Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-02-06

"'You're done for, Dolby said to
myself, when 1 saw how little held
me from falling into the chasm. 1t
was 100 feet to the bottom, and jag
ged rocks all the way down. But I
had grit, if I do say it, and hung
there for grim death, with the wind
kicking and beating me about like q
dead limb. knew we'll enough there
would be no one 10 help me, and that
I couldn't help myself; but still hung
there. A man doesn't like to be dash
ed to pieces on ledge of rocks unless
| it becomes absolutely necessary.
"Pretty soon I heard the limited
squealing down the cut. knew that
Jim Crosby, the engineer, was foun-
dering in the snow. I said to myself
that if Jim succeeded in roofing
through with his engine might be
saved, but knew we'll enough that he
wouldn't succeed. 1t would take four
engines and two rotary plows to drive
tunnel during such blizzard. And
there she squealed and shrieked for
IL St6ucu w mC3 hohN@
and arms grew as numb as clubs.
"And Lettie-what was she doing
all this time? When the snow cover
ed the woodshed and began to creep
up on the windows she was frightened.
I'm afraid that father'll never get
back" she told her mother-I heard all
about it afterward-and her mother,
who's always been fdgety and nervous
like, began to walk up and down and
wiring her hands, not knowing what
to do. Twelve o'clock came, and then
one. Lettie starged up and said,
Mother I'm going out to see if can't
find father and in spite of all her
mother could do, she bundled into her
cloak and hood and opened the door,
"The snow was up to her waist, but
the wind had mostly gone down. In
the cut Jimmie Crosby's engine was
calm and screechin' for mercy, and
Lettie, when she looked over the cliff.
couldn't see the train at all-only a
big black hole where the smoke from
the stack had melted the snow. But
Lettie wasn't strong enough to get
down to the tracks, for the path was
drifted full, and a slim girl like her
couldn't venture it without losing her
life. She knew we'll enough that /
was down the section somewhere
perhaps out on the bridge. But she
didn't give up-not Lettie. There
wasn't a man around the place to
help-only in the train, and the train
was at the bottom of the cut buried in
the snow. She thought that if only
she could get word to Jim Crosby he'd
help her, for she knew him well. So
she ran and got a coil of rope, and
tied one end of it to that stubhy oak
there you can see it at the edge of the
hill-and then she took hold of it and
slid into the cut. That took grit
there aren't many men who would
have risked it-let alone girls. Of
course the snow got into her eyes and
nose, and the rocky ledges cut and
bruised her, but she never stopped
until she was at the bottom. Jimmie
Crosby said he saw something foun-
dering in the snow outside of the cab,
and then somebody called:
"tJim, oh, jim
"It was Lettie. They dragged her
into the cab, and as soon as she could
talk she told Jim that I was lost in
the blizzard.
"'We,ll save him. said Jim and the
fireman agreed to help, and so did a
dozen other men who had come down
from the train. And Jim, being a
good climber, went up the rope hand
over hand, and helped dozen or more
men to follow him. BY this time it
stopped showing, and the sun shone
bright in the west. They wallowed
down through the drifts to the bridge,
Lettie following. They tried to leave
her at home, but she wouldn't say. "If
fathers in danger she said, 'I'm going
to help find him."
II heard 'em when they reached the
bare knoll this side of the bridge. /
had crooked one leg around sleeper,
and still hung there over the chasm.
I don't believe I could have let 60. 1
guess I was frozen there. I tried to
shout and let them know where to find
me, but couldn't get my mouth open.
1t was clean suffering, that. For there
was help within reach, and couldn't
make sound.
"But Lettie knew the path I usually
took, and first thing I knew she was
on her knees at the end of the bridge,
crying:
"'Here he is! Oh, father, father y
"After that l don't remember much.
Jim said they carried me to the house
and laid me on the bed, but didn't
get back to my right senses for two or
three days.
~ almost forgot to tell you that one
of the men who helped was Bradley,
the superintendent. When he saw
Lettie and heard of what she had
done he just took off his hat, this
way, and held it before him.
You're the bravest girl I've ever
met,' he said."
Dolby paused as if he liked to re-
member this part of the story.
"The passengers; oh, they escaped