The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1894-06-09

called R anc h.
mans Center. It was q new station, far
out ON the prairie, fully half mile
from the nearest human habitation,
but being situated ia the midst of q
wide belt of excellent grazing country,
It was regarded as good shipping
point It already did more business in
that line than many places on the road
boasting of several hundred iuhabit-
anita There were two freight trains a
day each way, the through and local,
the latter of which carried passengers.
having coach attached to the rear for
that purpose. Then there were the two
accommodations going in opposite di-
rections and the daily express and mail
east and west which passed through
the lonely place between the hours of
ten and twelve at night
Hence Jack had all the after part of the
night at his own disposal and as soon as
the last trsin-the east-bound express
passed he locked up the station and
crossed the prairie to the little cottage,
half mile away. where his mother and
sister Lizzie kept pleasant home for
him. They had their COW, their gar
den and their truck patch" to look
after, and the product of these, in addi-
ton to the twelve dollars month PEN
sion, which the mother, q soldiers
widow, received, enabled them to live
quite comfortably.
Lizzie was q bright, active girl Of
fourteen. always busy with her work
or book, but with all her intelligence
and industry she was an inveterate
coward. She was afraid of everything.
and often made herself miserable BY
imagining danger when mono existed.
But she was ambitious, nevertheless,
and wanted to learn everything Jack
undertook.
Hence when he took charge Of the
little Office down at the crossing she
announced her determination of study
ing telegraphy. Jack assured her the
art was as full of electricity as thun-
derstorm, of which she stood in mortal
dread, but she persevered in her effort
notwithstanding. and in q few weeks
could manipulate the instrument so a.
to receive and send messages as cor
rectly II not quite as speedily as her
teacher
Pleased with her progress, the BROTH
er secured two secondhand instruments
and coil of wire and put up a line
from the house to the station, SO that
she might have practice without having
to walk 70 the Office during the cold
weather.
Under Jacks directions the COWBOYS
pus It mp, and though it was not
stretched SO well as it might have
been and the poles were only fence
posts spliced together, it worked as
perfectly as the main line. FEARING
that the offcious lineman might object
to the instrument on his end of the line
being in the Office, Jack set it mn on
one side of the big. empty freight
room, and here, when the weather was
not too cold, he spent many a lonely
half hour In conversing in telegraphic
language with the little sister at
home.
One night about the middle Of Febru-
ary there was . terrific thunder and
windstorm. with binding fall Of rain
and hail. very unusual thing at that
season OF the year. 1t came up sudden
~ about eleven O clock, after the west-
bound train had passed and an hour be-
tore the eastern one was due. Jack
bad been lying doing ON the cot ID
biz ot6ce. but at the sound of the
3hpndsr be SGT ug r. Ieok eqt