Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-05-11
NO.35

fall, and he plodded on
A couple of hours later Eph was re
turning along the same road, his sack
of potatoes slung over his shoulder
He seemed in somewhat better spirits,
though the chance encounter with his
enemy was still uppermost in his
thoughts. He hummed the air of an
old plaintiye plantation song as he
slouched along, but he had set words
of his own to the tune, and they ran
something like this:
'Possum climb up mighty tan tree,
En- larf Wen he hear de niggah call;
But he shets his mouf wen de trees cut down
Hits de pride dat goes befo' his fail
He was still humming the last limo
for about the twentieth time as he
drew near turn in the road, on the
other side of which branch of the
local railroad line ran across the road
and made surface crossing The
shrill whistle of an approaching loco
motive drowned the last words of his
song, when it was succeeded by
piercing scream and cry for help,
several times repeated. Eph threw
down his bag of potatoes, and hurried
ly shambled forward
For a moment the rays of the rap
idly declining sun dazzled his eyes,
and he only saw black mass stand
ing across the railroad track. An
other instant, and he was abreast of
it, and in flash the situation was
clear to even his dull intellect. One
of the wheels of Elias phaeton had in
somo way got wedged fast between the
ends of two rails which, contracted by
the extreme cold, left AN open space,
which had acted as a trap for the mar
row tire She could neither advance
nor recede, and her crippled condition
rendered her helpless and unable TO
stir. She gave an imploring glance
at Eph, who remained, however, mo-
tionless. The memory of his wrongs.
his wife's death, his lingering months
in Jail, his wrecked reputation, the
sneers of his neighbors at the ''iail
bird, surged in his brain. Another
whistle from the locomotive, and
again Ella looked at him imploringly.
They could see the engine like a huge,
hungry Minotaur rushing forward as
if eager to seize his prey, the engineer
with one arm across his eyes as though
to shut out the tragedy he knew was
coming, the other bearing hard on the
reversing lever. And in fraction of
asecond Eph's thoughts changed He
remembered the girls kindness to his
wife, her gentleness to himself, the
kindly advice she used to give him,
her merry laugh when he told some
quaint negro legend about ''Brer Rab-
bit" and his companions, and he hest
tated no longer, though already, for
his own sake. he had waited too long.
a leap, roar, and whir from the
passing train--no one ever knew how
it was done, but as the rafting cars
sped by, Ella was lying shaken but
unhurt ON one side of the track, the
ponies We're kicking and plunging in
the ditch, while across the road lay
huddled, motionless heap of shattered
humanity.
The train had slowed up, and caro-
full hands raised Ella, and q kindly
stranger was bathing her forehead.
As she looked round vaguely, she saw
a circle of train hands and curious
passengers round the PROSTATE figure
on the other side of the road, and
heard the whispered remark on tho
still, frosty air:
Hes alive, but dying fast"
''Take me there, sho gasped; and
when they demonstrated, an imperious
wave of the hand secured the fulfill
ment of her request. AS they laid the
crippled girl on the hard road by the
dying Eph, he seemed to feel her pres
ence, and slowly opened his eyes,
while faint smile parted his gray lips
''Pse done ak your pardon, Miss
Ella" he feebly murmured.
"Oh, Eph, ask my pardon2 Why,
you saved my life, dear Eph"
"Yes'm. But wuz proud, and done
take no notice wen you said good
AFTERNOON, Miss Ella. Use been proud,
butt and tho voice grew fainter
and fainter Use had my fall " The
big eyes closed, and in his fall he had
risen. SO Eph got even after ell.
Horace Townsend in Once Week