The Penn's Grove record., 1896-03-06

1t on It's way to Elmsfieid.
With a few more hopeful words II
his daughter, Applegarth took bis lamI
in his hand. and signing to me to TAXI
mine and follow him, clambered viii
great difficulty on to the fret truck
Our speed had continued to increase
and It seemed as If we were to be both
thrown of on to the line. We man
aged to reach the brake handle and pu'
It hard down-as hard as we botf
together were able to do. We did thu
same with the other ten trucks, wheI
the oscillations was too much for US
and slowly and laboriously we mad'
our way back to the comparative safe
" Of the guards van.
Our speed had slackened q little witt
the brakes put down, but again 1t be
gan gradually to accelerate, and 1t wal
with a sickening feeling at the hear
that / resigned myself to all the help
lessness and hopelessness Of our stu
alton. Should we begin to descend the
benk at our present rate of speed, moth
ing, humanity speaking, could avail ID
ave us from a fearful death. Apple
garth was sitting with his head buried
In his hands. In a corner Of the van
crouched the two girls, n Of them
trying to encourage the other, who
wa crying bitterly.
Suddenly the last dread alternative
presented itself to my mind, as 1t has
often done to men in a like position, too
frequently with the result of only
Fastening their fate. but now 1t seemed
the only chance left to us.
Shall we jump, FrankY' / asked.
You forget the girls" vas all ht
said.
I had not forgotten them, but now
I reflected that wen IL they had the
courage to attempt 1t the risks were too
great, and besides one of the two was
no longer capable of deciding for her
self. And we could only sit still and
walt, with what equanimity we could
command, the fate upon which we
were rushing.
Meanwhile Harry Armstrong, our
driver. had reached the top Of High
bank, and from the too quick action
of his brake had learned that some.
thing unlocked for had happened to
his train. The next turning showed
him that he had broken away and thai
his engine had only-a few trucks be
mind 1t. He took what was probably
the only safe course-that Of putting
on steam and going ahead as fast as h'
could.
There Is a break-away," he shouted
az he steamed into the siding, land
twenty wagons of coal are tearing
down the banks"
Signal against the up train" called
out the station master: II hear heI
coming"
But the goods will run into hei
further down the line In any case"
I'VE must throw the goods off the
rails. Heaven help the poor guards
We can do nothing for thsm."
There are others, too. besides the
guards" urged one Of the men on the
engine.
And a hundred In the up train,
Sharp with a hammer; we must spike
the back road points. 1t may send
them into the river, but 1t must bs
risked."
The spike was driven homo
Bring the iron chains" was next
called out.
A pile of these lying beside the line
was seized upon and hurriedly q nun.
Der Of them thrown across the metals.
Then the men ran back out Of the way
of danger, for the roar Of the down"
train was upon them. Out Of the black
darkness, like a strcax still blacker,
rushed the long line OF doomed wag-
ons, and then came the dreaded crash,
heard for niles round, drowning the
noise Of :he gale. now at Its height.
The wrecked train lay In ONE lnd!s-
tinguishable ma " oe iron and Coal and
splIntered wood. The FIRST wagons had
driven owe the chains and fallen into
the ballast, where they lny overturned.
by way Of a buffer to those
behind them. Anxiously and with
many forebodings Of evil was the
scene Of destruction searched for the
wreck Of the guards van. No trace
Of 1t was to be found.
/ must now take UP the story Of the
at the point where I left II
of. I was sitting as If in a dream.
when a light hand a placed on my
arm and Mary Appiegarth'e voice
sounded loud and shril in my ear.
Wake upt' she cried. Think II
no plan to let 90 the van from
the first wagon. Can't you get at the
couplings-the woodwork is very oldT
l found she had already reused up
her father, who. like me, had abandon.
ed hope.
In another moment i had the ham,
mer out of the locker. Frank, picking
up a shackle-hook. drove 1t through
me END OF b van Just above the cou-
ping, and oon had a large opening
made. Then, easing OF the van brake,
knocked out with the hammer the
bolt which attached the first truck to
US. The loaded wagons seemed to race
away from us as we gradually put on
brake again, and we felt that the
danger was past.
We travelled slowly down the bank,
until we saw a red light ahead. 1t was
one of the men sent from the station,
after the train had been wrecked. He
had come on as ordered, with no hope
Of finding any of us alive.
made up my mind that very night
10 make a match of 1t with Mary Apple
garth II she would have me. We were
married a few months after, and all
my mates called 1t "a runa way match"
Boston Traveller.