Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-03-10

in the woods. Strictly, Joe should
not have left his cabin; but Dissv
was as good telegraph operator as
he was, even better, and the girl did
not mind in the least being left alone
for an hour or so.
1t was 6reary afternoon and get
ting very near evening, and Dissy
had begun to feel exceedingly lone
Iy. Even the enormous, many-color-
ed poster that hung on the wall of
the room, proclaiming in startling
language the many qualities of the
Buffalo & Mississippi River Railroad,
did not cheer her very much. "The
Silver Lining Route, she read rath
er disdainfully, and thought to her
self, ''Well, the Cranberry Creek
clouds don't have silver Innings"
Again she read, 'FCrowds patronize
it daily" and in her mind she added,
''the crowds all leave the cars before
they reach this part of the road, for
| do not see one neT face a day
Dissv evidently had fit of ''the
blues" and vet she did not intend in
the least to be ungrateful to her good
and kind friend Joe. She was a
smart, clever girl, and ambitious.
Sha had read many stories and biog
raphies of good and noble girls who
had become great and grand women.
Many a time the warm blood had
coursed quickly through her veins as
by such women as Elizabeth Fry and
Florence Nightingale, md even by
girls like Grac- Darling and Joan of
Arc. Dissy wondered if any of them
would have been heroines if they had
been bani7hed to such a dull and out
of the-way corner as Cranberry
Greek, Ohio.
Even as she specialized thus, the
door was opened and a heavy foot
fall sounded ON the threshold. Dissy |
looked around to behold a tall and
powerful man, total stranger.
The operator is away?" he asked
in tone which implied that he only
sought for confirmation of something
he already knew.
Eyes, SIR said Dissy, for once
rather sorry to see a fresh face at
Cranberry Creek.
"How long before No. 9 passes
here?' inquired the man. Dissy |
looked at the clock on the wall and
saw that it was just six o'clock.
sin thirty-three minutes, 'she said,
and added, ''that is, if it is on time.
Sometimes No. 8 is late"
Dissy hoped it would be late this
evening, for she knew that No. 9 was
the train made up entirely of express
cars, and she did not like the looks
of this strange man. She hoped,yes,
and silently prayed that Joe might
return quickly. He had been gone
more than an hour already.
But the man, who was, indeed |
bad fellow, kenw very well that the
operator would not be back yet |
awhile; for the man who enticed Joe
into the woods on pretext of visiting
the stave works was one of her con-
federates.
q want you to stop No. s." said
the stranger, with a sharp scowl that
very much frightened the girl.
''But l can not do that, sir she
replied, ''without orders from the
train dispatcher"
"You never mind the train de-
spatcher or his orders,' gruftly an
swered the man. ':Just do as [ tell
you, and I'll explain to the train peo-
pie. I'll give them a mighty good
excuse, he said grimly enough. As
he spoke, he leisurely transferred
from one coat pocket to the other a
Notwithstanding pistol. He did it to
brighten Dissy, and to some extent
he succeeded.
''Clicketty click click Click went
the little hammer.
"What are they saying?" asked
the desperate.
They are asking if it is all right
to let No. 9 start from Newbury."
eyes; and all you have to answer
is O. K.,-isn't that so?"
mo, sir. Before they consider
the road clear, must tell them what
time the last train passed here going
east"
"Well, hurry up and cut it as short
as possible. For, look you, my girl,
you mustn't tamper with me- have
lots of friends, and, If anything hap
pens to me, it will go hard with you.
Fire away now?'
But just then, and all in moment,
Dissy thought of Joe Dinman's kind
ness to her, and remembered how he
had intrusted the cabin to her. She
recollected, too, that if anything seri-
Gus happened, Joe might be punish
ed and discharged for leaving the cab
in without permission. And, some
how, she thought of Grace Darling
and Joan of Arc; and it struck Dis
sy that, if she was but twelve-year-
old girl, she might be brave and true
to her trust.
So with the skill and speed of an
expert she touched the little telegraph
key.
"Clicketty- click click-click'' was