The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-03-07

injured. Try to sleep a little now,
dear husband. That will be your
best medicine l will call you when
the doctor returns
She kissed him and went into the
next room, where tho child was
sleeping
One person dead, three badly
hurt, perhaps fatally, and through
his fault! He had had no intention
of doing this. All he thought of was
tho saving of his child, but had he
q right to undertake such n fearful
responsibility when he knew what
terrible consequences might follow?
He rose in despair. He could not
endure TO lie still. The air of the
room almost choked him. In his ears
still sounded that fearful deathcry.
With trembling limbs he made his
way into the bedroom. Both wife
and child were sleeping He looked
at them silently, and bitter tears
streamed down his cheeks. What
! would become Of those he loved so
dearly?
Slowly he went down tho stairs,
He could not meet the eyes of his
dear ones, and without word he
opened the door and was out on the
street. There he stood for some little
time. The fresh air seemed to do
him good.
The town clock struck Z. 1t was
early yet. Mechanically he turned
his steps toward tho engine house.
He wanted to look after his engine,
as was his daily custom. He arrived
at the shed. His engine was there
no doubt brought there by some of
his Coworkers. He looked at it sor
rowfully, and, as of old, began to
examine it, 1t struck him that some
thing might have become broken
during the ride.
Suddenly he heard loud laugh.
One of the workmen, whose duty it
was to take the ashes out and start
the fire, had come up behind him
and now said jokingly:
Il suppose you want to see your
roast?"
"Roast?" he asked. "What do you
mean?"
Tho other man laughed more than
ever.
"It must have given pretty good
bump. l only wonder that the en-
gine didn't jump the track. The
front wheels were full of hair. /
cleaned the whole thing and dragged
the carcass away. The ashbox was
full of bones. 1t was a pity, on ac-
count Of the beautiful antlers.' ~
So saying, the workman brought
out of an old shed where the fire.
wood was kept number of the
broken pieces of deer's antlers.
"There. you see, the poor fellow
Jared badly. He did not expect to
be disturbed in his roamings at
nighttime by the appearance Of a
locomotive. He was just about to
pass the crossing, and, frightened
by the light at the front of the en-
gine, stood still, and so you ran him
down. In such cases a deer some
times acts more stupidity than
sheep or a calf 3"
Mattern leaned against one of the
wheels of his engine to steady him
self. So tho Cry he had heard had
been tho cry of q dying stag! But
nevertheless there had been an acci-
dent, where some one was killed and
others wounded. Was he awake, or
only in q feverish dream?
The talkative workman seemed to
guess his thoughts, or perhaps felt
like giving him news of which he
seemed to be in ignorance.
Engineer Keel was not as lucky
as you. This morning, in taking out
the early train, he was unfortunate
enough to run against farmers
cart, although it was not his fault.
The man who was driving seemed
to be in a hurry and had taken the
responsibility of opening the gates,
SO as to cross before the coming
train, when he was caught by the
engine. The accident might have
been much worse, but Keel quickly
slackened speed when he saw the
open gates. If the train had been
going at full speed, nothing could
have saved them. AS it is, one
woman had foot broken, another
an arm. The farmer and one child
were only slightly stunned, and the
horses escaped without injury, al
though they were flung far into a
ditch. The wagon, of course, is ali
broken to pieces. Mr.. Mattern-
what ails you? Let me go!"
The man had cause to be alarmed,
for, like one bereft of his senses,
Mattern had suddenly thrown his
arms around him and kissed his coal
blackened face, laughing and crying
at the same time.
Mattern, on account of going
against all instructions, was taken
before an examining committee and
fined a months wages, but other
wise was not punished, as it became