The Bessemer indicator., 1893-01-07

bers until the conductor called oc.
the name OF the junction where I had
to change cars for the branch road |
which ran through my town.
And there, to my CONSERVATION, |
found myself unable to move. Men
tally was awake. Physically l was
asleep. was fully conscious OF the |
stir and hustle made by those who
were getting on and off she train; but |
could not move u muscle.
With all my might endeavored to
throw off the trance spell which held |
me, but all toIno purpose. The train
moved on and took me with it. Cold
perspiratIon oozed out through every
pore, and l should have gone mad
then and erehad not utter unconsci-
BUSINESS mercifully come to my rescue.
1t was more than an hour before l
regained possession OF my senses.
By that time it was impossible to get
back to the junction in time to
catch the home bound train on the
branch line. Springing up the mo-
ment l was conscious, / explained
things to the conductor, Offering him
any price ne chose to demand il he
would run his train back to the juno
tion and take me home. That was
out of the question. He could only
do such thing in order of the general
superintendent, and that parsonage
could not be reached, because a storm,
the day before, !had blown so many
wires down that all telegraphic com.
munication was cut off.
All 1 could do, then, was to remain
on board the train seven hours
more, when tramping twelve or fifteen
miles over craggy, roadless noun
tain, l could probably get home by
noon. Though the probably" DIS
couraged me, thanked the conductor
for his advise, shut my teeth on my
misery and tried to make the best OF
it. That was the longest night OF my
life. 1t seemed to me that it would
never end.
Day was just breaking whs- es
reached the station where 3 to
leave the train and beI ..ly foot
journey over the noun Ill. Hard as
was the ascent of that trackless, pre-
cipitous mountainside, it was vast
improvement on the train. was in
motion myself now-doing something,
whether it would avail fne anything
or not.
Soon the sun was up. Altogether
WV oooil ~ Ibu thIColh Hlll lUS
journey from horizon to zenith. 1t
was then that reached the noun
tain-top, with good seven miles OF
rough walking still before me. Duke
was to be hanged at noon, unless |
was there IN time.
At 10 O'Clock was but two miles
away from him; and with all the hor-
rors OF my journey presumably be-
hind me, | smiled self-gratulatively at
the thought OF how easy the rest
would be, and OF how would disap.
point those who were even then gath
ering to see my client hanged. Sud
denly vine caught my foot and
threw me. Failing, l sprained my
ankle, and the pain was SO intense
that ! had to exert every atom OF
my will to keep from going into
dead faint. Breaking n forked stick
from a sapling presently, | extempor-
as best could.
At the end OF an hour l had made
half a mile, and was SO exhausted
that knew another fifteen minutes
would bring my locomotive powers to
full stop. Poor old Duke must die,
after all. There was no help for it,
and with an outcry OF utter despair, |
settled on the ground in heap. Tho
mental anguish suffered in the half
hour which followed was enough to
unseat n mans reason.
Watch in hand, l counted the fleet
ing seconds. In twenty-five minutes
more my client would hang, for want
OF the reprleve in my pocket. And
then. joyful sound, heard approach
ing feet! A moment later u negro ap-
peared. He was old, dirty, and stupid
entirely unable to understand me
uutil l mentioned money. When
said: "1 will give you 500 if you get
this paper in the hands OF the sheriff
before twelve o'clock" with ayell like
tiend he snatched the reprieve out OF
my hand and darted away.
Again l sought my watch. NV mes
senger had twenty-five minutes in
which to cover u mile and half, u
portion of his route being through
thick underbrush. it was doubtful if
he would do it. The hour which pas.
sed before he returned, with help,
seemed hundred years to me.
~ done got dar," he gasped, nearly
out of breath, "on' de gemman am all
safe."
Probably it was unmanly, but I
wept for Joy. They tried to make
hero OF me for that exploit, but I am
too commonplace and stolid for that.
1 had saved my client. That was all.
III owever, 1 was rewarded more
gloriously yet. Before Dukes re-
prieve expired his butler was taken
seriously i'll. Just before he died he
made startling confession.
d 1t was he who killed Mrs. Duke.
She caught him in the act OF stealing
her jewels, and he killed her to escape
punishment. Returning O. moment
later to make sure that his victim was
dead, he saw Duke beside the dead
woman with the bloody knife, and so
made capital out OF this circumstance
by swearing away his employers life
to save his own.
Coat NJ FoadIpn D1utfrx