New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-06

dash across the road, then stumble ana trip, Gneh
fall heavily forward, M near I'm thnDl, heaven
he had waited Thank heaven he was near.
She had fallen across the line. ana tfaln uiiSh
come along before she could rise up a.a.m hc
seemed hurt, too IN lIen%S vi Su'P'"' ~
darted forward 70 save hcrii =, 400 .I;o .bo+ clio
had fallen and was seriously h rso pue ~ Il ali
another and more pressing terror seized nm. ~,
Uarti what was that? He listened and thrilled
Oh no. too terrible Yes yes ~ mus o 3 3eI, ~
Hong The nm line, on which Meta was lying. he
heard behind him-oh, unmistakaD!e unthlnkaple
the fierce whirr the express nond be do The
train was coming the train was almost TINS
moment upon them. Before he could have time
70 rnSh wildly forward and snatch Meta from
where She lay. full in its path, helpless weight
- would have swept past him resStlesSly, and
horne down upon her like lightning.
The cvnress was coming-tO crush Meta 70 pieces.
In tbeee awful moments men don't think: they
don't reason: they don even realize what their
action means they simply act, ana act lnstnc-
lively. Ughtred felt IN second a. Wltnout even
consciously feeling it, so TO speak that any attempt
to roach Meta now before that devouring engine
had burst upon her at full speed would be abso
lutely hopeless. ~, -. .
how How or where, or with what, he cared
not His own body would do il if nothing else
of it at all that moment rs set oil carriages con
tanning a precious freight OF human lives He
thought of il only as horrible cruel, devourng
creature rushing Roadway on at full speed to
Netta's destruction II was a senscleSS wild beast.
10 be combated at all hazards. Ii was hIdeous;
ruthless relentless thing, 10 be checked IN It's mad
career in no matter what iaSn1n' III ne knew
the track and that the engine. Ike some mailman,
putting and snOrting witw Wild glee and savage eN-
ultati0n was fastening forward with fierce strides
At any risk he must stop it-with anything
anyhow. ~,
blank in0uiring stare, and with this one fixed idea
possessing his whole soul, Ughtred's eye happened
to fall upon the diSmantled telegraph post on
which but one minute before he had been suing
The sight Inspired him. Ha, ha glorious chance
He could lift il on the line. He could lay II across
the rails He could turn it round into place.
lie could upset the train He could place II IN the
way of that murdcTCuS engine.
No sooner thought than done. With the wild
energy Of despair, the young man lifted the small
end of the pondcrous post bodily mp in his arms,
and twisting il on the big base as on an eartl-ast
pivot managed, by main force and with violent
effort 10 Law il at last full in front Of the advan-
cirg locomotive How Inc did it he never rightly
knew himself, for the weight OF the great bulk
was simply enormous. But horror and love, ana
the awful idea that NcttG's life was at stake
seemed to supply him at once with unwonted en-
crry. He lifted il in his arms us ne would nave
lifted q child: and straning in every limb stretched
II at last full across both rails, a formidable oo-
Stace before the approaching engine =,
Hurrah. hurrahl he had succeeded now. Ii
would throw the train of the Ilne-and Meta
To TO think and do all this under the spur Of the
circumstances took Ughtred something less than
twenty seconds. I'm a great Crisis men I'VE
rapidly 1t was quick as thought. Ana at the
end of il all he saw the big log laid right across
the line with infinite satisfaction. such splen-
did obstacle that-sO round and heavy! II must
throw the train clean of the metals 1t must pro
duce fine rst-class catastrophe.
As he thought it, half aloud, sharp curve
brought the train round the corner close TO where where
ne stood, great drops Of sweat now Oozing cammli%
from
at il langudy with some vague, dim sense OF
duty accomplished and great work well done for
Meta and humanity. There would be real live
accident in a moment nova splendid accldent-a
irst-rate catastrophe
Great heavens! An accident!
And then with sudden burst Of inspiration,
the other side Of the transaction flashed in one
electric spark upon Ughtrcd's brain Why--this-
was murder! There were people IN that tTaln-ln-
nocent human beings men ana women IKE hlmselI;
who would next minute be wrecked and mangled
cOrpSes. or writing forms, on the track before
him! lie was guilty Of crlme-an awful crime.
He was trying to produce terrible, CHASTITY,
Til that second the idea had
never even so much as occurred to
him. In the first wild flush OF horror at Netta's
situation he had thought of nothing except how
best 10 save her. He had regarded the engine
only II hateful, cruel, destructive living being.
He had forgotten the passengers, the stokcr. the
officials lie had been conscious only of Meta
and of that awful thing, breathing flame and
steam. that was rushing on 10 destroy her For
another lnNb'Dle second oil time OgntTeQ
soul was the theatre OF terrible aud appalling
struggle. What on earth was he to do? Which
OF the two was he to sacrifice? Should it be
murder or treachery? Must lie wreck the train
or let it nange Meta? The sweat stood upon
his brow in great clammv drops at that dread
dilemma. II WAS an awful question for any man
to solve. lie shrank aghast before that deadly
decision.
They were innocent to be sure, the people in
that train. They were unknown men, women and
children. They had the same right TO their lives
rs Meta herself, thus
to seek to destroy them. But still-what would
you have? Meta lay there all helpless on the
from him in anger but half an hour since. Could
he leave her 10 he destroyed by that hdcOus snort
ing, putting thing? Has not any man the right
to try and save the lives he loves best, no matter
at what risk or peril TO others? He asked him
self this question, too, vaguely, instincivey, with
the rapid haste of lite-and-death struggle asked
himself with horror, for he had no strength left
now 10 do one thing or Tire Other-to remove tn"
obstacle from the place where he had laid IL or
to warn the driver. One second alone remained
and then all would be over. On it came, roaring
faring, glaring, with its great bulls eyes now
peerlng red round the cOrncr-a terrible, fiery
dragon, resstlesss unconscious a bearing down in
Which of the two should it be-the pole or
Meta?
And still he waited; and still he temporzed.
What, what could he do? Oh, heaven be merc
full. Even as the engine swept, snorting and
pufng steam, round the corner be doubted yet
his own conscience in the quick Shorthand Of
thought So far as intent was concerned he
guiltlesS II wouldn't be a murder of malice
prcpenSe When he laid that log there in the
way Of the train he never beieved-nay, never
even Snew-it was a train with living freight
of men and women he was trying TO impcril lie
felt to it merely rs a mad engine unattached lie
realized only Netta's pressing danger Was he
bound now TO undo what he had innoccntly done
and leave Meta 10 perish? Must he take away
the post and be Nettas murderer?
1t was cruel dilemma for any man 20 have TO
face. If he had half an hour to debate and de-
eide, now, he might perhaps have seen his way
little clearer, But with that hideOus thing
actually rushing red and wrathiul on his sight
-why-he clapped his hands TO his ears 1t
too much for him-tOo much for him
And yet he must face it and act or remain
passive, one way or the other. With desperate
effort he made up his mind at last just as the
train burst upon him. and all
He made up his mind and acted accordingly.
As the engine turned the corner the driver
looking ahead in the clear evening light, saw
something in front that made him start with sud
den horror and alarm. A telegraph pole lay
stretched at full IpnOth' ms nlrno