Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-04-30

casion TO other peoples chickens, was
walking along the high road on his
way to Farmer Bellows.
The farmer had promised him asack
of potatoes in return for various small
services rendered, and Eph was going
TO get them. He was slouching mood
lily along, as was his custom nowadays,
when the sound of wheels behind him
made him draw aside TO let the
vehicle have the middle Of the
road. As it passed, be looked
up and saw that it was Ella, her
pale cheeks aglow in the frosty air,
securely bundled up in furs in her lit
tie phaeton, and speeding her ponies
to their utmost. She waved her whip,
and nodded TO Eph as she passed, but
he, his whole nature turned TO gall,
took no notice Of the friendly saluta-
ton. He gazed after her, though,
with an ugly look on his once good
humored face. and muttered TO him
self:
whats dat de pahson done tole me
wunst. Pride goes befo' a fallr
Ya-as, Mis- Ella, pride he goes bero' a
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 plaintive plantation song cs he
slouched along, but he had set words
| of his own to the tune, and they ran
something like this;
Possum climb up q mighty tall 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' bis fall
He was still humming the last line
for about the twentieth time us he
drew near a turn in the road, on the
other side of which a branch of the
local railroad line ran across the road
and made a surface crossing. The
shrill whistle of an approaching loco
motive drowned the last words of his
song, when it was succeeded by a
piercing scream and a 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 a black mass stand
ing IN the railroad track. An
other instant, and he was abreast Of
it, and in a flash the situation was
clear to even his dull intellect One
Of the wheels of Elias phaeton had in
some 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 10
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 ''jail
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 ono arm across his eyes as though
to shut out the tragedy he knew was
coming, the other bearing hard on the
reversing lever. And i'm q 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, q roar, and a whir from the
passing train-no n ever knew how
1t was done, but as the rafting cars
sped by, Ella was lying shaken but
unhurt on n side of the track, the
ponies were kicking and plunging in
the ditch, while across the road lay q
huddled, motionless heap Of shattered
humanity.
The train had slowed up, and care.
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 tho other side of the road, and
heard the whispered remark ON the
still, frosty air:
Hes alive, but dying fast"
''Take mo there" she 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 10 feel her pres.
ence, and slowly opened his eyes,
whilea faintsmile parted his gray lips.
Use 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,
but and the voice grew fainter
and fainter-'Tse had my fall" The
big eyes closed, and in his fall he had