Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-03-08
sCHooLMAAM's NARROW ESCAPE

maui. ~ so7
SCHooLMAAMS NARROW ESCAPE
They were sitting before the hio a.
place in Uncle John W9,son,s $50. 10 ~
an interesting and interested group'
There were several neighbors who bad
just strayed in-mea who had faced H.
privauons OF early pioneer life in the
mountains, and men who had rusbad a.
the mecca OF fortune or failure in Tho
Pennsylvania oil regions. Uncle Tobn,s
commonplace but kindly dispossd vito
sat smoking her pine in a COSY corner
/ There were, besides Georgiana UncIo
Johns niece, girl with medauion
face and swapping black eyes. the IittIa
schOolma' am. who was ..hoor5irc,
round" and who secretly reioiced ~ 6n5
her lines fallen in such a pleasant nlsco
They were listening 10 Uncle Iohn,s
stories of the early DAYS. As no eat ~
fore the fire, his strong features and an
gular form were outlined sharnlv
against the glowing logs. He MAS a
true type Of that class so rapidlv dis
! appearing-the grim. undarnfed rseist-
! less pioneer. whose virtues have heen
told in song and story. and whose NON
CRY is as refreshing as draughi ~
spring water on a no, dav From sto~-
les OF early hardships the conversation
naturally drifted into a recital of hair
breadth escapes, the turning point he
ing bear story in which Uncle Holm
figured as a hero.
Il was walkin' down the road ona
evenin' when met bar strollin' along
as if L, too enj'yed an eyenin walk" his
story began. 81 had PLAYED with the
. lnjnn boys long enough TO farm SOM
thin' o bar natur' so ies' tuck OF mt
+ hat held IL afore my face and yelled 70,
/ all ] vas worth. The bar turned and
"a liked back into me woods 5 dieninad
IS jUdse n ! CIT for home. I might
. hey mad a squale meal for thet bar
bat he Lord he'd orr wise ordained
Ben Billings 'o.d loE he had been
/ lell under a ben leWk8 disturb
! ed mentally. but Do. wise unhur.-bv
a boiler which mad TASTY exit from
I III engine house an al1ed three huns
dred feet away. Jake Brown told of his
wind-up in the bull wheel, One more
turn n I'd hev been dashed against the
cross piece. The drill saved me- He
allus was the coolest feller 1 ever saw
was Bill Kaney."
81 don't srose you've lived long
enough to hey any close calls" said
Uncl= John, when he little schoolma'-
ans turn came. "Oh. yes have" said
She Il, happened when was teaching
over at Spring Creek and boarding az
Squire Duncan's. I had q good three
miles to walk ev-ry morning and even
ing, and was always glad of a lift. One
morning. a gooi looking fellow. with
q spanking black team and light spring
wagon, came along He stopped and
asked me II cared 10 rile. or course
preferred To ride under such favorable
circumstances. II was a June morn
ing. and the air full OF sweet scents and
sweeter music. and We were soon talk
ing as agre ably as II we had been old
acquaintances OF course ne knew peO-
pie that knew and that broke the ice.
We felt well acquainted by the time wa
came to the d. MkV. railroad crossing.
On the track lay a big milk snake sun
ming itself TIE iroT -S>--rrt 1-rr'N--
ed the/wagon in such a maMer as 10
catch the hind wheel between the two
rails The young man turned Waite as
ashes.
"'Get down and run for your life he
said. the morning express is due, and
this is a load OF nitro glycerine. I
must unload these cans. You may be
able to get away before anything hap
pens. Rum rum he almost shrieked
But ! had no intention OF running
away. ! helped him 10 carry the cans,
two at a time, to a SAFE distance from
1.-THE track. II was terrible work, false
step. or the Earring Of one can against
the other and all would be over with us.
I gritted my teeth and worked like
machine Evry step was taken IN the
agony of fear. After the first moment
he was as cool as cucumber and ham
died the cans with wonderful deXterliy.
You see he was used TO il and ] wasn't.
and / was dreadfully afraid Of dropping
a can from sheer fright In a short
time we had them out but one. and that
was under the seat A dull rumble, and
an engine rounding a curve blanched
our faces. and made our hearts stand
still"
You get that can while I will try
to flag the train. he cried hoarsely.
az climbed into the wagon. II SEEM
ed an age before ! could reach the can,
and an eternity before landed with II
and had placed 1t with The others III ln'
field. And then
"You tainted. Of course" said Uncle
John. with a twinkle Of his eye.
"No. / didn't" said the little school
nam. 81 turned and saw that the en-
CINE had stopped within TWO feet OF me
wagon, and the people were crowdlnng
out Of the train to see what was thi
matter They looked scared enough
when they found out how mario" an es-
cape they had had The train soon
rumbled on agai' and I help.d him 10
load the cans. lie said a good many
complimentary things but be dIdn
ask me to ride on to school ana pre-
ferred walking"
"He ort to hev fell in love with "
in genuine story book STYLE said Uncle
John. There orght to be quite ro--
mantle end 10 thai episode He should
be a rich young followed VINO aAeu ~ ~
marry him and took ye on 10 EUROPE oH
wedding tour. ,...r,
"He was rich enough, sald ln' itu.
schoolma'am. blus5ng preItlly' Dus
one can't have more than one romance
at a time. Uncle John. His father own
ed the factory and made mint oil money
out OF IT, The young man did call sew
eral times. but Je1 Duncan dldn Z quil9
like his calling on me- and Jeh 'hinA9
he has the best reason in the "0Iiu lot
| Directing" .t....1
And the little seboolma am gIaheeu
shyly down at the turquoise ring on her
| rt,rnn third fuPar-Cllcdg0 lines