The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-05-13
way-of oein' wed, an suchlike-it


spend a Sunday at the cottage. l put
him off, but he wouldn't take no for an
answer. So, whether for fear of hurtin'
his feelin'S, or because | couldn't keep
away, l can't say, but I yielded, an
went After that I went several times,
an each time l got deeper an deeper
| in love with Johns sweetheart, ave, an
what seemed worse, / couldn't help
! KNOWN that Mary was troubled the
same way. But 1 will say this, never
tried to make Mary love me, an never
word of love passed between us, but,
sometimes, I thought l saw trouble in
Johns eyes, an then I'd VOW to myself
to 60 10 more.
"Often enough I'd be on tn front O.
tn engine, or on til tender, when we
! passed the Stile that summer, an do as
| would, [ couldn't help but look to
catch her eye. An l never missed,
though she waved her hand to old John
"One evenin', in the early autumn of
that year, we were goin' at as good a
speed as the incline would let US, an
| just gettin' towards the cottage. John
had sentme round tohe' front o. then
| CINE with my oil-can, an I couldn't help
lool<in' ahead to see if Mary was stand
in waitin' at the stile. Yes, she was
there as usual, right in front of us, for
The line curved to the right just at the
stile, am was hidden from view behind
a little wood. I couN sea her print dress,
an the same wEite linen bonnet she
wore when l first saw her in the garden
on that spring evenin'. Oh, how my
| heart went out TO her, an how that old
| wicked feelin' towards John rushed
through me, an made my nevres Jingle
from head to foot.
MARY had her back towards us-a
very unusual thing-an' l remember
wonderin' why. Then the usual three
whistles sounded, short an sharp. She
! turned instantly, an threw up her
hands like one demented. We went
thunderin' down to the crOssin' where
She stood, an l saw her eyes starin' at
me, like Goals of fire set in q face as
white as chalk. She fascinated me.
Just then old John shut off steam
an I heard him dom a thing he'd nel er
done afore-reversin' the engine, All
of a sudden Mary seemed to wake up,
an find a horrible dream true, for |
heard, above the roar of the train, the
grindin' of the rails, and the shrek of
the brakes, that had been jammed hard
| down. heard one piercing scream. 1t
was word-my name-'Harry!'
"Of course all this happened in a
breathless second or two. Half life
| time is sometimes squeezed into half a
minute, sir. l took my eyes from
Mary's face as we passed her, standin'
as if turned to stone, an looked ahead
| Heavens! what a sight! Bearin' down
on us at a great rate of speed was an
engine an tender-a runaway. 1t
was comm down the bank, tender first,
an we were timed to meet at the june
ton. | saw it all in a flash. The train
was jumpin' ike a buckin' horse, am,
with my body all OF tremble, I'd as
much as l could do to get back to the
foot plate.
There stood John Wright, of course.
l seemed to see him, and naught else.
He'd done all man could do, an was
standin' stock-still, with one hand ON
the lever. But it wasn't his stiffness
that made the tears start to my eyes.
it was the look on his face 1t made
me nearly forget the doom to which we
were rushin'. 1 can't describe it. 1t
was the look of a man who has nothing
left to live for-whose hope had been
suddenly wiped clean out forever.
THE instant he saw me his face
changed. He sprang towards me, an,
seizin' me by the arm with a grip OF
steel, spoke in Il hoarse whisper, that
| could be heard above everything:
Jump off, my lad-you've time-you
can do it. Jump off!-for her sake
she loves thee-for her sake. Harry
for heavens sakc!'
Il said: Nay, John
"'Quick,' he says. Harry! Harry!
Jump for your Mary's sake!'
II swung one leg off the engine-life
was dear-an' prepared for a spring
into the grass. Then a great surgin'
| love for this man came over me, an
| turned sudden-like, an took him by
| the hand, an | says: John, We'll stick
| together, an die together-if it's Gods
will-for her sake An he just gave me
that sweet look, an stepped in front of
me, as if to put his great frame be-
twiXt Inc an death, an there came
crash as if heaven an earth had met,
an = seemed to roll over an over, an
then it felt as if the whole earth had
risen up an smitten mean knew no
| more.
81 woke from a troubled dream that
| cInor,,nl +.,