The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-12-02

Her other self. winged also for di1lit!
9 ahd ha Snh he t 9pse trne sr fss Of w he
rhey Two We IN dreams smiled On MANS htfn1
For hey were Sleep and her twin spirit,
Henry ryrreli In Uollier's Weekly.
<nAnnnas...sIiaulxaaGllk.-AlA, a35.
The STALLED TRAIN.
The northboi,nd train Oh the Philhdel-
phia 4 Erie was i'll the midst Of the will
deri,ess IF hills and fUfests that is ST.
picturesque hhd even grant in the slim
mer seaSOii:
It was Saturday afteriioon; and the
fifty emigrahts ana tfaveiers-1iieh WON
en- and childrei-expected to yet into Erie
and make connection With the Shore
road early on the morrow:
1t had been shedding SHOW feathers all
day from sky Of leaden fray; that grew
more somber as night APPROACHED:
The breath of the passengers in the two
cars clouded the windows; SD that when
ever anyone wanted To look out at the
cherries prospect the glass had to be
wiped. Through these wiped spaces, that
speedily bec:ime misty, it could be seen
! that the snow was perceptibly increasing,
until it fell SO thickly as to curtain OBJ
jects but few feet away.
The movement of the train that had
| varied much during the day became slow
er and slower. The car wheels fell on
snowy cushions that gave back no sound,
| and so made more noticeable the labored
| inf nf no ,,10 ~hnfl TO
| course through the snow, ever deepening
| in front.
At midnight the train came to a stop.
| The dozen people started up, rubbed the
glass and looked out. The faint light
from the windows revealed snow, and
only snow, rising up to the black sky:
Are we at the stati6h?''
ductor by a low, sweet ybice; and stopping
he saw a beautiful GIRL. He had noticed
her frequently during the day, and rest
ing against her Shoulder, was an elderly
lady, evidently an invalid:
'"There's something Of a drift ahead,
miss, but we hope to get through"
| AS he went off with his wire-bOund Ian
tern swinging from his arms the train
began to back and kept backing till it
other stop, then another forward move
ment. The putting grew louder, the speed
| greater, and the engine, like a desperate
charger under the spurs of a daring rider,
plunged into the drift that filled the long
! cut.
Again the train was brought to stand
and still i'll ceaseless descent the snow
came down on all sides.
! A tall, muft1ed man. with dark m,,s-
tache and large, bright eyes, rose from
the seat behind Mrs Paulding and her
| daughter Julia, and as he passed them
Julia asked:
"Would you please, sir, to let us know
if there is any danger?'
"Certainly, MISS" replied the stranger,
and as he spoke he half lifted his hat and
| went to the front of the car and out OIL
| the platform.
Here he met the conductor and the en-
| gineer talking in anxious tones.
TRY it again, Jim,' urged the con-
ductor.
But what's the use? We have no fuel.
and the steam is down to twenty pounds
and still a-sinkihg."
''Can't you back out of the cut?' asked
Martin Reynolds, the young stranger.
Back out of the cut, sir!' repeated the
engineer as he drew his blue sleeve across
his swarthy brow. 'Why, bless you, the
cut runs back for six miles, and the snow
in parts of it is as high as the smokestack
| by this time.'
"How far does the cut extend ahead?''
asked Martin Reynolds, who was the Cool
est of the three.
"About two miles, and after that the
road gets worse and worse"
| care there no farmh0uses near here!
| 'NO, sir; I doubt if there's human be-
| ing outside of the train within ten miles
of u.s. replied the conductor.
| ut is now midnight sdid Martin Reyn-
olds, land presume nothing can be done
II doubt if We'll be able to do anything
in the morning. We must wait till they
find us, and heaven only knows when
that will be-
Martin Reynolds went back to where
Julia Paulding was sitting, supporting her
mother, and not wishing to tell them the
worst, he said:
| 1--WE can't get on till morning, so we
might as we'll make the best of a bad bar.
As the car was by no means full, he ar
ranged two seats, and some wraps of his
own, which with those of Mrs. Paulding's
| made comfortable bed. and then he i'll
! sisted that they should both lie down
and sleep.
He was one of those men whose pres
ence begets confidence, and whose voice
carries With it an authority that melts re-
| sistance and makes obedience pleasure
| Having made the invalid and her
| daughter as comfortable as possible I'M
der the circumstances: Martin Reynolds
went off and did the same for the emf
grant women and children in the other
car. And so it was that by morning
even the conductor and engineer-having
exhausted their own native resources
obeyed him as if he had a commission to
direct.
| All the remaining fuel-it was not
! much-Was taken back to the two pas
senger cars and orders We're given to use
| it economically.
When daylig ht came number of men,
| Martin Reynolds i'll the advance, sue.
ceeded in cutting track to the top OF
the embankmeht. From this point the
train was nearly hidden, and before and
behind, far as the eye could reach, was
one vast snow level.
Martin Reynolds had learned that
| there was food enough on the train tc
last the people for that day; now he saw
that many days must elapse before they
could be reached. if indeed, their where
abouts be learned by those anxious fol-
their safety.
81 wish we only had telegraph oper
! might send word where we are and how
| we're fixed" said the conductor.
"While you're wishing" said the engi.
| neer, "it costs no more to wish us out of
this scrape. Can't YOU see that the tele-
graph lines are all downT'
"Come, men, help me to dig up one of
the wires-all of the wiress;' said Martin
Reynolds, himself setting the example
"What good will that do?'' asked the
conductor, working like beaver, never.
theless.
Il am a telegraph engineer and under.
stand operating" replied Martin Reyn.
| olds. =,
But you have no instrument to send or
receive 4 messenger
Trust me-" was the reply.
| After much shoveling the wires were
found where they had fallen with the
poles.
Quick as flash Martin Reynolds cut
one wire, and kneeling down placed an
against his teeth. He waited for few
seconds; no current passed through, so he
cast it away. ~
| Another and another wire was tried
with the same result, till only one re-
manned. ~a
So far Martin Reynolds had been very
calm, but as he raised the broken ends of