Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-08-07

my grasp.
now became thoroughly desperate,
I reproached myself again and again
for not having been wise enough 70
cut off the shoe. But il was too late
now, for the broken blade, even If /
could have used that, was away. down
In Prevics where my fingers could
I'caiisd wildly for help. -
'Youcan't gstout Iyoucan't getoutT
said q commiserating voice.
started up.,i BAH, it was only a
frog. .sba9sa-i aalfsu2 t9IE o fns
YoQcan't getout. youcan't youcan't,
youcsn'tH croaked the sympathetic
creature. y 0'''lsl4''''i. DIV ''', ~
This was depressing Fool, fool,
fool, fooll', hooted an owl from the
wooded hill behind And the frog
subsided. 81 baJt7i 7ssn1. x Ea sa
Again and again my sgonized voice
rent the dark, with screams for. help.
No one came or answered, and at last,
hoarse and exhausted, 1 sank down in
despair. "Il nfif fsa ~
All became still again, save for the
!thrumming Of the telegraph wires over
head, which to my startled imagina-
tion seemed like the sound of lspirit
voices warning me Of doom. For some
time lay there in sort OF stupor
when ''.'.'' '.,,t,f .+.t.s...,e s..ri. f.
.'Bo. .loomT ,5,gft o4ns r 40 aiala
l reused up again, DO looml' II
was striking twelve from the clock in
the tower. Then for the first time the
full terror OF my situation impressed
itself full upon me, and / chilled with
fear. Each stroke sounding out with
rentless precision seemed to even
hasten the time when the fast express
would sweep round that curve, rush
past and away, and leave ne there
manned and bleeding, to,die, mo- doubt,
alone before the dawn. 9sodl .T',a.
Despair gave me m;ghtier strength
than hope, but unguided by reason.
Again pui forth almost superhuman
efforts to escape. Ny foot was badly
sprained, but felt no pain. was
frantic with fear, and writhed in the
dust like a demented creature.
Oh, it was dreadful to be held there
without any hope of rescue, fancying
I heard the horrible crunching of the
iron wheels passing over my anklel
NV brain was on FIRE. | uttered
shrek after Shrek. Would no one
come? Only the echoes answered. A
terrible calm came over me, and /
burst into a paroxysm of uncontrolla-
bic, mirthless laughter
was going mad. t,u..t
lay PROSTATE and closed my eyes.
A mild and pleasant intoxication
seemed to take possession of me, much
like that procured like morphine.
Pleasing fancies fitted before me, and
1 thought them real, In the midst of
all was present to my disordered
brain an indescribable feeling Of re-
lief. What an awful nightmare | had
had, but it was all over now; a fear.
fully realistic dream, but only an il.
lusion. And slept there as sweetly
as ever did on my own bed at home.
I slept thus, it seemed, long time,
when I was awakened by clear, long
drawn sound.
sat up, hardly realizing where l
was, and listened. 1t was the shrill
warning of locomotive.
Then it all came back to me. / was
not safe in bed at home, but was
crouchirg on railway track, my foot
held as in a wise, waiting to be crushed
by the train whose whistle I now heard
echoing and re-echoing far away
among the hills.
tried once more to release myself,
but nv foot was held fast as ever. /
was convinced that further efforts was
useless. So, having laid my body as
far as possible from the rails, I aban-
doned myself to dogged despair.
Again the shrill whistle sounded out
upon the midnight air, this time near
er and more distinct. They were
lwhisteling for the station, and in a
hundred seconds would be upon me.
Nearer and nearer few the train.
heard the singing Of the rails, and
'shuddered. The sound of the mon
ster's approach was swelling from a
growl to a mad roar. Had I been on
straight line of track, the powerful
headlight might have revealed me to
the engineer, and been the instrument
of my rescue. But l was pinned to
the track just around a sharp curve, q
hill between me and the train, and,
if seen at all, it would be too late to
stop.
The ground began to tremble. Then
a deafening, piercing shrek seem.
ed to freeze my very blood in its veins.
1 became as one paralyzed. / tried to
raise my hand to my brow, but could
not move it. The strain was terrible.
1t was agony. 1t seemed that 1 must
die even before the express dashed
upon me. t..,f ea.gf
Just then, amid the changing Of the
bell and the thunder of the train, the
great, Cyclopean eye Of the engine shot
full upon me, binding me with the