The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-01
A Narrow Escape,

! from his destination, and had just been
! told by the station agent that the trains
! had changed time, his train having left
| at precisely twenty minutes before his ar
| rival, and there would not be another
! before eight that evening. Eight-the hour
! set for his marriage with sweet Lulu
! Houghton. What would she, could she.
think? What a position to put her IL.
He must reach the City of E IN time
| for the ceremony, but how?
! Presently he walked back to the little
/ ticket office
DO you know If there is any sort OF
| conveyance around here that could get
| to take me to the next village? 1 would
pay well for one as it IS imperative that
I should reach E before night"
The agent having thoughtfully chewed
| the end OF his pen for about half mir
ute replied:
II dunno. You might be able 10 git
old Harmon's horse and buggy If 'tain't
let. He keeps the tavern bout stones
throw from here, an, sometimes lets his
! horse; but he wants a tarnation price
You can try him, though; that's his Chin
ney you see list over the yeller house
there" And he rose laZily and pointed
vaguely down the street
Duke walked rapidly from the depot and
FASTENED in the direction of the tavern"
keeping the chimney in view as g guard
against mistake and soon found himself
before a dirty, ill-kept, Unlocking place,
from which an odor Of boiled cabbage and
onions was now issuing. To his loud and
twice repeated knocking the door was
finally opened by an untidy speciment or
womankind. Stepping forward. he raised
his hat and courteously asked II he ight
see the proprietor.
"AiD't homo hut I'm is wife md
amt no secrets. What du you want?
81 merely came TO see il / could en-
gage some one TO take me over to The
village east of here. ] must reach E
tonight; l believe I can get carriage
there
There amt no horse TO hum" she said,
but Abe would take you over in the
mornin.' Du you want lodgIn for the
night?' she added.
NO, thank you" said Duke; eff can
not find a vehicle Of some description
suppose I must walk. for l certainly must
get there tonight. Can you tell me about
how far it is 20 the next village, and
which is the nearest way to 60"
ITS four miles an a half by the rail-
road, an nigh onto seven if you take the
road" was the surly answer. PINT 'taIn't
many as likes to go by the railway, on
count of the narrer tunnel, though it's
a deal nearer"
Thanks Then if I take the track here
and go straight ahead 1 shall come out
at the village at the end of about four
miles?"
A nod was his answer, followed, as he
turned away, by the words:
-Four an half, 1 said"
So Duke started to walk the four and
a half miles, concluding he must take the
\ l.
superabundance Of time; there might be
some little delay even after he arrived
at the village. So he began his journey
at once
He had passed the third mile post when
he reached the tunnel.
"Ahr' he said aloud. Here is the tun-
mel of which she warned me. l wonder
how long it is? What a Ounce 1 was not
to ask! It does look like ticklish place,
that's a fact-small, one track affair. 1
don't half like the idea of going through
it. Wonder If I'd have made K Il I'd taken
the road? Well it's too late now-lm in
for itr'
He had CROPPED along for about quar-
ter of a mile, feeling his way carefully
by the wall Not thought of any actual
danger had entered his head-so full of
his fair bride to be-until suddenly duh
to wonder whence the sound proceeded.
Another instant and there flashed across
his brain the horrible reality. tra,.I
was coming from which direction b could
not tell, but certainly coming and If the
tunnel proved much lon~-r, the fact was
undeniable that he should be crushed be-
meath the iror monster there alone in the
darkne-.. and no one would know his
fate He listened, laying his ear TO the
rail; It was coming in the rear. He quick
ened his steps-he ran-ran as rapidly is
re dared for fear of misstep which would
hinder instead of advance his ends.
Now the roar comes nearer; he can
imagine the train as it is tearing along.
carrying death to him. He thinks each
individual hair is standing on end. The
sweat pours down his face; and still this
darkness, still this louder roar OF the en-
CINE IS it comes steadily nearer and near !
er. and his strength is nearly exhausted |
At last a CLEAN of light greets him at
the farther end of the tunnel. Q, what |
hope it inspiresi He thinks Of the races
he has won at college. and determines to |
take a fresh start. Yes he will run as
if running a race, and forget the huge |
monster behind him which seems 20 par
alive his limbs and prevent all notion /
he will run, run-he must window ter
rible the result II he does not. He thinks [
Of Lulu. his sweetheart, his wife that was /
to have been. Shall he ever see her again? /
The light ahead grows more and more !
distainct. but his strength is going, and |
the train behind is rushing on fast; 1t /
seems quite close now; he can almost feel |
il breath upon him; still he runs. Anoth- |
er moment and he will have gained or |
lost-which? He must make that short /
space! What thing Il IS. this being face
to face with death! He cannot hold out /
much longer; he feels he must lose-and /
what then? But no-he Will make one
more effort. He clears the tunnel. leaps
from the track, and falls headlong down
the bank on the side, saved-but uncou-
scious, while the heavily loaded freight
train passes by.
But the engineer had seen him Jump.
and not being able to ascertain whether
he had been struck by the cow-catcher
or not stopped the train and went back
in search OF him; and when Duke Carlton
consciousness he was lying on
a seat in the depot in the village for
which he had started some hours before.
He was not seriously injured HIS fall
had but stunned him, and IN an hour he
was quite ready TO proceed on his Jour
ney, a little pale. Il is true, md shaky
In the lower extremities, but otherwise
rejoicing that he had succeeded IN his
Guest, and would be in time for his we'd
ding. with thirty minutes TO spare.
Duke Carlton does not believe IN the
theory that persons hair turns white
IN : night from sudden fright or sorrow.
for his own raven locks show not trace
OF silver, and surely no one ever had
more terrible fright or narrower escape
than id he or his wedding day. when he