The Port Gibson reveille., 1905-07-13

Ehe rails. admiring. half unconscious
". the wonderful panorama spread
out before him, and thinking. quite
consciously. OF little blue-eyed girl
ne nad left at the East. wondering how
soon be might have . home for her In
the West Then he thought OF No
lat, with how much distrust he had
undertaken her. and how pleasantly
she had disappointed him. He felt
In perfect sympathy with her
now-sure that she would respond
to bis touch, confident that he
could always guide her. I'VE un-
derstand each other, don't~wes my
beauty. be said. half aloud
The locomotive whizzed along
Looking up above him, he could see
the other engines. apparently not far
away, but be knew that miles OF tort
uous, twisting track lay between them.
And below was the most unfathomable
abyss. One deviation from the track.
and he would go crashing down into
It's depths. to certain destruction. He
was nearing the. cabin now. Two
more sharp turns and 1t would come
into view. and he would slacken biz
speed for moment that he might
have q word with his little girl.
''She Is a sweet child" he said half
aloud to himself. ''she makes me think
Of Bessie" And now he turned the
first curve. The turn was a sharp one,
the grade very steep and as be camein
sight OF the track beyond he saw the
little girl of whom he had just been
thinking. lying. apparently asleep on
the track, scarcely a stones throw be-
fore him.
To reverse his engine to put on the
full power OF the brakes, to whistle
the danger signal loudly, all this was
but the work OF an instant, but he
knew only too well that 1t was useless,
that before the engine could possibly
be stopped he would be upon the
child.
The noise awakened her. She raised
her head. and turned frightened. be-
wildered face toward him. He was so
near he could see the whites OF her
eyes. He thought he heard her speak.
He closed his eyes He could not see
his engine pass over and mangle
that little form. and even In that
moment Of agony he was conscious
OF a hundred different things. OF
wondering how he could ever meet
the mothers eye, when he had killed
her child. OF how old Mike would
exult, and say: Il told ye So" and
then there came crash and a thud,
and he knew no more.
When he came to himself he was
lying on bis own bed, In the board
ing house, at the entrance to the pass.
His mother sat beside him, and
Tommy Burns, one of the fremen,
was at the window. He felt strange
ly, he tried to move his right arm,
but It was useless. Then he lifted
his left arm to his head, and found II
covered with bandages. bis mother
hastily intercepted bis motions
There. there, DEAR" she said, 'it's
all right am here, take this. I" and
she put spoonful of something to his
lips Weakly obedient, he obeyed,
but gradually memory asserted ITSELF
and he could not keep quiet.
What was itP' he asked. II killed
a child, didn't IP''
mo, dear, said his mother. tom
my knows just how it happened; he
will tell you. If you feel strong enough
TO hear It"
He made q gesture OF assent and
Tommy came from the window to the
bedside with that sheepish air which
strong, well men often wear. and be-
gan:
'The little kid is all right" he said,
though No 147 meant to kill her fast
enough. You see. just before you got
to her. there was broken rail. Don't
know how It happened. Gurus about
It. Track walker was over there not
an hour before. an says 1t was all
right. Wall, it was there, any how,
and No. lat want lookin' out
for 1t, an 1t was too much for her.
She pitched off'n the bank. and she
rolled over an over. more'n q thou
sand feet, clean to the bottom of the
canyon. An there she'll be to the day
Of judgment. for she's tore all to
pieces, an serve her right too,
s'You was pretty well bunged up.
Arm broken and head cut up-an' 80
they fixed up a bed for you. an
brought you right along on the train.
An we tellygruffed for your mother to
come an take care of you. an she got
here that night You've been purity
sick. Had fever an was out'en
your head. an raving about the little
rid you thought you'd killed, an the
doctor said IS soon as you come to we
must tell you she want hurt, to ease
your mind"
II was all true. In some miraculous
way Charlie had been freed from the
locomotive. and caught in a tree. There
the section men found him, few
minutes later. when they hurried 10
the spot, drawn by the danger signal.
He had had serious illness, but
his injuries were not dangerous. nor
was 1t long before he was able TO re-
sumo work again
Old Mike was jubilant at the verif-
cation OF his prophecy. Il told ye
there was no good In her." he said;
s'she meant to kill the little one and
break Charles heart. but she missed
her reckoning for once. An it's safe
mha Ia now. ruaffn0 at the hofAors, NJ fha