Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-03-06

NouNCiO0 oONhNeA1 sC"etN VIZ AeaASs
when suddenly it was arrested by q
dark object lying on the other line.
That's surely man lying on the
up-line, Tom,' be remarked 70 his fire.
man, laying his hand upon the regu-
lator.
Good God, so it isl cried Tom, in
great excitement.
Without another word the steam
was shut of, the link-gesr reversed,
and the brake applied, for the two
men knew that the up express was
due in three minutes, and that il the
man was lying on the line-who
might be unconscious through drink
or through having fallen over, was left
there, he must inevitably meet with q
horrible death
AS the train stopped with a shock
and humping of buffers and clank-
ing of coupling chains along its whole
length, Duffy jumped down into the
six.foot way with the engine lamp in
his hand. Bending over the huddled
up form, he held the light above the
blood covered face and peered into it.
A few seconds elapsed before Duffy
moved, and Tom, wandering why he
knelt so long looking into the uncon-
scious mans face, jumped down beside
them and asked: 'Is he dead, Duffy?'
Yes answered Duffy. raising his
head as if he had just wakened from
o dream.
who is he" continued Tom.
Armstrong the smith
At this moment the brakeman OF
the train came along to see what was
wrong; and after Tom had explained
the matter to him, they lifted the dead
man and carried him to the van.
Duffy and Tom then returned to the
engine, and we're Just about to start
the train to advance to the station and
see what could be done with Arm
strong, when Tom caught sight Of
some one running along the line with
lamp in his hand.
WHATS up2 cried Duffy.
Who can this be, and what can he
be wantlngT asked Tom.
At this point the man with the
lamp approached the engine; and
when be had come within the light of
the furnace, the two men recognized
him as the signal man. Tt's a bles-
sing you noticed itl' he cried, painting
with the exertion of running so fast.
Noticed what?' both men on the
engine exclaimed simultaneously.
Something's wrong with the sigma.
It's standing at clear Just now, and
yet the levers right for danger.
hard you passing it without slowing
up, and then I noticed the signal was
wrong I'm glad you saw the train
in front in time to pull up
lis there q train in front7' asked
Duffy.
There is. The 7:27 passengers
blocked there by truck that went off
the rails.
At once the whole matter
became clear to Duffy. Armstrong
had been trying 70 wreck The train,
and had apparently fallen down into
the cutting when putting the finishing
touches to this trap for his enemy.
Although Duffy thought this perfect
ly plain; he did not breathe word of
his thoughts to those around him.
Was not his enemy lying dead in the
van? He would let bygones be by
cones.
No; we didn't notice that, he said
to the signal man. we stopped be-
cause we saw man lying on the up
line.
Here the signal man climbed on to
the engine, and the up express went
thunderidg past, creating miniature
and monetary hurricane as it went.
It's Armstrong the smith, added
Duffy. He's dead
is that SOP the slgnal-man ex-
claimed, and then lapsed into silence,
feeling unable to say anything appro-
priated to the circumstances.
I'll go up with you and see what's
wrong with the signal Duffy said to
the points man after pause.
Reaching the signal, they found the
cord, loosened it from the trellls work
of the signal-post, and let the counter
weight fall again. 1t had not sug-
gested itself to the signal man that
any connection existed between the
dead man on the line and the mys-
terious lowered signal; but in spite Of
Duffy's reticence, the cause of the &C.
cldent became perfectly apparent to
him when he saw the cord attached to
the signal counter weight, and put
that fact and the fact of Armstrong;
being found dead on the line togeth-
er.
If ever anything was prov,dential, ,
said the signalmsn, as be and Duffy
returned to resume their respective
duties, this is. Here's a man that
intends to wreck your train; he falls
over the embankment just when he
gets the thing arranged; then you
come on seemingly to o certain smash,