The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-11-30
Tie Dog Nurse
forrnall

"A
the engineer of train was about to
take oil his engine when dog appear
ed carrying in his mouth a tin dinner
pail. The engineer took the pail, put IT
in his cab, and the dog trotted away
IAN Intelligent dog that" remark
ed.
.sYou bet" replied the engineer. 'He
brings me my dinner every day. But
he did a bigger thing than that once"
'What was it?''
81 haven't time to tell you now. Get
into the cab and ride with me-there's
a long straight stretch about ten miles
out, with no stops-and I'll tell you
It's against the rules, know, for any
one to ride on the engine, but they le-
me do pretty much as l please. I've
been on this road long while
Glad to accept the invitation, got up
INTO the cab. sat on the left seat and
the engineer told his story:
II was driving the Lightning express
over the road one day and was moving
along at n steady gait Wed come to
this part of the road. where there are
few houses and the cattle guards are
all in order. It's the only part on the
line where let up in keeping my eye
on the rails every second. At least it
was then. but 1t isn't now and hasn't
been since that day. III talk going
over 1t. but / won't take my eye from
the front. -
.'welI. as said, was running along
pretty glib when wanted some tobac-
co out of the box on the side you're oc-
cupying and concluded to go over andge
It ! glanced up the track. and 1t was
clear Of everything for a mile unless 1t
might be in the shade of tree about
mile ahead in front of farmhouse. I
left my post and, going over, opened
the box The tobacco was in vest
pocket and the vest had got mixed up
with some of those things, so couldn't
find 1t right on, but I couldn't have
been hunting more than a minute At
any rate 1 soon got back to my place,
and it seemed to me that something's
dog. suspected-was on the right rail
under the big tree that was casting the
shadow.
81 went on. The thing didn't move,
and it kept getting palmer and palmer
till 1 saw it wasn't dog, but what it
was l couldn't tell. 1t wasn't as big as
a big dog, and 1t was bigger than a lit
tie one II the sun had been shining ON
it 1 could have seen what it was at
once, but the branches of the tree
above were thick, and the leaves were
thick, and the shadow was thick.
..All of a sudden l saw what it was
child sitting on the rail. very small
child, not much more than old enough
to walk. For a few seconds stopped
wondering what il was TO shut of and
reverse. Then my cyesi@ht came back
to me, and there sat little girl
TT all depended on whether she was
old enough TO see her danger and get
up. ! knew the train would come to
stop just about where she was: but,
great Scott. if it didn't stop before it
reached her. 1T didn't matter how slow
it was going it would crush her! The
picture before me then is before me
now, and for months after I'd wake up
toward morning to see 1t again, the
child's figure becoming more and more
distinct and her features gradually re-
vealing themselves. She had set her
doll on the tie and leaned 1t up against
the rail- opposite. There sat the doll,
and there sat the girl, and wished
there were a thousand dolls and no
girl
'"rhe train moved slower and slower
till 1t got within, say. a hundred feet
of the child. She didn't seem to care
any more about it than for the breeze
that rustIed the leaves about her. She
didn't even look at us / think she
was talking to her doll. Here was 1
moving on TO kill her without any pow
er 70 keep from doing so. Every sec
ond the great mass of iron was getting
closer.
Just as 1 got within about forty feet
of her she turned and looked at me-
And what 20 you think she did? Just
sat there aud-smiIcd.
There was the baby figure. lot of
lrRI nos n