New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-09-04

But would not heed him
:. And you to give up your school,.
I cried. and all our plans for you to
come to naughtr
$ Father thought of that, too, he
answered; but he said that the whole
world belonged to the man that was
faithful and true; and I promised him
You can trust me, mother?'
Trust him? All, Eesl he had struck
the right chord at last. and lifted my
head and dried my tears. Whatever
unseen dangers I might fear for my
boy would be of the body, not of the
soul. Faithful and truep I thanked
God and took courage
ut was wonderful how he succeeded
with his books and papers and other
things he sold. There was something
in him that made him q favorite with
every body. have been told by more
than one that the sight of his frank.
handsome face was like sunshine, and
that people bought of him whether
they wanted an thing or not.
.'Well, the years went by. and he
grew up--working his way from one
position to another on the road-trust-
ed every where. He was my own boy
still, though he was SO tail and strong,
with his bright curls turned chestnut
brown, and sidken fringe shading his
lips that kept their old loving kisses
for me alone.
1T was not long before he had the
place of engineer, which he had SO
much wanted. He had day of. and
was doing some little things for me
about the house and garden, when one of
the depot hands came running up the
path, calling for him
Mr.. Harding wants you instantly,
Jack!' cried the man. The jersey ex.
press should have left the depot five
minutes ago, and the engineer has Just
fallen down in a fit Curtis and Fitch
are both off on leave, and Mr.. Harding
says there's nobody left but you that
he'll trust with the train
~ cried Jack, in maze. The
Jersey express! And / never drove
anything but freight traln''
WELL, cried the man impatiently,
don't stop to argue! Orders is orders,
and here is a minute and half gone
already
Jack seemed to come to himself at
that. He darted one smile at me, and
was off like a shot drawing on his coat
rs he ran. In less time than I take in
telling. | heard the signal of the out
going train, and knew that my boy was
trusted with task that was used to be
given only to the most intelligent and
careful men in the service.
They brought him back to me that
night, sir, and laid him on his fathers
bed; and by piece-meal, and then after
wards, | learned what had happened
that day.
1.-The train, starting out SO late, they
were forced to make up time some
where on the line. So, on that long.
straight stretch of track through the
valley, they were making sixty miles
an hour. The train fairly flew. Jack
could feel the air strike his face like
sharp wind, tho it was balmy spring
day.
Then an awful thing happened!
The great connecting rod of the driv-
ing wheel on the right of the engine
broke Jack seemed to live all his life
over in that one terrible instant when
he saw the end of the rod swinging up
ward 1t struck the cab under him
and he knew no more till horrible
agony awoke him where he had fallen
senseless on the engine.
Burned and almost blind, with the
flesh scalded and torn from his hands,
he remembered his engine, with its
open throttle leaping on to certain
destruction. He seemed to see the pas
sengers inside the long train. as so
many times in the old days when he
called the morning papers through the
cars.
He knew how they looked and what
they were doing, smoking, talking of
the. elections, the price of grain OF how
stock Went up last week; women, with
Growing. dimpled babies in their arms;
little children crowding to the windows,
valnly trying to count the Whizzing
telegraph poles; young, happy people
going on wedding journeys. maybe.
and others coming home who had been
very long away.
He remembered that, as he hurried
to his place at the front, that day,
little girl with cloud of golden hair
had leaned from car window to give
one more goodbye kiss to her father
on the platform. Take good care of
mamma, darling he heard the gentle
man say.
The freman-no coward, either,
was Tim Harbrook, with wife and
babies at home let himself down from
the tender aud escaped. So might my
Jack have done But he crept along
the side of the leaping engine; care
fully and painfully he swung himself
into his place, and with every motion
of his hands an untold agony, he re-
versed the engine and put on the air
brake.
Then the train stopped, snatched
back from the pits mouth. and they
took my boy from his post faithful
and truer
1T was a long time before Jacks
burns were healed. The road people
came often to see him-no men could
have ever been kinder -and every week
off with him. had hardly heard the
gate click. when the door opened again,