Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1899-01-19


The north bound train on the Phil
adelphia & Erie was in the midst of
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 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 ap-
preached.
At midnight the train came to a
stop. The doing 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 station?"
This que ton 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
an elderly lady, evidently an invalid.
The conductor stroked his brown
beard nervously, and bending over, as
ifkde did not wish the passengers to
Near, he said:
''Fnere's something of drift
ahead, miss, but we hope to get
through" {"
Il L I
lantern swinging from his arm, the
train began to back and kept backing
till it had gone some distance. Then
came another stop, then another for
ward movement. The putting grew
louder, the speed greater, and the
engine, like adesperate charger under
the spurs of daring rider, plunged
into the drift that filled the long cut
Again the train was brought to a
stand, and still in ceaseless descent the
snow came down on all sides.
A tall, muflled man, with dark
mustache 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-
ductor.
''But where's the use? We have
no fuel, and the steam is down to 30
pounds and still a-sinking"
''Can't 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
ahead?" asked Martin Reynolds, who
was the coolest of the three.
sAbout two miles, and after that
the road gets worse and worse"
care there any farmhouses near
here?''
"No, sir; I doubt if there's human
being outside of the train within ten
miles of us, replied the conductor.
eft is now midnight" said Martin
Reynolds, "and presume nothing
can be done till morning."
81 doubt if we'll be able to do any
thing 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 wish
ing to tell them the worst, he said:
"We can't get on till morning, so we
might as we'll make the best of bac
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 botf
lie down and sleep.
He was one of those men whose
presence begets confidence, and whose
voice carries with it an authority tha
melts resistance and makes obedience
Rpleasure.