Newport enterprise. [volume] (Newport [Del.]) 1889-1???, 1889-03-02

pretending not to know her, and guided
Miss Brown over the rugged and uneven
path.
He did not go into her office all the
next day, and now that the novelty had
worn off, Corrie wished she had never
come to Clinton. She spoke to Jack
early that morning about the state of
her spirits, and he declared he would
come on the south bound train, and go
with her to her Western home.
1t began to rain about noon, and the
showers froze as they fell. The trees
dropped before night-fall with their icy
armor, and many of the wires were
broken down. Only one of Corrie's in
struments was working, and that feebly.
She had nothing to do, and going over
to the window, peered out at the ap-
preaching train, wondering if it would
make safe journey North over the ice
coated rails. Sitting there in a half
dreamy, half bewildered state, she saw,
or seemed to see, George Howard assist
ing some lady into the Pullman sleeper.
She shuddered intuitively, wondering
who it was en- rOHte on such tempestu-
Gus and dangerous night, but Miss
Browns smiling face appearing at the
window soon dispatched her own from
the pane, beside answering her query.
The whistle sounded, the engine pulled
out, and the train was gone.
She went back to the window, and sat
looking up at the clouds. How dark it
was getting Not star peeped through
the curtained sky. The wind blew in
whirls, twisting and breaking off the
twigs of the trees. How weird the shat
tered ice sounded as it fell against the
panesl
Suddenly, as if from great draft, the
door flew open, and George Howard's
face appeared, livid with excitement.
"Oh God o God |" he cried, stumb-
ling to a chair. 'I'm lost-lost-the
trains-I gave the wrong order |"
"Calm YOURSELF" said Corrie, spring
ing to his side. "Where were they to
meet?"
"At Tunnel Hill-number seventeen
has passed"
"Is there no intervening station now
between the trains ?" she asked, her eyes
staring wildly into his.
"One-Village Springs-but the wires
are all down." he said, and swooned.
Corrie moaned as the truth-all the
truth-of that terrible statement became
clear to her mind. She darted over to
the table, seized the key, and, ma king
the danger signal, began calling wildly,
on the only remaining wire, with excited
dots "Vs-Vs-Vs."
The circuit opened and closed, and
there was faint futter of the relay.
Laying her ear over it, she asked, still
trying to adjust the sounder.-
"Where is number seventeen~
The relay trembled, the sounder
awoke, and there was strong current.
She called again:-
FWhere is number seventeen, say ?"
"Coming round the bend" ticked the
instrument loudly.
"Display red signal and side track, the
first train-quick 7 wrote the brave little
hand.
go X" returned from the Village
Springs operator.
This was all she knew until, several
hours later, she found herself in her
brother Jacks arms, and her lover beside
her.
"O-h |" she murmured, on looking
into Georges troubled eyes. "Why
didn't you tell me you were train dis
patcher 7"
Then she hid her face on her brothers
shoulder, recollecting all Mr.. Howard
had heard her say over the wire.
"Why didn't you tell me who Jack
was ~ be asked, stroking her curls and
smiling gravely.
Miss Olivia made safe journey, but
she will never know, perhaps, that her
life would have been dashed out by two
colliding trains had it not been for a
small, fair hand.
She received a neat invitation card
shortly atterward, but did not attend the
wedding.