The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1894-02-02
A BRAKEMAN'S HOLD.

IL mad been q pad week all round. the
baby had been sick, an I'd lost such little
sleep as l could've got, an Molly had been
restless an worried an cross. had been,
too-there's no use o. thinkih hadn't
an when I'D henr latnr'r | ought 70 he ut
the train a couple o. mornin's got hauled
over the Goals for it, an that didn't make
me feel any better. Then lost few dol
lars through cOuntin my pay in the street.
Felt SO sure / could handle it, when
whiff-the wind had taken one of my bills
way out of sight. Well, chasin thing
don't always mean catchin it, an was out
o suit of clothes, or a new dress for Molly,
Or the money for the DOCTORS bill.
$50 when went home an Molly was
tired an impatient, didn't think of how
she'd had to bear somethin, but 1 just
blurted out about my own loss. My, but
she did blaze up!
"'No use to save few pennies for me to
throw away dollarsI No use tryin to be
careful of 10 cents when 1 could let $40
blow away like puff of smoker
81 didn't answer back much, but got
my supper an had a nap, though by this
time was so mad l didn't want even to
look at her-my Molly
"When l woke up, it was gettin to train
time, an l went over an looked at the
youngster, who was gettin on fine by this
time. bent over an kissed him an stood
a minute an looked at Molly, an then
said-ugly, s'pose-'Good nightp
"'It'll be good nighUif you don It spend
or waste any more money! she said.
glove, the mad I'd felt before was nothin
to the rage that seized hold o. me! l don't
scuse myself, but I've always had a little
more sympathy for the people that do ter
rible things in a ragel know the blood
rushed to my head an face an l fairly
trembled. My voice was sort o. choked as
1 said, It'd be good night if it'd rid
me o. you and your Vaughn tonguep An
l slammed the door as 1 went out.
"The breeze was comm up cool an damp,
but it didn't cool my temper. Our little
house YVES only few blocks from the sta
ton, an sometimes the boys would make
it easy for me if / was late by startin
on time an slowin up little till swung
on. OF course l mean when was late an
hadn't time to report, for they knew they
could always rely o. my bein on hand
We bhO VI u was Ou JuC lOCdl
then, an the return an all was made in
about 2% hours. We used to get back
about midnight, SO could always depend
upon havin half nights sleep anyhow.
Bein so lucky as to live near the station
gave me more than most of the other boys.
"Well, my temper hadn't cooled on the
return one bit. No, got worse-a good
deal worse. I'd thought of how hard I'd
worked an the things I'd done to make
Mollys life comfortable an the ways I'd
tried to help her. But I didn't think O.
the way she'd worked for me an tried to
help an encourage me. No, l wasn't on
that tack just then. An / thought more an
more o. her temper an her always Vaughn
tongue, an got so far as to think if it
wasn't for the young I'm it'd be best to
make misstep some night like this-in
the dark like this
"Just then the whistle came for down
brakes an as I leaned over l saw the
draw was open, an for a minute /
thought how easy it'd be to drop down
an have it all over in an instant-if it
wasn't for the baby. When we started
again, l got down on the step an leaned
out just in kind o. curious way. new
er knew how it happened, but my feet
slipped, an there l was clingin by one
hand an the train gettin along faster every
moment
"Over the draw, over the bridge an
thinkin was goin to drop till managed
to get my other hand up an hold on with
all my life's strength, doublin my feet IN
der till thought they'd snap off with the
tryin to keep 'em up from the rails. You
see, couldn't touch anything to steady
'em, an couldn't pull myself up. just
hung there till it seemed as if l must let
go.
"Then of sudden l seemed to see Molly
an the baby left all alone. | saw Molly
with her tire lody an achin heart a-takin
care O. the little one, an always remem-
b'rin those last crG'l words o. mine, an
a-blamin herself f., -" last words to me.
tell you--i cant mt dare to think
over again all t4r lights / had as /
chung there between Iic-the little hold ]
had on life-an the death so near if let
go. For there was no stoppin till we
reached the ferry an no chance o. bein
discovered. Once or twice the conductor
or some one came through an thought |
called, but my voice wasn't a whisper
All my strength was just in my hands. If
ever Twin man can seem to feel as II
heaven was near, l did when the whirrin
o. the brakes an the clankin O. the rails
showed we was gettin in. Then o. course
it was all right. One of the boys got off
to help the passengers just in time to catch
me as l dropped.
~ didn't know anythin more till found
myself in the Office allyn on the bench,
with Molly-at that time o. night--a-hold-
in my hand an cryin.
"'Oh, Jack she whispered, are you
better, dear? Oh, l thought you'd left me
for goodl couldn't rest, an l left the
baby next door an come down to wait for
your train. WANTED to say was sorry.
Oh, Jack forgive me for my cruel tongue,
an I'll try to mind it more
Stop there, my GIRL whispered. l
found l was terrible weak, an the tears
came in my eyes. Forgive me, too, was
all could say.
"But right there before all the boys-an
some o. 'em a-grinnin-I drew my wife
down to me an kissed her. Minnie G.
Hale in Harper's Bazaar.