The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-01-12

Irun. and upon the very ground | will
relate to YOU one of those frightful
scenes which have never been witnessed
on the stage.
The whistle blew, the engine started;
and whilst the fireman put on coal and
we. to right and left, saw vanish
! hous: s, farms, mountlins, fries,
streams, yokes Of oxen, shepherdesses,
and aocks, he (attending to the ma
chincry. and | clutching the handrail
with the tremor of one who has never
before found himself in similar gen
eral direction of human life, and be-
holding behind us the coaches full Of
passengers whose lives were ours) be-
gan to talk with the same tranquility
as he would have shown in his own
house before the hearth fire.
I'VE were going just in this way
from Nitoria to Hendaya. 1t was the
thirty first of December Al the way
stations happy family groups were
getting on and off, going and coming
from place to place to spend the first
day of the new year with their kins-
folk. was feeling so contented, peel
ing an apple; and had all steam on,
which is a glorious thing when one is
full of life. Do not grow anxious
while we are on tue open road; keep
your fear for when we enter a switch.
There lies the dangel!'' SAID he paren-
thetically, and then resumed: SAT a
little station woman came out to
greet another who was riding in 4
thrd-clas coach near the locomotive:
art thou going to Irun?' asked the
first. Yes answered the second.
Then thou wilt see my daughter, and
her husband, and the child Are they
on this train?' No, they are going on
foot 'On toot!'
AT these words | felt a prescntment
Of evil The first woman continued:
'They are walking along the track.
| From Irun the other grandmother, my
son-in-iaw mother, is coming to meet
them and give the little baby the first
kiss o: anybody. Thou wilt see what
a fine doll the little one carries. 1t
cost us three duros in Madrid. And
daughter, she took it and clasped it to
her breast, like as though it were Il
real baby, and she is on the road now
with her father and her mother. Dost
thou not know that my son-n-law will
have full discharge in eight days!
Then they will be happy, thank God!
My daughter is going to be housekeeper
in very wealthy family; and my SON
in-law, as soon rs he ceases to be car
bincer, will have place rs doorkeeper
in the custom house. So the little girl
is not going to die of hunger. Besides,
we have won fifty duros in the lotteryt
A good beginning for the new year!
| called out the woman ON the train. 1T
| couldn't be better, daughter, it couldn' t
be BETTER!
cat that moment the station-mas-
ter's whistle blew, and | answered it
with mine just as now when we enter
this tunnel Look out! When we
have got through it, | may 90 on with
my story
He blew his whistle, and like flash
we darted into the murky mouth Of the
tunnel. For minute and 4 half we
were enveloped in darkness, swallowing
smoke amidst an Internal roar, and
gazing at the trail Of burning Goals
that we left behind us. The light re-
appeared, and one felt as if born again
when breathing the Fl, sh air once more!
"'Those people," resumed the engi-
neer, going on with his recital, ''who
are walking to Irun,' said to my fire
mn, oug ght to be we'll acq tainted with
the country hereabout, and with the
railroad, too. If not, there will be
catastrophe.'
IL spoke thus as We ncared Gain
churisqucta, where we now are about
L
stop, for there is nothing to detain us.
And away again.
We sped along, and the engineer con-
tnued: "My heart" said he, chad not
deceived me. could neither stop the
train nor even slacken speed. Yet had
| done s., cont a y to duty and rail
way regulations, the place where we
were about to encounter the happy
married co, p had no pathway beside
the track. There they were! | saw
them far away, very far away in spot
where, even ifone stepped off the track,
there was not SO much as 4 handful of
earth to stand upon. Nor was this all;
for in 'he opposite direction, that is to
y. facing the Young people and me,
came the -rln lparents, the parents of
the carbineer, whose uniform | could
distinguish rs the engine sped along.
| blew once, twice, thirty times; | be-
held the young people turn to look at
the % .omo,lve and gaze with scared
eyes at the approaching monster that
kept up desperate blowing. We, the
fireman and myself, heard only these
two words, repeated in terrified accents,
first by the old folks and then by the
young people: The train. The train!'
Goa rushed the locomotive and
passed over all of them i'm one hpap