The National tribune., 1892-04-28

/ nooT, SeHSeieSS, rushing Oh W uel '"'
| something in the maniac's face recalled her
and froze her blood with horror.
"You, my Margaret, hussy! How dare you
! say that? | had little girl once who looked
| like you, but / broke her heart and she died.
And now. because you have her eyes, l Will
| kill you and then they will not haunt me.
| Yes yes; i will kill you, and you will be only
one Of my victims. Ha, ha! will crush them
| ALL"
In that one instant, in which he lowered
| above her, came the thought, - Is my duty to
my father stronger than to the scores OF pas
seneers on the train? Will it not be right to
save them at any hazard?" And then Joe, i
| will save him!"
| She raised her head suddenly and confronted
| her fathers glazing eyes, not allowing her gaze
| to waver. With cropping hand she seized a
! heavy wrench. She had heard that by steady
eye one could calm the rage and stay the hand
! of a maniac 1t seemed like hours to Margaret
| that she and her father confronted each other
| 50. Then he lifted his heavy hand to strike.
| With q prayer in her heart and the murmur,
Forgive me, Papa, :" she raised the wrench,
and with hand to which desperation gave
| unnatural strength, the girl dealt her father
! stunning blow. An instant he staggered, then
reeled, and fell, dead weight on the floor of
| the cab
| No words of ours can convey an idea of the
swiftness of the proceeding. But 80 was bound
| ing along the rails at frs htful speed
No time for Margaret to lament her deed.
Action now no delay. Well she knew they
were gaining time rapidly, and where the ex-
press was she did not know. In the murky
darkness she could not distinguish an object
outside the cab. Quick as thought she sprang
over her father as he lay, and with both hands,
clutched the lever; tugged at it with an ason-
| izing strength. Heavens! would it never re-
spond. joy it yielded, and Margaret laid all
her weight to the work. Slowly, oh! how
slowly, the lever moved; and how franticaiy
| the engine was flying along-in space, it seemed
| to the girl. She leaned ont of the cab window
and oh. God could it be? Yes, in the dis
| tance before her light pierced the darkness.
| The night express was on the main track.
Margaret gave one last despairing tug at the
| lever and her strength was gone. Should she
jump? Would it be wiser to stay and take the
| chances here2 Her eyes fell on her father ~
| ing at her feet; then from her lips came cry
| like the cry of lost soul: "Oh, papa, papa, |
tried so hard to help you" The overwrought
nerves gave way and the brave girl fell like a
! stone.
The passengers on the night express were
being borne along through the storm, their
thoughts busy with the pleasant homes await
| ing them. The door opened and the conductor
passed along the aisle. Stopping beside the
seat where Joe Alton lay, he caught the young
fellow by the shoulder and shook him.
Get up, Alton and don't take quite all the
seat. What are you going to Quincy tonight
| for? Can't you stand one evening away from
| Wilson's place? You're pretty far gone, AL
ton you're struck, amt your"
Alton smiled good-naturedly. Maybe /
am, but Pm farther gone toward Quincy just
now. Thanks, / have those spells often
No. ~ has been in the shops at this end, and
@lnx- l. ut Iaa6 hon LODI
down with you to take her back"
| Just then the brakeman came through the
car. As he reached the door he turned and
/ shouted savageiy:
Wayne! Wayne!"
The conductor rose and picked up his Ian
tern from the floor. We've got to take the
siding here for Wilson with special. Hope
he'll get along pretty soon."
Joe got up and left the car with him, and
both men sprang to the platform. No rain
had fallen, but the heavens were crossed by
brilliant flashes of lightning that seemed to be
chasing each other, and the thunder came in
long, angry claps. The passengers were filing
out of the car, when something moved Joe AL
ton to look down the track ahead of them
Great heavens! A headlight dancing along the
track, how far away he could not tell
His tongue was stiffened, and he could only
grasp the conductors arm and point. Just
then a fash OF lightning more brilliant than
the others illumined the sky, and with that
flash both engineer and fireman saw the dam
ger 1t was too late to do anything but save
themselves.
And then a strange thing happened, hap
pened in the smallest fraction of the time it
takes the sluggish pen to tell it. The approach
ing engine was fairly flying along-at least,
the headlight was, and that was all they could
see-and then suddenly, in an instant it
| seemed, it slackcned speed, slowed, and stopped
| within few feet of the express engine The
| iron monsters glared at each other like hum
CRY beasts.
In an instant So was surrounded by excited
passengers; as quickly the stockholders well
shaken up, darted from their car Joe Alton
made one bound and landed in the cab, closely
! followed by the conductor, and he saw Thad
| Wilson lying on the floor, motionlcss, and beside
him the form of slender young fellow in a
| freman's blue suit. He dropped on one knee
beside the figure and bent over it, then snatchcd
| the slight form in his arms, murmuring hus-
| kily:
"Oh, Margaret, Margaret! You tried to help
him and he killed your"
Already there were others climbing into the
cab. Joe snatched Bobs cap from the floor, and
pressed it over the short, dark curls, darling a
| glance at the conductor. Then he turned to
the faces bending over him. saying: "Ths
| fireman is friend of mine. Stand aside,
pltdsc, Hc III dfluS
and bore her into the station.
| Now, friends, railroaders have a way of
standing by each other through thick and tn in.
| These men did not know what was the matter
with Thad Wilson, but they went about like
brothers, caring for him, and saying very little.
| Why Joe Alton acted in that strange way they
did not know, either, but the conductor had
caught the look, and it was enough. No party
of oysters were ever less talkative than these
Iairoaders.
The next day Thad Wilson went to the su-
perintendents office and repeated the story of
his fall and its consequences. The converse
ton was long, and at its close Wilson said:
"Mr. Van Dyke, you have known me for
years. and have trusted me. / have shown my
self unworthy of the trust. will 60 away for
a year; if at the end of that time have con-
Guered this habit Twill return. If not you will
| not see me again"
But in year Thad Wilson returned to com.
plete the happiness of his daughter and her bus.
band. who lived in Dales cottage. The struggle
had been bitter one, and its traces were left on
his face and form, but he had conquered. Many
years succeeding found him engineer of So !;
but nothing would induce happy Margaret
| Alton to enter the cab. No, no, she would
say with little shudder, "my railroading is
all done;" but the smile that followed the
shudder was happy one.
| A Comrades Thanks.