Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-09-12

P"i OOutotul"S OuC houNh PAOl'"hSN
by her plump hands he felt highly
gratifed at his good luck. Oace
in the tower, however, this elation
vanished, for his surroundings
made him exceedingly nervous.
and beiug compelled to "break"
once or twice when he failed to
understand a rapidly transmitted
word he had the pleasure of hear
ing q sarcastic mess ige fash over
the wires about "the plug that took
Tons place at Long Hollow"
Time rolled away, and Kaye be-
came accustomed to the position in
which he had been placed. A.
first he found 1t lonely to an intense
degree in the tower as the night
clept on, and once or twice he was
very uneasy when tramps had
begged him through the open win
dow to permit them to come mp and
have a smoke. The rules forbid
ding admittance to the tower we're
stringent, but apart from THIS
Kaye would not have allowed the
nomads to enter. Many aud many
night as he sat ia his glass cased
apartment he had let his eyes
wander to the farm house whic b
sheltered Mollie, and his mind fol-
lowing his sight was filed with
thoughts bodins no peace to him.
self.
Long after the midnight hour
| had passed he used to tilt his chair
| back and smoke, his brain filed
| with teeming thoughts such as come
only in the quiet Of snmmer
evening. Anon his call would
come from the instruments and
instantly he was alert and active.
Grhirty.one passed vest wires
the operator 10 the tower above,
and with his hand OH the sema-
phore signal be awaits the coming
of the tram. Soon he hears a roar
in the distance, and a moment
later the headlight OF the express
flashes afar up the track. He
pulls the lever to "clear," the
train rushes by, and throwing open
the key he notifies the Office ahead
and the one in the Iear that the
train has passed. SO all night
long the routine continues.
His hours of work left him tree
only in the afternoon, and of all
times that is the worst for an in'
fatuated young man thrown con-
stantIy 10 company with a maiden
whose household duties allowed
her freedom at the same hours.
Needless that love followed. Of
ten as Kaye say at night in his
eyre he caught glimpse ola light
waved to and fro in an upper win
dow of the farm house, and know
lug full well the good night signal
of his sweetheart, he replied with
quick movement of The sema-
phore.
OIe night about half.past Il
lust after heavily laden freight
had passed east and when all the
country was wrapped in slumber
he rat leiSurely smoking, his eye
as usual, resting on his belOved's
home. Suddenly something caught
his gaze, and Strengthening mp he
looked lntentIy at the farm house
, A tiny light was hOverlng at on'
end. Even as he looked it grew
clearer and brighter. In an in
> slant he realized that the ole
o homestead was on fire. Oh, wha
9 a struggle followed in the bosom
of the operator. To leave the tow
8 er might mean certain death t
the scores of passengers on th'
express now due, for the treiGh
had not yet passed off the block
" to stay where he was would a
" surely cause the in mates OF tn
dwelling to perish.
p. Fo7 a moment, bat only a mt
,r meht, he was undecided; theI
|, throwing open the key, he Gale
:, the towers above aud below hin
:, "For Gods sake, send help" /
"A nervously repeated; "a lar
- house is on FIRE and l am alone
n He added his signature and close
the key. In an instant the receive
-, began to click. "Cannot help yo'
~ am all alone," came from the we'
-. ward tnwer. A moment later u
-. clicking bel an again: "Ext
10 freight train middle siding here
:. clear No. 10; engineer conduct
-. lust left tower; will run back lig
- Ion west bound track with #
80 crew to put oht FIRE"
:. The news came from the OIL
~. east. X ,ye glanced at the hod'
= The flame was becoming lare
=, aud the smoke was beginning
,otl u,, in clondS GNJ. 10 pass