Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1895-03-01

.Mctt.ss.sss.s==HSSM under tho low
w .ASseyt, - sg'l spreading bran
S: ..597=9zs5ssS ches Of tho old
~ elm tree in tho
front yard of her
pretty little home, and all this had
been caused by the big, broad shoul-
dcred young fellow who was now max
ing his way ncross tho open prairie to
the 20 round house, dinner basket
III hand and with the usual roll of
overclothes under his arm.
The Brotherhood of Railroad Fire.
men were to give the first dance of tho
season that night, and Joe Quinn, tho
bright young engineer, with whom
Iolly had been keeping company for
over year, had promised to take
her, and now, just rs the evening
shades were falling, and it was nearly
time to don the pretty dress made
with such loving care for tho event,
nc mad come to the house and told her
that it would be impossible for him to
keep his engagement. lilo had been
called to go out on No. 8, tho "Lim-
tied, and could not get Off 1t was
enough to vcx saipt, thought Polly.
John Ward, Polly's father, had been
IN tho employ of the SO" company
for many years and had risen from n
position MS laborer to that of fore
man OF tho round house. On the
night OF which We write ho had been
homo to his supper and had been
Obliged to return to the shops again to
complete some repairs to locomotive
Tint could not wait. Polly was alone,
and, with nothing else to do, sat un-
der the big tree and grievcd over her
lovers detection.
Across tho level prairie sho could
dimly see i'll the growing dusk the out
lines OF the monster shops and engine
house. On the turntablo track, down
near tho water .tnnk, sho saw tho
bright rays of mn electric headlight
TINT she well knew was on the big
"tcn-wheelcr" that her lover was to
run that night. She could see the
haring torches" of Quinn and his
fireman rs they worked around the
ponderous machine, getting her ready
Tor the mad rush of tho fast limited
cxpressA
Tho mellow tones of the engine bell,
softened by the intervening distance,
floatcd across the plain, rousing Polly
from her rcveric, and telling her that
her lover had started for the passen-
ger station i'll tho city, two miles
AWAY. Sho watched the headlight nm
al it disappeared around tho curves,
and was about to start for tho house.
when her attention WIS attracted by
In ,,t1 81. L
board fence thnt incloscd ono side of
the lot scarcely ten feet from where
she snt.
Tell you it's II dead suro go if VIC
only hustle. That's Quinn backing
down now on tho ST. He'll run the
lilo of EN- out of here, and couple
OF good oalS ties stuck in that trestlo
will do the job slick enough. Nobody
WILL DO watching very close, and we
can sneak the snfo into the woods
easy enough"
"Bill," said second voice, 81 don't
just fancy killing such n lot of people
MS thatll do. Can't VIC flag 'em Mt the
trestlo IN go through the car same as
the other gangs do? There's six OF
us, N wo ought to bluff that express
man easy enough.
''No use to talk about it now.
Hank" responded the first speaker.
"The boys have got tho thing all fixed
n we can't change it now Come on,
we'll have to run if wo get to Rock
Creek before Quinn docs"
As they finished their toned.
hurried talk two men camo from be-
hind the fence and started on run
down the road toward the railroad
track
Polly was bright, quick-wittel
girl and generally very self-reliant,
but now she stood i'll the black shad-
ows of the big tree, completely para
lyzcd by the atrocity of the awful plan
these men Ind revealed.
They were going to wreck No. 5 to
rob the express safe.
How could she give the alarm in
time TO avert this terrible sacrifice of
human life? 1t was over hnlf mile
from her house across the prairie to
the shops, and from them it was nearly
as far to tho main track, to reach which
ono would have to cross tho intricate
tracks OF the great switching yards,
which at this timo in the year were
crowded with grain cars. Could she
get to the shops, find somo one trust.
worthy. tell her story to them, and
still leave time enough for her messon.
ger to reach the main track to stop the
train?
While these questions were flashing
through her brain the little clock in
The hall chimed tho half hour. 1t WAS
half-past and the train left the CITY
Mt D. She had only thirty minutes
left. Suddenly she started toward the
house on run, crying:
81 can do it 1 know 1 can"
On Joe's last trip in she had given n
little lawn party, and Quinn, with tho
characteristic love of railroad man
for light and color, had brought over
from the shops lot of railroad Ian.
terms, white, blue, red and green, to
hang in the trees, and row they were
stacked in the hall awaiting their re-
turn to the store room. In second
Polly was beside the pile, holding first