The Opelousas courier., 1896-08-15

up in his crib, called out:
"Papa, is that you?"
"Where is mamma, my sony l
asked, looking eagerly around at the
desolate room.
"Gone out with the baby in her
arms to look for you" he said. "Didn't
you meet her papa?'
I stood a minute in silence.
ellie still, Bertie," said I, in a voice
that sounded strange and husky even
to myself. 81 will go and bring her
back"
And I thought with dismay of the
binding snowstorm outside, the
treacherous gorges which lay between
there and the White Blaokbird, the
trackless woods, through which it was
difficult enough to find ones way even
in the sunshine of MONDAY, and
worst Of all-the lonely track across
which an t~'express" shot like a meteor
q few minutes before midnight. Oh,
heaven! what possible doom might I
not have brought upon myself by the
wretched passion in which I had gone
away that morning.
The town clock, sounding dim and
mnffied through the storm, struck
eleven as I hurried down the hill.
Eleven-and who knew what a length
of time might elapse before I could
find her? And like a fiery phantasma-
goria before my minds eye, I beheld
the wild rush of the midnight express,
and dreaded, I knew not what. For
all that I could realize was that the
storm was growing fiercer with every
moment, and Polly and the baby were
out in its fury!
As steadily as I could I worked my
way down the track, brt more than
once I became bewildebrd and had to
stop and recollect before I could re-
sumo my quest. And at length I came
out by an open wood and water station
on the edge of track, I knew that I
was full half a mile below the White
Blackbird.
And in the distance I heard the long,
shrill shrek of the midnight train.
Some one else had heard it, too, for
as ! stood thus I saw, family visible
through the binding snow, a shadcwy
figure issue from the ruined shed and
come out upon the track looking with
q bewildered uncertain air up and
down-the form of Polly, my wife,
with the little baby in her arms!
I hurried down to her as fast as the
rapidly-increasing snow drifts would
let me, but it was only just in time to
drag her from the place of peril, and
stand, breathlessly, holding her back,
while the fery-eyed monster of steam
swept by with a rush and a rattle that
nearly took away my breath.
"Polly!"I cried. "Polly, speak to
mel"
She turned her wandering gaze to-
ward me, with her vague eyes that
seemed scarcely to recognize me.
"Have you see my hushand?" said
she zone Jacob Cotterel, brakeman
on the local express?"
"Poliyn little woman! don't you
know meg gasped.
"And Thought, perhaps" she ad-
ded, ~vacantly, "you might have met
him. It's very cold here, and
and"
And then she tainted in my arms.
The long, long brain fever that fol-
lowed was a sort of death. There was
a time when they told me she you'd
never know me again but, thank God!
she did. She recovered at last. And
since that night I have never tasted a
drop Of liquor, and, please heaven, I
never will again. The baby-bless its
dear little heart!--wasn't harmed at
all. 1t lay snug and warm on its
mothers breast all the while. But if
I hadn't happened to be close by them
at that instant the night express
would have ground them into POW
der.
And the white stripe came into my
hair on the night Of that fearful snow
storm. That's how it happened, sir.