The Washburn leader., 1891-07-25

over the wires about "the plug that
took Tony's place at Long Hollow"
Time rolled away. and Kaye be-
came accustomed to the position in
which he had been placed. At first
he found it lonely to an intense de-
gree in the tower as the night crept
on, and once or twice he was very un-
easy when tramps had begged him
through the open window to permit
them to come up and have smoke.
The rules forbidding admittance to
the tower were stringent, but apart
from this Kaye would not have al
lowed the nomads to enter. Many
and many IL night as he sat in his
glass cased apartment he let his eyes
wander to the farm house which
sheltered Mollie, and his mind follow
ing his sight was filled with thoughts,
boding no peace to himself
Long after the midnight hour had
passed he used to tilt his chair back
and smoke, his brain filled with teem-
ing thoughts such as come only in
the quiet ola summer evening. Anon
his call would come from the instru-
ments and instantly he was alert and
active. "Thirty-one passed west"
wires the operator in the tower above,
and with his hand on the semaphore
signal he awaits the coming of
the train. Soon he hears a
roar in the distance, and q mo-
ment later the headli ght of the ex-
press flashes afnr up the track. He
pulls thelever "clear," hetrain rush
es by, and throwing open the key he
notifies the office ahead and the one
in the rear that the train has passed.
So all night long the routine con-
tinues.
His hours of work left him free only
in the eatternoon and ola times thatis
the worst for an infatuated young
man thrown constantly in company
with a maiden whose household du-
ties allowed her freedom at tho same
hours. Needless to say that love fol-
lowed Often as Kaye sat at night
in his eyrie he caught glimpse of a
light waved to and fro in an upper
window OF the farm house, and know
ing full we'll the good night signal of
his sweetheart, he replied with a
quick movement of the semaphore.
One night about half-past 12, just
after a heavily laden freight had
passed east and when all the country
was wrapped in slumber, he sat leis-
urely smoking, his eye, as usual.
resting on his beloved's home.
Suddenly something caught his
gaze and strengthening up he
looked intently at the farm
house. A tiny light was lowering at
one end. Even as he looked it grew
clearer and brighter. In an instant
he realized that the homestead was
on fire. Oh, what a struggle follow
ed in the bosom of the operator. To
leave the tower might mean certain
death to the scores of passengers in
the express now due, for the freight
had not yet passed off the block; to
stay where he was sure would as
surely cause the inmates of the dwell
ing to perish.
For q moment, but only mo-
ment he was undecided; then, throw
ing open the key, he called the
towers above and below him. "For
Gods sake, send help" he nerv-
ously rep"a ted: "a farm house is on
fire and ] am alone" He added his
signature and closed the key. In an
instant the receiver began to click.
''Cannothelp you; am all alone, "came
from the westward tower. Amoment
later the clicking began again: Extra
freight took middle siding here to
clear No. 10: engineer and conduc-
tor just left tower; will run back
light on west bound track with full
crew to put out fire.
The news came from the office east.
Kaye glanced at the house. The
| fame was becoming larger and the
smoke was beginning to roll up in
clouds. "No. 10 passed east" comes
from the instrument. Kaye auto
matically put his hand to the SEM
aphore and peered out along the
track. 1t was five miles to the next
tower and he knew that ten minutes
would be required by the freight en-
CINE to cover the distance. The
6eCOIlu6 6eCIlleU IllUellullltbDJe. "OulO
relief ever come? A muffied roar,
momentarily increasing, gladdened
his heart for an instant, but hopes
faded out, for the sound came from
the wcst. not from the east. In
another moment the express dashed
BY, the tower shivering as the heavy
sleepers ratified over the track. No
use to hold it. he thought. Even in
the time of agony he did not forget
to send noticr of the train passing.
The flames we're increasing. Would
the engine never Gomez Again he
peered up the track, No light yet.
Heavens! Had they refused to come
after all?
| A moment la ter the sllrill footing of
q steam whistle not a hundred yards
away broke forth, and before Kaye
realized it, the engine WIS standing
at the tower, the whistle going like
mad, w,ile halt Il dozen men were
climbing the fence and hastening to
the fire. He had forgotten that the
engine was running backward and
would show no fight,