The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-01-26

VIC StOTIh S'uIibutu 10 reap I1hS Dlt-
lows lash, into mists Uy tEo T. mpest.
Besides . tie wind columns are rush
ing up the black rocks aud falling
again like a thousand cataracts of
snow. Before US l knew was the deep
aud sheltered river Which must be
swollen by the rains, bat II is not FIR
in front Of you that you can see for
some miles out ahead of us begins q
sloping roof OF thick black cloud,
which stretches over the heads Of tho
peaks, cutting the cliffs off at middle
height, hiding all the mountains and
~darkening the hollows in the distance
into blacklist OF nights. Underneath
that awful whirling mist the storm is
bowling, Eve sweeping before it the
great tall trees, till all the land is
shroudeG dim and dun. On we rush
with scarcely lessened speed, the black
storm following fast, curtained by one
dark sheet OF pouring rain, before
which the forest vas falling in a long
line; while every moment before us a
keen blue spark leapt down to the
earth and darted zigzag through the
rain. Above us, behind us, before W.,
the lightning leapt, ran dazzling and
binding, while the deep roar Of the
thunder was changed to sharp, ear
piercing cracks. A flash, another
heavy sound and al was still. A
white sheet had flashed down in front,
putting out my headlight. What was
it, a ghost, a woman? My fireman
had fallen from his box and was down
on his knees in front Of the furnace. l
heard the awful words from him !:
Lord have mercy, Mas Jim, you
killed h a lady )" and as he spoke IN
angry growl from the westward hea-
vens seemed to answer his wild words,
and rolled and rolled nearer and near.
er, till right over our heads it crashed
against some cloud-clitf far above,
and all was silent. Quick as lightning
the thought came over mel had
killed u woman! ] did not feel my
engine jar, but it must be SO. | re-
versed her quick and applied the air.
The drivers started back wards and
the guide-rods ratified as If they had
been shattered into a thousand pieces.
Her speed ~slackened and soon she
stood still beneath the pouring rain. |
grabbed my lantern, felt my waJ out
OF my engine back toward the coaches.
Here L met the conductor and explain
ed the cause of the stop. We searched
far back up the track, but nc signs of
human life could be discerned. Yet |
felt that [ had killed her and still her
corpse kept pointing back and back
and looking at me with yearning eyes
of agony and lips which longed to tell
some awful secret. We felt our way
back to the train, and, not being sat
istiCd, | vent around in front of my
engine to see If there was any blood
upon the ~cow-catcher, and as | started
to step-horror OF horrors two feet
before me, by the iaggered streak of
tbe HEAVIER bolt dlscerned an awful
sight. The bridge Of the river was
gone: two moro minutes and the whole
train would have plunged headIong
into this huge chasm. The waiting
until morning, the building OF a new
t~restle, the crossing and the rest of
my trip matters little to you.
Does this not argue a Divine Frovi-
dcnce, an ~all-powerful God who is con
tinually watching over His children?
How much more thankful should |
feel than the man to whom GOd shows
His mercies from day to day by not
taking away from him his soul ?
Another occurrence similar to this
and which happened on this same run
has caused to be grated into my soul
q stronger belief in the hand of Provi-
deHcc. 1T had been a night in all Of lis
horrors similar to the one in Deem
Der. | had made my nights run un-
usually well. | had left Salisbury at
one O'clock, and had passed over those
dreary mountains through a torn that
had shake the foundations of old
earth. 1t was nearing the approach
of the morn. At three o'clock the
clouds began to clear away, and the
moor, surrounded by a million dancing
stars, began to peep forth to light up
the dreary world. The summer storm
was over. My eyes were largely fixed
on the low, wooded hills, which now
sl.,Ni in tho onnnlirb . ,nu ,,,,t,;l.
drank greedily the fragrant air which
swept from the mountains ladencd
with the scent of a thousand flowers
my cars welcomed as Il grateful change
from The m~OnOtOnOuS oar Of The storm,
the hum Of the mountain streams, the
croakiIg Of The frogs, the plaintivc
notes of tho whippoorwill which fill Il
night with noisy life. Slowly and
wcariiy broke the dawn on such Il day
as often follows heavy thunder-storms.
! felt like cXciaiming as the immortal
spring Of heaven, tirst-b0rn, Or Of the
Eternal co-ctcrnal beam; may | express
the unframed :"
wall Of granite clitf, which forms the
western side Of the mountain, ends
sheer in a procipice of some three bun
drcd feet,topped by apple OF snow white
rocks, hespangled with golden mos,ts
AS VIC approached, Il scrcech-owl,
which sat upoh The tOpmOst stone,
Mapped laZiiy away, shaking the rain
from It's feathers, and sinking into the
abyss DIS If it scented the approach of
my oncomiug engine. 1t was a glorious
sight, upon IL glorious day. Now and
then, in the distance, | could discern
some far-Cf cattle farm, while / crash
ed like lightning over the crossing of
son @ cid mountain road which led
frCm Knoxville down toward the coast.
.9~"d C"'m. There was not a
biC L,n 20 stir IL biauc Of grass. And
yet the air was full Of sounds, a low
de- roar which lowered over lawn
ala wood, intcrmihHlCd with the
ci irping Of birds and insects. The air
was full of perfume, the dainty scent
Of the mountain flowers. was now
nearing a piece Of straight, level track,
ten miles in length. Here the track
follows ~ stream down through a
mountain pasture. | had beer wont
to mako this run from cnrvc 10 curve
during good weather in nine minutes.
The track WAS bad today, but [ re-
solved to try it. | shortened the stroke
Of my drivers and pulled my throttle
out. My engine leaped forward like "A
tiger. Far down on the track, as far
as IN eyes could see, | could discern a
white speck which seemed shaking to
and fro. As [ approached tho object