Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1908-05-08
The SAVING OF The
MIDNIGHT EXPRESS
BY Will Gage Carey.

April lSt-BluStery and rainy, with
| dark, lowering sky; yet withal a date
| that will live forever in the annals of
Oawson's Dells; the date the midnight
express was saved from destruction
| by Sylvia-Sylvia of the Dells!
Lest there be even a mOmentary
| misrepresentation of existing facts and
conditions, it may be just as well to
| state right at the start that Sylvia
was a gentle, dreamy-eyed, common
COW; no, not common COW! Could
a common cow display an intelligence,
realization of an impending danger
and then, withal, possess the moral
| courage and stamina to stand stead
| fast and alone to ward off disaster
to save the lives of hundred imper-
lied human beings? Well, hardly!
Night had closed in dark and rainy
DER the clustered homes of Dawson's
| Dells. The wind howled dismally
along the narrow, deserteG streets,
driving in fitful gusts the -sharp rain
against the window-panes, causing the
inmates of the lowly, modest home,
/! TO draw closer to the blazing fire.
| places, while a feeling of genial
warmth prevailed DER all.
Outside, nothing was stirring; yes,
there was one: Sylvia-Sylvia of the
| Dells-was stirring.
AS she stood patiently chewing her
cud in the back lot, the thought
came 20 her of a certain hay stack In
an open field several miles up the
railroad track. True, the stack did
not belong to the same man that
Sylvia belonged to; but why squabble
over a minor point like that:
She could readily find her way to
the stack on the darkest night. she
had been there many times btIore
In TACT, so persistent. so pains-taking
had been her attack upon the leeward
side of the stack, there was now a
great hole wherein she could crowd
her whole body.
| What could be more delicious on
night like this than to crawl into the
hole and, sheltered from wind and
rain, contentedly chew the fragrant
timothy till morning? Nothing-abso-
!utely nothing!
With Sylvia Of the Dells, to plan
was to put into immediate execution
Climbing through the bars of the back
lot, she started for the stack; to ex-
pedite matters she took to the rail-
road track.
Scarcely had she gotten beyond the
/ yard limits of Dawson's Dells when
she paused, horror-struck!
The long trestle had been washed
away by the foaming torrent that
roared and ragged beneath!
She glanced hurriedly back at the
Gown clock! Heavens! In Is minutes
the midnight express would pass Daw-
sons Dells!
But a moment she hesitated; then
quickly she retraced her steps, head
ing hurriedly toward red switchlight
burning just beyond the depot.
Would she be in time? She must
must save the express!
Rushing frantically up to the switch,
she caught the red lantern over her
horn, then started bravely down the
track again for the wash-out!
A low, rumbling sound behind her
reached her ears-the express was
coming!
She knew the express would not
even slow up for Dawson's Dells; IL
all her life she had known it to stop
there but once-once when it broke
an axle on the forward coach.
On, on she rushed, the red light
swaying with her 1.-THE, graceful move
ments, and the rapid heating of her
palpitating heart!
The rusnbling behind her grew
louder! the flash of headlight
pierced the murky darkness as the
great engine rounded the curve!
Quickly she turned and swung the
red signal back and forth across the
track; she was answered by shrill
blast of the whistle, with the roar of
escaping steam and the grinding of
afr-brakes the heavy train came to a
sudden stop within hundred feet of
the yawning chasm!
The train crew came running for
ward to ascertain the cause of the
danger signal, accompanied by many
of the frightened passengers. In mute
horror they gazed ON the raging tor
rent before them, into which they
would have plunged but for the intel
lligence, the intrepid courage of Sylvia
of the Dells!
Loud were the praises showered
upon her; but she took all modestly,
even coolly--she had but done her
duty!
In the excitement of the moment
Sylvia had unfortunately swallowed
her cud, so she gratefully accepted a
chew 3f tobacco from the engineer
then, swimming the torrent, she con-
tentedly made her way on to the hay
stack.
April 2d-Cloudy; more rain