Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-09-05
NO. 36.

! m afraid amt so religions as ougbt
TO be, but when ! found couldn't helm nv.
sell no more than dead log. | kind Of
tnought II was about time | asked for help
from the good Lord above us. And guess
! prayed about as earnest as any minister
ever uld IN the pulpit on a Sunday, and
mluSoe httle more So Not being quite
useu 70 that sort OF business wasn't Who'll
" sure it would do any good. but anywny "nC.
after I'd got through felt some better IL
my mind. It didn't seem then AZ tbonab
my case was so hopeless as had tbongIt
at nrst. An hour is a long time. and some
thlng might happen before the coming of
hlnety-two that would help me out of the
scrape all right. There was a chance and
pretty good one, that the folks where
boarded might get worried and come ont 10
hunt me up Or, what was less likalv tbo
breeze that I could hear PLAYING about
among the trees might increase enough to
Olow out the light. Or a shower might
come up-l knew the roof was leaky-and
a. timely drop fall and squelch the flame
Ihen 1t wouldn't be impossible for some ac.
cIuent 70 happen and prevent ninety two
rom passing. These chances were small
enough, but the thinking of them bron,,bt
me little grain Of comfort
However the night wore ON and NOT
one OF the things I'd imagined miybt han.
pen ana happen, except that finally | began
10 thlhk that ninety two wasn't coming.
mad no means of judging time CORRECTLY
put u seemed to me that | had been living
Vhere tremendously long while. and that
the Train was getting to be past due The
hlght was still and kept listening with all
my ears, but the rustling of the leaves was
the only sound could hear as minute after
minute went by. But must have miscol.
culated the time, or else ninety two was
late, for Just as | was beginning to feel a
morsel OF hope that she wasn't going IN
come by that night, | heard a noise in the
distance Faint and far off at first. it soon
grew louder and nearer, until there was no
Iiis1Sklhg. II was the train. Presently
heard 1t stop at a station about two miles
down the line. For half minute the 90.
Gaping steam hissed, and then. puff puff
puff l knew she had started on again
estimated it would take her five minutes IN
do the two miles. That was three hundred
seconds had yet to live. | might have
counted them by the beats of my heart. but
guess should have had to reckon near
nan dozen beats to the second for nv
neart was humping away like mad In
Just a little while ninety two would 20
crashing by and well, | shouldn't live TO
hear more than the engine pass.
But what was the matter now All at
once things began to get dim and burrv ali
around me. Was turning faint surely
the hght didn't seem as bright as it had a
moment ago. Why was this | could
hardly believe it, but the trouble wasn't
with me at all it was with the lamp. n
'cdS 6eginning 10 burn ior
Before lighting it, the Italians had
shaken 1t up to see that there was oil
enough but they had forgotten one thing
the WICK might be too short to burn at all
And that was exactly the case. couldnt
see the flame itself on account of the tin
shade, but | could tell from the reflection
above and around that it was sinking fast
But all the while ninety two was coming on
fast also. Twenty-ti five miles an hour may
seem rather moderate speed to a passenger,
out, but tell you, that train was a regular
lightning express to me Just then.
he flame still fiickered, getting feebler
every moment; the train still pounded
ahead, getting nearer every instant 1t
was race between the two, with NV life
as the stake. Which would win heard
the hollow sound of the cars crossing a long
bridge half mile distant, followed by the
louder roar as they struck solid ground ON
the side nearest me. had then less than
thirty seconds of grace.
'N'uVHll tue name went out. But |
knew it had left the charred wick in a red
glow, and that might live long enough to
be the death of me-
The last critical moment arrived With
a rattle and clank and a roar ninety.two
went tearing by. There was a quick Jerk
at the string, the board flew through the
door, and-the train passed on. had shut
my eyes lnstlnctively, but the next moment
l opened them, for | realized that ninety
two had come and gone, and still lived.
That was very good scheme of Black
Jacks, but it didn't work that time"
why not ~ asked Sydney, breathlessly.
Had the spark gone out y
mo; it burned for several seconds after
that" Grant replied. 1T seemed like
that | was saved, but it wasn't. If
you have studied natural philosophy, you
know something of the law of inertia.
Well, that board had been jerked out so
quickly that the inertia of the lamp kept it
N the same place, so that it dropped right
side up with care into the powder. Luck
lily that happened to present surface so
nearly level that the lamp wasn't over
turned. If it had been burning full force.
probably the result would have been the
same though you'd better take my word
Tor that, and not try the experiment your.
selves"
That was pretty narrow escape" re-
marked Sydney but you weren't out of
The scrape even then. You couldn't get
away, and the Italians might come back"
Very true and | thought they were
coming when a few moments later heard
footsteps outside But it proved to be my
andlady's husband and his brother, who
mad set out TO hunt me up. Wasn't | glad
10 see them, though If they had got there
sooner | shouldn't have been sorry but as
It was, was well out of bad scrape The
next morning my hair was as white as it is
now. There's the one o'clock whistle, boys,
and that ends my story"
Didn't you have the Italians arrested ("
lueried Ned, as Grant started out of the
cabin to go to his work
"Well, l did lodge a complaint against
5he scamps, was the reply but that is all
'he good it did They left for parts un-
Inown-went away, as the saying is, to get
themselves hanged elsewhere. - ".
BickneH in Ha,per'S Young People.