The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-02-23

if you have time to listen," said Joe
abruptly.
Every we'll; go ahead" was the an
swer.
'The fact is, Mr.. Mason, L love your
daughter Anna, and-and she loves me
in return, and 1 have asked her to
marry me and she has consented-if
you are willing-and I now ask your
consent
Jack Mason had listened attentively
as soon as his daughters name was
mentioned, and to Joe's relief there.
was no savage outbreak as he ex-
pected.
young man, you are asking a great
deal. Anna is my all. would do
nothing to make her unhappy, and if
she really loves you, if refused my
consent she will be unhappy. But how
do know that you love her. Too often
men are swayed by passions and place
it under the banner of love. It is my
determination to guard her from every
possible evil and while I have nothing
against you as man, and believe you
are equal to the majority of them, till
such time as I am assured that nv
daughters happiness depends upon
marrying you, 1 must withhold my.
consent
1T is no idle passion with me, sir. 1:
do love her. Consider how miserable.
you will make two lives" cried Joe.
I when I find that her life is miser-
able, when I am fully convinced of it,
then I will consent" and to prevent
any further discussion he turned and
climbed up on his engine.
Joe with heavy heart left the
round house, and that evening called
and told Anna of his poor success with
her father:
"Well, Joe, we can wait while. He
will change his mind. i can not dis
obey any more than can give you up"
she said,. and Joe went away in better
spirits than he came.
Several months passed without any
perceptible change in matters. Down
deep in Jack Mason's heart the fact
had lodged and grew greater day by
day that Anna was not altogether
happy.
The limited was thirty minutes late
when Jask opened the throttleAof 60,
and pulled out in his last race against
time across the Ohio hills and VAL
leys. The time was fast, and if he
landed the train in Cincinnati on time
he would have to get every turn out
of the So that there was in her.
It was a dark fall night. A cold rain
swept in fitful gusts by the wind
dimmed the headlight and made OBJ
jects in it's path seem dim and unreal.
Jack would lean out and try to see
ahead, but the rain beat in his eyes
and he would pull his head back in
the cab and gaze as best .he, could
through the front window.
Through sleeping towns, over swith-
es, past darkened head lights and long
strings Of cars they few A blind sid
ing called Trude was just ahead and
Jack could make out that the west
switch lamp was not burning, but this
was nothing strange on a Windy night
and he only growled a few words to
his fireman about the man who attend
ed the lights. There was no time to
out, or switches that might be wrong;
the public demanded the time of the
company, the company demanded it
of the men, and SO he let her drive
AS he drew near the west end of the
siding he saw box car half out OH
the main line, blown there by the wind.
A hoarse cry of warning to the fire
man, shrek of warning from the
whistle, the loud hiss of escaping air
as the brakes went down into emergen-
cy, and they crashed into the car.
Broken wood, iron, glass and human
beings all thrown, pushed and tossed
about together, and then all was still
except the shrek of escaping steam
from the boiler. -.
Jack Mason was the only one seri-
Ously hurt. The fireman escaped with
few bruises, and the rest of the train
men and passengers with bad shak
ing up. Jack was taken from wreck in
an unconscious state. He had never
tried to move from his post of duty.
He was taken home by kindly hands
and still unconscious was placed in
bed, where Anna in an agony of grief
AONCACo rets ili&li IL Oil 4uCAACo LIZ
doctor only encouraged her to hope
for the best. He knew that her fathers
chance was but one in one thousand.
It was late in. the afternoon of the
day succeeding the wreck before con-
seriousness returned. 1t all came to
him like flash as he laid there, and
with his half closed eyes took in his
surroundings. No doctor need tell him
death was upon him. Only too we'll
he realized it,. and his mind went back
over the past years of his life and all
his half-forgotten deeds were spread
before him. How in his younger days
love had been the god before whose
altar he worshipped and the fact of
his wife, .winsome, and loving, as she
was in the old days, came up before
him. What if someone had denied her
the right to wed him as he was deny
ing Anna the right to we'd Joe Foster.
Would he have stood it? His con-
science smote him. -. j..
Anna, come here. child. Y want to
speak to you Alone he said feebly,
and this was the first knowledge those
about him knew that he had regained
consciousness r. }es23s g. ...' ~. -.