Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-04-06

Don't uorrH You haze quite hJltiSe
hCrC on the side of DolH hcod.'
son had a bump Us big as a grapashot
on the side OF his head. Mrs. Mlu"ac-
ing, though uuinjured was 20 terrific!
rs to be worse than helpless, and a. . g
the fair girl with her, she had happened
to be awake, had lifted herself on her
elbow at the shrek Of the whistle, fear
full of i'll, and almost instantly had Inc, Il
dashed against the edge Of the seat and
cruelty stunned. OF the freight train,
the six cars Immediately behind the en-
CINE were crushed to fragments, and tho
fragments hurled far and wide. 1t was
from under heap Of these they lugged
the fireman as Gray appeared. This
summed up the damage to person and
material, but not to nerves, tempers or
records for piety. The language Of Mr..
Jarvis and his friend of the freight train
heggared description. The cavalry SER
geant felt an access of envious respect
as he listened Lieutenant Rawson in
vited both to have drink, and this
time 1T was accepted.
1t was five mile stretch up to the
Gap. and much more than that back to
Bowlder, but news Of the mishap had
to be sent and help summoned. 1t was
then that Grays shabby tramp had
come to the foro. He had been warmed,
fed and rested as he had not been for u
week. He was used to walking, he said,
and offered to carry the conductor 5 pen
oiled dispatch 1t should have been sent
by brakeman of the freight, but both
were famed and badly bruised. Jarvis
looked more than unceTtai at first, but
finally gave the man the important pa
per. Twenty minutes later the two
cowboys, despite bangs and bruises, de-
clared that they, too, would 'hoof 1t, y
and pushed ahead through the pallid
dawn. Gray, silent and observant, APP
peared just as they departed and found
the lieutenant, the two conductors and
the cavalry sergeant in quadrangulai
council. A sight Of the newcomer Jar
WIS cautioned silence and dissolved the
meeting.
The girl whom Gray had so promptly
and tenderly cared for had recovered
consciousness within five minutes. She
looked up, dazed and startled, into the
strange face bending over her, and thel
almost instantly asked for Mrs. Main
waring.
She is unhurt," said Gray quietly
"Dont worry, You nave quite bruis,
here on the side of your head, PLEASE
lilo still until | check the bleeding. Mrs
Mainwaring will be back in a moment. >
Mrs. Mainwaring had been there
half distracted, wringing her hands anC
laughing and crying by turns, and wa
now lying in her berth, being minister
ed to by some sympathetic woman from
the other car Another had como to alC
Gray, but, seeing how deity he bathet
and stanched the wound, she coufne,
her attentions to wetting towels anC
passing them to the strange gentleman
So skillful were his ministrations tina
the young lady presently declared her
self able TO sit up and walk and insist
ed on seeing Mrs. Mainwaring. She wa
assisted to her feet and, leaning ON hi
arm, was taken to her friend. Gray lef
her there, slipped quietly away an
came forth, his heart beating with Od
emotion.
The next thing he found to do was t
help straighten out the fireman of tn
freight who was shaking like an aspen
completely denoralized and almost cry
ing. He, too, had struck sose Sand whe
lie ieaped from Juc train, but after
somersault or two had been buried uu
der an avalanche of splintered board
distributed from the roofs, sides an
flooring Of the shattered cars. TIL
heavy trucks, wheels and beams fortu
nately had not been hurled more than
dozen yards from the track, but kin
ding wood in distracting quantities ha
been showered far and near, The hand
some silver topped flask, so admired
the sergeant at the Junction, wa
promptly produced, and the iirema
took long, long pull. Then Gray be
thought him of his tramp, The recruit
and passengers mingling in confuse
knot with the damaged men, were sti
grouped about the wreck, some detail
Ing personal impressions aud eXper
ences, some noisy and nervous, othel
silent and doubtless thankful for thei
escape, others still thinking only of til
injured OF these latter was Gray, {