St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-02-21
HOW HARRY SAVED THE TRAIN

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jumped down from the train, he did
not like the looks of it very much.
There was only a little shed for a
station. Then there was the signal
tower, and beyond that two houses.
That was all he could see. One OF
these houses was quite small, and
had no windows. 1t was close to
the track, and Harry knew that 1t
was to keep the trackmen's tools
and the hand car in The other
house was painted gray, and had
smoke coming out of the chimney
| Harry was going to ask his father II
that was where they were to live,
when tall man hurried out with a
trunk on his shoulder. He ran
through the snow to Harry's father,
and thrust a large key into his hand.
Here's the key, FetrOw," he said.
Sorry can't stay to help you get
settled, but l must report at Sack
vile tonight" Then he ran along to
the baggage-car and threw his trunk
in at the door just as the train start
ed. AS he jumped on the platform OF
| the car, he waved his hand back at
them. The train pulled along the
embank ment, turned into a cutting,
and was lost to sight; but Harry
heard the whistle twice after it was
out of sight.
Harry and his father were the only
people who had got out of the cars
at Canister, but there were six or
eight men who had come up to meet
| them.
II CO. Got, ho
just been made foreman of that part
of the railroad; and the old foreman,
whom they had met coming out OF
his house, had been ordered away.
1t was quite promotion for Fetrow.
He had been only common track
hand but now he had been prOmOt-
ed to be foreman at Canister, and he
had come up with his little son and
most of the trunks and boxes. They
were going to settle as well as they
could, and next day Mrs. Fetrow
was coming up with the baby.
The men on the platform were the
track-hands who were goingto work
under FetrOw Some of them began
to pick up the trunks; but one of
them came up to FetrOw, as the train
pulled out.
MIR. Fetrow," said he, my names
Archer. I've been boarding with MIR.
Smith at the house yonder, and |
haven moved my things out yet !;
but we have taken all the furniture
out of the car that you sent up, and
we've put it in the house i'll some
shape. The boys will bring in your
trunks now, and perhaps you can
tell us how to fix things"
"Well, Archer" said Mr.. Fetrow,
you'd better stay with us till to-
morrow; and then, if my woman
likes the idea, perhaps you can keep
on boarding at the house. She's used
to keeping boardcrs. This is my
boy Harry. He's only ten though
he is so tall
Harry put up his hand to shake
Archer's, and Archer smiled down at
him. He liked Archer's looks, for he
had a pleasant face and curly yellow
hair.
They walked together to the house,
and went into the kitchen. Harry
saw that the furniture was the same
they had at home, but the room was
a good deal larger. The stove was
new, too; but there was good fire
in it, and Harry pulled off his coat
and warmed his hands, for it was
growing chilly out of doors.
Harry and his father had been liv-
ing nearly a hundred miles away,
down in the valley where all the snow
had melted; but here in the noun
tains it hardly seemed to have melt
a1 ut oil fDl, 4 he
trunks upstairs, and making a great
noise and humping as they went.
Harry asked if he might go, too.
as there little room up there
that the boy could haNe?" asked
FetrOw.
Yes" replied Archer. Il had the
little bedstead put in the room over
the front door; but l haven't any
clothes for the bed"
"That's all right. We have them
in one of the trunks. Do you remem-
Der which trunk the sheets and
blankets are in, Harry" SO they
all went upstairs, after Archer had
lighted a candle, for it was growing
dark.
Harry ran up into the little room;
window. He could see, through the
twilight, the track and the tool
house and the signal-tower, with its
big red light, and beyond the en-
bankment curving away into the
darkness. He noticed, too, what he
had not seen when he was out of
doors, that there was a culvert in
the embankment and quite brook
running through it. The brook was
very black against the white snow
He could not see very plainly, for it
was quite dark, and besides it was
beginning to rain; but he could make
out that the culvert was arched, and
made quite a pretty bridge across the
stream.
But his father was calling him to
help unpack the wooden chest, for
Archer had gone down to look after
the supper. So he pulled out pillows
and pillow-cases and sheets and
blankets, and helped to make his own
and his fathers bed. Before they
went down to supper, he went back
to his own room and looked through
the window; but it was so dark, and
the rain beat SO against the pane,
that he could only see black stream
against the white snow.
So he followed his father down to
supper. 1t turned out that Archer
was quite a good cook. They had
fried ham and baked potatoes, with
some hot biscuit, which Harry
thought were better than those his
mother made; for they had a little
sugar in them. Then they had
brought up pot of strawberry jam,
which Archer seemed to like very
much. AS they ate their supper the