Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-08-26

uRurt VI ~ WOlildu WThppcu LII u iOut DldCK
mantle, which seemed to hutter in the
wind. She waved great spectral arms
about in swift, twisting movements. As l
sat- looking in horror, the figure vanished
with final wave of her arms.
az was too much astonished and stupe-
fed even to make move of my hand to-
ward the throttle. At that moment Jim
had been bending over the fire. AS he
looked up he exclaimed:
"Hello, Frank, what's up' You look
as if you had seen a ghostp
II did not answer. My mind was too full
of that strange figure l had seen.
1--WE were now nearing Rock creek,
where there is trestle over deep stream
felt more nervous than ever.
1--WE dashed around the curve and
whizzed by Rock Creek station, which is
only mile from the trestle. AS we passed
/ glanced at the steam gauge for an in
slant.
"a cry from Jim caused me to turn
quickly toward him. He sat rigid, his
eyes large and staring, his jaw dropped,
the very picture of terror
'He pointed with shaking fi4yer out
into the darkness. 1 turned and looked,
and then I began to shake myself.
"There on the track was the same hid
eous figure of a woman, outlined on the
background of light from the engine, now
motionless, now whirling in a witch dance
but all the time motioning us back.
Frank, gasped Jim, but scarcely above
awhisper don't go over that trestle! Don't
go, for heavens sake! Don't go till you're
sure it's safep
II suppose was pretty badly scared. At
any rate, put on the air brake for all
was worth. | couldn't have resisted the
impulse to stop the train.
GAS we came to stop could hear the
roar of the water in Rock creek right
ahead. I stepped out of the cab and met
the conductor coming up.
"'What's the matter? What's the mat.
ter' he asked impatiently.
II felt decidedly foolish There was no
gigantic woman to be seen now. Nothing
could be made out more than few feet
away in the binding storm.
"'Well' said |, we've seen something |
don't know what it is-seemed like it was
a great black ghost that was waving its
arms and warning us not to go forward
1.-The conductor looked at me curiously.
Are you crazy, Frank lie said. Ishould
think you We're. But we're so near the
trestle we'll take a look at it.
1--WE took our lanterns and went ahead.
leaving Jim with the engine; he looked
scared all over. But tell you we hadn't
gone five rods before we stopped in horror.
"There at our feet lay a black chasm,
filled with the roar of the river, as swollen
with the spring rains it dashed down to-
ward the lake. The bridge was washed
away!
'Only a few splinters of wood and twisted
iron chung to the abutment, while now, far
out over the blackness that awful black
figure Of a woman danced again on the
thin air, relieved against the shaft of light
that the headlight threw.
'It was fiinging it's arms about as If in
wild glee.
1.-THE conductor stared at the chasm and
then at me.
"'Was that the thing you saw when you
stopped the train?' he asked.
Yes
"'Well, it's something more than luck
that saved us tonight, Frank
1--WE went back slowly to the train, feel
ing very queer and thankful, too can
assure you. Several of the passengers had
come running forward by this time. Among
them was young fellow from Chicago,
about eighteen years old, who was smarter
than the whole of us, as it turned out.
"When this boy saw the woman in
black he turned and looked at the loco
motive headlight Then he ran up toward
it. looked at it as he did so. / saw a
peculiar spot on the glass.
"'There's your woman in blackr said
the Chicago boy.
"And there it was, sure enough-that
same moth miller that you see there in
that frame. He was clinging to the inside
of the glass AS l tapped on the glass the
creature flew back and lighted on the re-
hector.
"That's the whole story, sir. The moth,
by fluttering on the glass just in front of
the electric illuminator, had produced a
great black shadow, like that of a cloaked
woman, on the darkness in front of us, and
when he Topped his wings in his vain at
tempt to sail out through the glass, he
gave his mysterious shadow the look of
waving the arms wildly.
"Then when he few back out of the
direct shine of the light the figure disap-
peared, of course
1--WE never knew just how he got in
there, but no doubt it happened when Jim
went to fix the light at the pumping sta
ton.
Anyhow he saved our lives by soaring
us with that woman in black.
$50 you see why keep the moth in the
frame. It's to remind me of the way we
were saved that night. Yes, you might
call it accidental, but callit providential "
"All aboard" called the conductor of the
limited, coming out of the telegraph Office
with paper in his hand.
Jim the cabman ran and jumped into
the cab as l stepped down to go back to
my car Youths Companion.