Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-04-09
side TRACKED.
Bunalo Nowa.

lSn y ltl never mlnu, WHeu Duy OUT
the road you can have your own private
car to go where you please!' He ran
his hand along the rusty old lounge
upon which lay the poor little cripple,
and they both laughed rather patheti-
cally over the idea of his ever buying
out the road, when he could scarcely
keep himself and the little woman from
starvation.
Jack Bunting was strong, sturdy,
iron muscled son of toll, tender hearted
as woman. His hands were rough
and blackened with labor, but az gentle
and kind as mothers in the care of
the wife dependent upon him. He was
stoker on q freight train running out
of Lewiston and was compelled by his
duties TO be much away from the wo.
man whose protector he had been for
little over year.
The first year of their married life
had not been lucky ono, for Jack had
been out of work a great part of the
timo, and when they had been married
but fow months Molly, the girl wife,
had received Injuries in fall which
made her helpless cripple, and day after
day she lay upon her back watching the
little streak of sunshine creep slowly
up lllb wall anu htTuHh lut until
at last 1t disappeared in the evening.
She had grown to know it so well that
she could tell tho time OF day by it's
position, but sometimes it grew very,
very tiresome watching it move, oh, SO
slowly, down and out!
That's the way I'm going!" she
said one day to JACK. Just so slowly
and easily you will hardly notice ii, but
pop,n fluy vat will ,,np,a IN lnnly Far
Molly and find her gonew
Poor Jack bowed his head on her
breast and wept bitter tears, for he
knew it was true. lie knew she might
be saved; but, alas! he made barely
enough to feed them. The money
which might pay tho great specialist to
save his little wife was lying in the
heaped up Golfers of some multimill;on.
aire, and though poor Jack loved his
wife as well, aye, even better, than
MANY Of his lucl;ier fellow men loved
thoir wives, he must stand by and see
her suffer and sink and die because,
thodgh he wear his fingers to the bone
battling for her daily bread he cannot
earn enough to provide the means To
save her life.
1t Ia hard, God knows that it il
hard, that hero in our dear country.
which we love to call "the land of the
frce,' human hearts and human lives
are placed at 80 low q value that one
man may buy another for nero pit
tance and work him until he drops dead
in his tracks like weary pack horse.
Jack, Molly said, 1T wouldn't be
so bard ii you weren't gone so much.
| lie here and think of you so far away
and think of what might happen. and
my heart grows cold with fear until you
return. -
Poor little woman" he replied.
lou are nervous. You mustn't think
Of those things. Old 46 never had an
accident, and | guess the worst that is
likely to happen is to be sidetracked
in some lonesome place for few hours
whilo the express passes by, and that
doesn't happen often. You know, we
run pretty close, and seldom have to
wait long at siding.'
- Yes, Jack, you run close, as you call
it, but some day you may run little
too close! Such things are happen.
ing every day. We'll, I'll try not to
Think" Molly said. You'll be back
soon, won't youYn Sho invariably
asked that question, and Jack as in
variably answered "Yes. -
we come in Wednesday night, anG
nothing but death can keep me from
you, dear!'
She lifted her thin, transparent hands
and clasped them around his neck
Don't Jack don't speak of death ~
There, dear, don't mind i'll! / love
you so much | cannot help saying
those things sometimes. "
She smiled pathetic little smile
through her tears and lifted her lips for
his kiss.
As Jack went away from the door be
brushed something from his cheek that
looked suspiciously like tear.
God bless her! / reckon she would
starve for sure if anything was TO hap
pen to me, but there. I'm fool
Nothing's going to happen. l don't
know what's got into me that l feel so
babyish and blue. Old 46 never hadp
scratch and reckon she won't get any
now.
He jumped aboard the engine and
shovelled in the coal AZ il preparing for
a race He was obliged to do some
thing to keep the tears from coming al
the thought Of the littlo wife at home
so frail and helpless.
The train was heavy one. and they
pulled slowly out of the station, with
many rreak and groan, but at last they
were well on thoir way at good speed,
and night was fast setting over the
great line.
On they rushcd through the twilight.
past undulating fields of corn Haunting
its proud, curling tassels in the breeze.
over streams that gurgled and sang in
the twilight and offered inviting hooks
FnF fbn Ia finn ne ptr
LOVERS past the great unbending senti
nols Of the lonely pine wood, which
echoed with tho scream of the warning
whistle at every cross road.
'Shove her in, Jack, said tho en-.
gineer to him. We're behind time
and have got to reach Dinsmore before
that special from Clayton.''
What special? l hadn't heard Of
special" " said Jack.
" General Harding chartered special
at Clayton. His wife is dying at
place down the road, and he wantsa
get to her tonight My orders are to
sdetrack at Dinsmore ami let her
pass. They say she's travelling at the
| devi's own rate. "
Jack listened in silence, then turned
to shovel in the coal until his strong
arms ached, while he thought of his
own wife at Lewiston. waiting pa
tiently for his safe return.
On they rushed through the dark
ness, the pounding of tho wheels and
the grinding of the brakes rs they
swung around curves drowning all
other sounds Never did freight
train make better time than Ola d6
that night. They travelled along for
an hour or so at this rate of speed, tho
engine drawing great heavy breaths
like some Titan in battle, the immense