The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1901-07-27

u again you should have seen me! had
q that morning put on a white summer
dress mamma had just sent down to
3 me, and 1t was ruined, and my face
i was as black as any Topsy you ever
4 saw. What made it more horrible
was that the passenger going south
4 Whistled just as I descended from the
loft, and not knowing my face was in
such horrid condition, gathered UP
my train mail and went out on the
I platform, and such a guying as the
train men gave me! There was a grim
ming face at every car window as the
train pulled by. Oh, dear! what q
4 fright I found myself when / looked in
i my mirrorn' .ss 4 :.55, ss 5ssE n !. #
AS we. sat in the Office during the
evening chatting she grew more and
more vivacious and jolly, and our mer-
/ fy laughter rang out in marked COM
trast to the usual stiffness which pre-
! vailed about the dreary station. We
went to supper at the. section house,
and on returning she went at once to
the key and asked the dispatcher If
the train then nearly due was on time.
I'd No. 4 delayed by wash-out below
| Guthrie came the reply. & Cant say
how soon track will be repaired. =
! 2"Oh, dear! My usual luck ~ she said
IT seldom find a train on time when
want to go anywhere!"
care you then SO anxious to termin-
ate what has been to me a most de-
| lightful visit?''sI asked. 81.
| ooh, no. assure you I have en-
! joyed it fully as much as yourself, but
I fear I will become tiresome to you
with my serseless chatter" r
I felt like assuring her that life
time spent in her society would not
weary me. The time sped swiftly un-
til the grey shades of evening began
to gather, and I lighted the Office lamp.
No. was reported safely over the
track, and would reach Red Rock about
8 o'clock. i, e.. So r" .%a.y
Excusing herself a moment to 20 to
the cooler in the freight-room for a
drink of ice water Miss Rankin passed
from the room, and had scarcely disap-
peared ere heard heavy footsteps on
the PLATFORM, and a moment later the
front door was thrown open and four
masked men entered and covered me
with understanding revolvers.
"Git away from that table, young
Teller, an don't you make move lords
that Telegraph till the train comes, or
it'll find piece O. baggage var it amt
| 1nn1y1ro FIR How ie.o he
I am not naturally coward, but this
| harsh transformation from a blissful
dream If love to the very precincts of
| death unnerved me, and confess I was
| thoroughly frightened. Then came
the thought that Miss Rankin would
return in moment, and what indig-
mites might not be offered her by these
members Of the notorious Dalton gang
! (for such knew them to BEL; cruel,
reckless men who had less regard for
women than for dumb brutes which
carried them to places Of safety after
their lawless raids. .$* Ss.lz J. p.
u "The train is past due now, but has
been delayed by a washout below .Guth-
rie, and may not be here for several
hours yet" I replied. 'I'll ask about
her" ...-#s ..
[ made move toward the telegraph
table, hoping by word to warn the
dispatcher, but halted at the ominous
clicking of pistol.
mo, you DON'T" the leader said, IF
you want that pale hide O. your'n tat
tooed with cold lead, you jest MAKE
another break like that! Yer LYNN
| about that train, an we're agoin' to
camp right var with you till it comes;
fur we have business with it. Sit
down on that bench" -r :
I could but obey. The mental tor
ture I endured was terrible, not only
through fear of Miss Rankin's return
to the office, but through the knowl-
edge that an attempt was to be made
| to rob the train, and the lives of good
men might be sacrificed defending the
property entrusted to their care. How
| could the robbers be frustrated? If
[ could but, reach the key and flash the
| words, Train robbers and sign nv
office call, the dispatcher would hear
and understand; for in those troublous
days the keen-eared night guardians Of
| the company's interests were ever on
the alert for such intelligence. For
half an hour weighed the matter of
a desperate attempt in my mind. I had
lost fear of my charming VISITORS safe
ty, feeling satisfied by her absence that
she had heard the robbers and was con-
cealed in the freight room, or had es-
capped by the back door and gone to
the section house for aid But what as
sistance could come from there? /
knew there was not a firearm in the
section house, and the section men
would seek safety in flight at the first
intimation that was in the hands of
I the Daltons i. s..s HUI 4
| 1t at last determined to make one des-
perate attempt to warn the train-dis-
patcher, and thus save the train from
robbery. did not believe the Villains
would shoot, and felt that although
they might use me roughly for my at
tempt, my duty to the company de-
manded that should make it and meet
the consequences 81
I Waiting until heard the dispatcher