The Butler weekly times., 1897-12-23

day off and make it right with her.
It's only matter of few dollars.
and its likely she amt too well off.
The fireman grinned maliciously.
Thought you'd be looking for an
excuse to call on the widow" he
said; and Big Ben blushed again and
let his good intentions die on ths
threshold of enterprise.
There came foggy day with a
cold drizzle OF rain. The rails were
we. and slippery. aud as the train
doomed through the cut Big Ben
was behind time and in not too good
humor He was letting the train go
down grade to make up lost time,
and was k 4efly watching the track
ahea !. ,n-auwhi.e. III Then. Of sud-
d-u lie caught Lis breath and cut off
steam, While the fireman snatched at
the whistle c., d and blew for brakes
and ,h rul!-d succession of
SHARP to "a
On the track ia frJnt of the day
freight WIS the whole Mulcrary fam
lily, including the Christmas pig. He
had pushed his way through the
fencs unseen. Now boy was tug
ging at each ear of piggy, while the
widow bslabored him with a stick.
But the ''crather" stood with four
legs braced to the four quarters of
the universe, end was budging not
one inch.
It was bad moment for Big Ben
and the fireman. but it was brief
one. At the first toot Of thu wbis-
tie the widow dropped her stick
with scream, snatched boy under
each arm and hustled them Off the
track into the field with rapidity
not at all astonishing considering
the circumstances Then Big Ben
aud the fireman settled firmly in
their seats for the shock, the en-
CINE, backed by its long train oi
loaded cars, slid down the wet rails
and over the motionless form of the
obstinate Mulcrary pig.
There was one brief squea]
drowned by the roar Of the wheels
and before the widow was sure o.
her own safety and that Of the boys
the Christmas pig was ground te
fragments under the rush of Biz
Ben's train.
"Whew." said the fireman, wipine
the moisture from his brow; "w
pretty near did it that time"
Ben was of the opinion that the.
, had done it, at least so far as tn
4 widow was concerned, and they Ger
: taiDly had reused her grief and in
Z dignant anger to the highest pitct
Her smoldering sorrow for the los
J of her geese was famed into fres
. flame by this disaster. Then ther
1 was her own narrow escape end tha
Il of her boys. It seemed like an il
d suit that Big Ben's train should b
" so regardless of their safety.
's And the Christmas pig! His frae
n ments strewed the track for rod
- With an outburst of grief and angt
she covered her head with her apro
E and fed sobbing to the house, Will
0 her two boys clung to her skirts an
8 mingled their grief with hers in VI
IL ciferous outcry. But the wido
). was not one to weep long. Ne,
u morning before the day freight ha
.. come putting up the grade, she ha
II gathered up the scattered remnan
IL of the Christmas pig, and while tt
70 boys were at school she worke
10 all day over the fire trying out Il
10 stained and grimy fragments. 3
fore night she had big kettle
10 lard.
v "What's that for, mithers' ask.
H. Patsy, when be came home. ''Sur
"a it's not fit for ateing."
~ "Indade, then, it's not for atein
but for bateing," replied the wide
~ grimly, and would say no more.
y Next morning, as the day freig
" came putting up the grade by t
" place where the obstinate pig b.
49, met his death, the big drivers
~ the engine suddenly slipped ar