News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1892-07-07
following me, nopower on earth could

~ AOiChhiS hiC; iO power Oh BdFll cOul
Id save me.
N And now, as / realized how muc
d depended on my GOODNESS and presenc
OF mind, the confused feeling CAV
t, place to a GOODNESS and self possess
is ION that surprised me- There wa
p no doubt about it, | could hear tn
t construction train rounding tn
It curves near the rivers edge. Th
S scream of the locomotive sounded il
L my ears like warning of death.
:, At the same instant | beheld little
e Tins golden curls waving from sid
: to side as he trOtted, all unconscious
OF peril, homeward. Back of m,
l Numbered the locomotive. | likeneC
| 1t to the angel of death; the subdueC
t roar OF the train was like the SOUND
: OF the angels wings. My lfe-little
inns life-all depended on the dis
tance the train was from us.
S Two plans presented themselves
5 clearly to me. | might spring from
: the horse, leave it to take it's chances
. galloping through the tunnel, and
, grasplng Tim, hold him against the
yielding, sandy bank he was toddling
past happily. Or might lift him up
: and urge the horse to his utmost
through the tunnel.
T As thought of Bob Somer's horse.
of the horrors that might ensue in
the tunnel in case the horse threw the
train off the track, my course was de
cided on the instant.
galloped down to Tins side: he
had turned on hearing the horses
hOots gathering over the ties and
roadbed, and stood looking up at me
with smiling face. Leaning toward
him, calling to him to give me both
hands, | lifted him suddenly, grasp
ing hlm IN fierce sweep and held him
close before me as | urged the horse
onward.
Tins face, as he looked into mine.
displayed terror He clung to me in
stinctively, closing his lips firmly.
No sound escaped him. The iron
steed followed fast along at my back
with dull roar. 1t was race be-
tween Bob SOmers' steed fairly boun-
ded when the roar of the iron horse
swelled into warning volume.
On, on he sped, until suddenly the
light of day was excluded. The sui
len roar was silenced for time. II
breathed freer. The danger was not |
so imminent after all.
Suddenly an awful sound struck |
terror to my heart. Bob Somers'
horse snorted, trembled, snorted |
again, then shot forward suddenlvas |
almost to unseat me. The locomo- |
tive had entered the tunnel!
Have you ever realized hesimilari- |
ty the tread that heavy iron wheels
bear to the steady trot of thorough |
bred? Stand on a railway bridge in |
the silence of the night and listen to |
the rush and roar of the locomotive |
going and coming, and you will un- |
derstand me clearly.
The awe inspiring tread of the |
lightning footed steed following me
obliterated all other feelings for a
time. The earth reeled and rocked
beneath me. l pictured to myself an
atmosphere charged with the heat
and glare of the painting iron IN onster
as 1T rushed down upon horse and
riders; saw in my mind man, boy
and steed hurled to the side of the
tunnel, ground rem mOrselessly under
the wheels. Among all the vivid ex-
perlences of my life and | have sur
Vlyed battle charge, ship-wreck and
railroad hOrrOrs-nOne ever Impress
ed me with the horror | felt in the
short space of time | was in that tun- |
mel! listening to the murderous !
wheels rolling down upon us.
| recalled the horrors OF calamity |
that stunned the nation a railway |
disaster where scores were sacrificed. |
Then as now the earth seemed fairly |
fn haf,Npa / alaGrNa1 y
hands to my ears to shut out the |
screams of my fellows. In flash of
time the lights in the crowded coach
es were eXtinguished; there was a
shock as of worlds coming together,
a crash and a roar of escaping steam,
followed by the swapping and crack
ing of timbers, the grinding of iron
aDd stone and wood in indescribable |
confusion. Such a scene as the stars |
shone on that winters night | trust /
human eye may never witness again. |
Shapeless limbs scorched beyond rec
ognition; faces blackenad, CHASTITY, |
headless trunks; isolated limbs, a
woman's long tresses waving here, a
hand thrust up there; the cracking, |
seething flames licking up, devouring
overpowering all.
| rode blindly, dazed, into daylight,
with all my senses strained to their
utmost tension. Woodburn lay
peacefully in the bright sunlight off
to the right. | could see the church
spires and court house across the top
of the bank. There was one chance
in thousand, chance for Tim and
me.
l shook my feet free of the stirrups,
swung Tim around suddenly to the
left, at the same time swinging my
right leg over the pommel of the sad
die, and plunged rather than leaped
into the bank of sand and fine gravel.
Our plunge set the sand in motion;
but held Tins face downward; held
my bead downard while the train
thundered past. Then | slid and
staggered upon my feet, rubbed the
sand out of my eyes, now blurred
with tears, and hugged Tim in a de-
lirium of delight over our miraculous
escape.
As the construction train disap-
peared from view, and | urged Tim
forward to a place of safety, hepoint-
Ell To an OD!eCU DelON us NhClC bV-
held a qufvering mass-all that re-
mained of the gallant horse.
Bob Somer's horse was crushed in
to yielding, pulpy, inanimate lump,
living there beside the rails, his head
twisted back under his neck, shorn
of his forefeet, bleeding, bruised and
, buffeted beyond recognition.
J .'We beat the railroad didn't we?"
: said little Tim, looking up at me
with face whose pallor contrasted
, strangely with the stains of sand
and gravel. 1t was the first word he
r uttered from the moment i picked
: him up.
? Yes, Tim, by Gods mercy"
"But we'd caught what the horse
: got if we hadn't jumped" Then af-
f ter short pause. Pm most afraid
S to 90 to see the unicorn and the
i lion"
"Oh, but you will, Tim and you
g must tell me how many bears and
a monkeys you see at II circus. III go
d home with you and see that your
;, mother gets you ready in time for
stacy"
4 And | did, and Tim saw enough at
I the circus that afternoon to furnish
i him with speculations that lasted as
h long as | was on duty at Stanley
q station.
o The company paid Bob Somers q