The Penn's Grove record., 1896-08-14

ing OF, for she was running at a goo
pace, aud the snow on the tracks mad
the cars lurch and sving. locke
UP and through the snow and the dar
] recognized the landmark, and kne,
we were nearing the water tank. wher
Johnny's girl lived. just at that me-
ment the train gave q frightful jer
and saw the engine 90 rearing In all
and about a hundred feet ahead
saw q lantern swing wildly In the al
and 70 down. ! went Dat ON the ca
and hung there for lear life. W
stopped in ten or twenty yards and
swung of the car like mad. 'Grea
Cod thought, IL that was Johnny
Something made me feel that b
had gone under the wheels, and whel
! crawled ahead a few cars there
found him, lying all white and still
He was too much stunned to say
word. We picked him up and started
to carry him to the house-where Jen
ny lived. 1 saw that the wheels hat
gone over both legs-over one near thu
thigh and the other below the knee
Ny, but he was a game lad, for all tbs
torture Of carrying him up the hill
couldn't wiring a word from him. We
knocked at the door and said one oil
the boys had got hurt-that the engine
had jumped the track. A white little
face came to the door and looked al
US a moment, and then as soon as she
saw me and my face Jenny shrieked
out, It's JohnnyF But she didn't
faint or cry, nor say another word.
We just carried him in and put him on
the bed and she took charge of him.
One Of the boys rode over to get a
doctor, but when he came he saw at
once that 1t was no use. 1t vas only
a question Of how long Johnny could
survive the shock. He lay there very
quietly, and finally when the doctors
examination was finished, he said: "ls
there any show, old manT
II couldn't reply, but he knew as l
turned my head away what the an
swer was. Johnny vas quiet for q
moment, and then pulling Jenny's hand
with his own weakly, he said in a
husky voice: Little girl, I want to go
home And that he insisted an all the
rest of the night. We didn't think
that he'd be alive by morning. But he
was, and we decided to put him Oh
board the morning express. The
wrecking train had thrown the engine
out OF the road and cleared the track,
and when the express came down we
tagged her and took Johnny aboard.
All Jenny would tell US was that his
father lived in New York. But she
gave the conductor an address for Q
wire.
1--WE didn't think that he would last
the journey, and about half way down
he suddenly clutched Jenny's pand
hard and then lay back still. The
little girl threw herself upon him sob
bling as If her heart would break, bait
1t didn't do any good. Poor Johnny
was gone"
Joe paused a moment and looked
Into the fire.
"Well," he said, 'to cut it short, when
we got into Jersey City Johnny's IA
Their was there. 1t didn't take more
than a glance at his clothes and his
portly bearing to tell me that he was
a rich man. He sprang into the car
and would have pushed me out o. the
road. l knew who he was, and held
on to him, and I said: Walt q m;n-
ute. Johnny was pretty badly hurt
He grabbed me like a wise, and said,
In a set voice. Can he liver l shook
my head. and he gasped, Is he
II led him over to where the boy
lay, but he didn't want to see him.
He looked very hard at the little girl
who sat there sobbing, and said, slow
ly, IS t~his-JennyT And then he took
her very quietly in his arms and kissed
her.
Il went to the funeral the next day
That was the day before Christmas.
The old mans hair had turned white,
and his face was a lined and rigid
as though he was mounting a seat
fold. He was twenty years older than
the morning l saw him first. 1t seems
that Johnny had been brought up,
like most boys, to have all the money
he wanted. He got wild and in with a
fast gang, and, to try to curb him, his
who was a wealthy banker,
got him a place In a store as cashier.
Johnny's allowance wasn't enough, and
he made 1t up out of the cash drawer.
When it was discovered his father
made up the amount, and then sent
Johnny adrift, He never spoke to him
afterward, and when Johnny, after a
years good service on the road, ap-
pealed to him for money enough to
get married IN the old man returned
the letter. l found 1t in Johnny's coat
pocket the morning we took him home.
The train whistled for a station, and
"Joe," grabbing his lantern, escaped
into the night and the falling snow
New York Herald.