Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-11-24
THE STALLED TRAIN.
BY HELEN BEEKMAN.

The north-bound train on the Phil
.delphia & Erie was in the midst o1
the wilderness of hills and forests
that is so picturesque and even grand
in the summer season.
1t was Saturday afternoon, and the
fifty emigrants and travelers-men,
women and children-expected to
get into Erie and make a connection
with the Shore road early on the
morrow.
1t had been shedding snow feathers
all day from sky of leaden gray, that
grew more sombre as night APP
preached.
At midnight the train came to a
stop. The doing people started up,
dubbed the glass and looked out. The
Iaint light from the windows revealed
snow, and only snow, rising up to the
black sky.
Are we at the station?"
This que tion was asked of the con-
ductor by low, sweet voice, and stop
ping he saw beautiful girl. He had
noticed her frequently during the day,
and resting against her shoulder was
IN elderly lady, evidently an invalid.
The conductor stroked his brown
beard nervously, and bending over, as
If he did not wish the passengers to
hear, he said:
There's something of drift
ahead, miss, but we hope to get
through"
AS he went off with his wire bound
lantern swinging from his arm, the
rain began to back and kept backing
I'LL 1T had gone some distance Then
came another stop, then another for
ward movement. The putting grew
ouder, the speed greater, and the
engine, like adesperate charger under
the spurs of daring rider, plunged
INTO the drift that filed the long cut
Again the train was brought to a
tand, and still in ceaseless descent the
snow came down on all sides.
A tall, muffied man, with a dark
nustache 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 lifted his
hat and went to the front of the car
and out on the platform.
Here he met the conductor and the
engineer talking in anxious tones.
'Try it again, Jim," urged the con-
iuctor.
"But where's the use? We have
40 fuel, and the steam is down to 20
pounds and still a-sinking."
Cant you back out of the cut?"
asked Martin Reynolds, the young
stranger.
''Back out of the cut, sir?' re.
peated 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 high as the smokestack by this
time"
GLOW far does the cut extend
lhead?" asked Martin Reynolds, who
was the coolest of the three.
"About two miles, and after that
;he road gets worse and worse"
"Are there any farmhouses near
here?"
"No, sir; doubt if there's human
being outside of the train within ten
miles of us" replied the conductor.
'sIt is now midnight, said Martin
Reynolds, ''and 1 presume nothing
can be done till morning"
81 doubt if we'll be able to do any
thing in the morning. We must wait
bill 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 wish
ing to tell them the worst, he said:
''We can't get on till morning, so we
might as well make the best of bad
bargain by being as comfortable as
possible"
AS the car was by no means full, he
arranged two seats, and some wraps
Of his own, which with those of Mrs.
Paulding made comfortable bed, and
then he insisted that they should both
lie down and sleep.
$ He was one of those men whose
presence begets confidence, and whose
voice carries with it an authority that
melts resistance and makes obedience
pleasure.
Having made the invalid and her
daughter as comfortable as possible
under the circumstances. Martin Rey-
nolds went off and did the sane for
emigrant 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
hada commission to direct.
All the remaining fuel--it was not
much-was taken back to the two.
passenger cars and orders were
given to use it &C snomically.