Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-09-23
HOW POLLY SAVED THE EXPRESS

miles from the DIVISION terminal al
Mercer. 1t was in the midst Of a scrub
by pine forest, with sandy road crook
ing out from the trees on one side and
into the trees on the other. There
were only two or three houses, little
general store with porch like the
visor of a military cap, and school
house, all arranged in scraggy row
along the railroad track. The dusty
red depot was an oasis in the midst Of
a cinder desert, with a great many
telegraph wires singing overhead.
A dozen trains whirled through
Kane Creek every day with only a
shrek of greeting and whipping
wake of fine sand. Only two of them
paid the slightest attention to the girl
in blue gingham dress who stood in
the little observation window. One Of
them was the way freight which stop
ped at Kane's every time it came along
while the conductor handed the girl
bundle of yellow papers and received
another like it in return. The other
was the night express westward bound
from st. Paul, and running at forty
miles an hour. 1t was splendid train
ten cars, with the finest engine on
the road, big No. COG. AS its. glaring
eye flashed around the bend in the di-
rection of Mercer the girl in the ging-
ham dress often thought Of the great
train as a powerful and ferocious beast
snorting and roaring westward on a
race with the sun. 1t was beast, but
it was well trained, and she knew the
hand that trained it. When the train
was mile away there were always
two blasts on the whistle. Everyone
else in Kane's thought they meant
simply, "Wake up, look out for
that is what all locomotives say at
every crossing-but the girl in the
gingham dress heard Hello, Polly,
and darted ont on the platform and
waved her handkerchief AS the great
train thundered nearer a hand was
thrust from the engineers window,
and although it was usually dark, she
could see the futter Of something white,
and oftentimes as the engine darted
past the station she heard the blurred
sound of a voice and caught the glimpse
of grimy face and blue jean jacket.
And then she went back to her place
in the little station with sigh of deep
contentment.
For it was a moment of great JOY to
Polly Marshall when her fathers en-
CINE went through. Polly was the
station agent at Kane Creek-anyone
could have told that woman presided
in the little depot, for was there not
always bouquet in the window and
dainty pictures surrounding the grimy
timetables on the walls, and kitten
curling upon the doorstep? Atseven-
teen Polly had gone in as assistant to
learn telegraphy and when Clark, the
agent, was called to Mercer the COM
pany had left the independent girl IN
charge. She and her father lived IN
one of the wooden houses a stones
throw back from the depot, and since
Pollys mother died they had been
everything to each other
Engineer Marshall was big, silent
man, and his companions, some OF
them, thought him gruff and i'll tenn
pered, but to Polly he was always ten
der as a kitten. Often when she was
little girl he took her down with him
to Mercer on his engine, and while she
Sat on his black leather seat at the cab
window, clinging on with both hands,
he explained to her how the big black
creature under them was started and
stopped, what this brass crank was for
and how, when the engine squeaked
here or squealed there, little oil was
needed in this cup or in that crevice'
And Polly had learned to know an en-
CINE as we'll as she knew the neat little
pantry in the house at home. Indeed,
she had more than once managed the
levers and the throttle, although it
was very heavy work for girl to do.
1t was one night late in the fall that
Polly Marshall had need of all her
knowledge of engines. She was sit
ting at her desk in the little observa-
ton window, shaded light throwing
its rays down on her telegraph instru-
ments and the sounder clicking sleep
lily. Suddenly she was started by the
sudden call of her number. Instantly
l. g., .o,obt +bo lave and che