The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-03
Our Daily $bcrt Story

division superintendent, but now de- | clare 1t off. You haven't sense enough l to superintend anything. By heavens, | sir. l would fire you from the service | but for the possibility of getting my | daughters name mixed in the matter. Get outl Go back to Watson and tell him to set you to work, and don't you ever come into my office again.
 The next week Mathews was trans ferred to an obscure position in the despatcher's office on the new division. He gritted his teeth and resolved to fight it out in his old way. Old Atch- ley watched Miss Grace closely, but said nothing. Of the lady's mind at this time we have no definite informa- tion, but there is saying that "ab- sence makes the heart grow fonder," and Mathews was an ardent wooer- and a stalwart
 Then came the wreck and made an- other turn in the Kaleidoscope. With heart full of bitterness Mathews
 boarded No. one evening in conse- quence of orders to report at head quarters for a few days special work. His ear had caught another message which explained. Old Atchley was coming on No. 16, and had ordered &C., commodations secured for himself and daughter. The meaning of Mathewss orders were plain. He and the prin- cess were not to be allowed to meet by any mischauce. But sometimes the gods upset human calculations most scandalously. Item: That night the bridge at Gordonville went down under | No. plunging two hundred and thirty passengers irto the creek forty feet | below. Mathews found himself | stunned and bruised in a car so nearly full of water that only his head was | above it. He was wedged in and a ;., Li ufI Ia Ii fofp | and dizzy. He was near a window l and could have reached 1t did not his | side pain him so. Then flashed 1 through lis mind the information the 1 conductor had given him at the last stop, that No. was to take the Cor donville siding. which was just east of the bridge, to let No. 16, which was late, pass. He remembered there was | no station at Gordonville, only sid ing, and unless No. 16 were Jagged she | would be likely to come laundering
 around the sharp curve and plunge on
 top of the unhappy No. 8. And the Princess was on No. 16. The conduc- | tor and engineer might be dead. No. | 16 must be Jagged. Putting forth all | his determination he dragged himself | to the window, and through it. The view and the sounds were appalling. | There was not a great deal of water in | the creek and he succeeded in getting to the east shore with great difficulty. | The pain was frightful Git afterwards l appeared that four ribs were broken,
 and he thought many times he would | faint). But he kept desperately on, | praying all the time he might not be
 too late. He could not run, could scarcely walk, but he stumbled and | crawled on until the end of the siding
 was reached, and turned the switch. | He had no lantern, but began desper- | ately to gather dead leaves and twigs. | Thank heaven he had a waterproof
 match-safe, and just as the headlight | of No. 16 came in sight his little bon
 fire burst into blaze and he fell uncon-
 scious beside the tracks. Tue en-
 gineer of No .16 slowed down enough
 to take the siding successfully. Back
 at the switch they found Mathews cov-
 cred with blood, where the glass had
 scraped him getting out of the car | and with clothes soaked and in tat | ters.
 Old Atchley was one of the first to
 leave the cars, knowing something
 was wrong, and the princess was right
 after him. They nearly stepped on
 Mathews, just discovered by the engi- | neer The way she went down on her
 knees beside the unconscious man
 made Old Atchley feel mighty queer.
 Well, that's about all. This story
 ends as all well regulated stories
 should. The Hero recovered and mar
 ried the Princess, and the Ogre made
 him superintendent of the new divi-
 sion, and of course as his son-in law,
 higher positions opened before him.
 The moral of this story is, that even
 the best regulated young man is liable
 to fall in love with a Princess-and
 that the Old Man who tries to thwart l True Love, Is up against if.