indeed, with
thousand tremors, yet now, were it twice
as many years since laid hand on lever
or signaled for station, could take
her out tonight, over marsh and meadow
and drawbridge, up the long mountain
grade, across the terrible trestlework,
round that curving precipice, one side
sheer rock up into the stars, the other
nothing but black darkness and an
empty gulf of dizzy depth, through the
thick, reverberating tunnels, down the
long incline, and whistle for the brakes
at Babylon, with as much nonchalance
as when took the reins from my groom
this morning and gave my brown beau
ties their head for breezy bit of business
down the park.
She was a rusher, that engine of mine,
the Black Bess-they had not begun call
ing them then for the successful candi-
dates-and would do her mile a minute
if you asked it; though I've known the
time, of rainy o'clock morning,
when, with all steam on, her wheels
made their revolutions and she stood
still; and, to get her along the slippery
side of an up grade, both fireman and
myself, jumping off, had to walk by her
painting side and sprinkle the wet rails
with sand to toll her ON. But, although
I've owned since then as choice speci-
mems as ever stepped the turf, never
cared for any thoroughbred of them all
as did for the Black Bess, and stabbed
her as carefully, and, in early days,
handled her as daintily, as though she
were. the expected winner of handicap.
Perhaps l loved my iron steed all the
better for the dangers through which
she had passed, since there are few
whose affections are not drawn to their
companion in peril; and the Black Bess
and / had had it out one night, just as,
clearing the Waterway suburbs, we put
on all speed for the long run across the
marshes. The train was full, the steam
was up, the very wind whistled behind
US while we cleft it; Light as feather,
the Black Bess went as If she trod the
air.
Suddenly, with a sharp turn Of the
course from the shelter of a young
thicket, we came out on low cross
country road-a kind of causeway
raised upon the meadows, and cutting
diagonally across the railway track. So
unfrequented was this road that could
not remember ever having noticed
vehicle on all its long and winding sweep;
but at this moment an enormous load of
hay, fitting heavily down on one side,
rested directly across the track and
blocked the way, not only for an instant's
time, but was fixed there. can see it
here, If ! close my eyes, with such
weird distinctness in every line as might
be If grave light had stamped it on the
plate of some supernatural camera-the
four great steaming oxen, in the glow Of
the headlight, rising like projection
from the darkness, with wild eyes and
interlocked horns, and trampling and
tugging at the arrested wheels, the fitting
mountain of meadow hay, the drunken
teamster, half hidden in its pillowy
masses, asleep, and with his jug beside
him. In vain my touch upon the bell
rope or the rod; in vain the short, sharp
shrieks of Black Bess; while reached
my hand to reverse the engine we should
scatter all to flinders. One second the
face, the face of that sleeping man,
branded in on my brain as if by scar
ing iron: the next, wild thought of
Margaret, great blow, and dumb dark