The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-03-16
TIE SAVING OF The
NlEDiHiN0t EAT MECC

BY Wlll Gage Carey

aafk, lowering sky yet Wlthal a dale
that will live forever in the annals Of
Dawson's Dells; the date the midnight
express was saved from destruction
by Sylvia Sylvia Of the Dellsl
Lest there be even a momentary
misapprehension 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 a common cowl Could
a common COW display an intelligence,
a 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 a 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, deserted streets,
driving in fitful gusts the sharp rain
against the window-panes, causing the
inmates Of the lowly, modest homes
to draw closer to the blazing fire-
places, while a feeling Of gsEdal
warmth prevailed Ger 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 to 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 before.
In fact, 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 a
night like this than to crawl into the
hole and, sheltered from wind and
rain, contentedly chew the fragrant
timothy till morning? Nothing abso.
lutely nothingl
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 OK
pedite matters she took to the rail
road track.
Scarcely had she gotten beyond the
yard limits of Dawson's Dells when
she paused, horrorstruckl
The long trestle had been washed
away by the foaming torrent that
roared and ragged beneath
She glanced hurriedly back at the
town clock Heayensi In Is minute.
the midnight express would pass Daw
sons Dellsi
But a moment she hesitated; ther
quickly she retraced her steps, head
ing hurrledly toward a red switchlighr
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 hel
horn, then started brayely down the
track again for the wash-out!
low, rumbling sound behind hei
reached her ears-the express wal
comingi
She knew the express would no
even slow up for Dawsons Dells; II
all her life she had known it to stol
there but once-once when it brokI
an axle on the forward coach.
On. on she rushed. the red ligh
swaying With her 1.-THE, graceful move
ments. and the rapid beating Of he
palpitaung heartl
The rumbling behind her grew
louder the fash Of a headligh
pierced the murky darkness as tn
great engine rounded the curvei
Quickly she turned and swung tn
red signal back and forth across tn
track; she was answered by a shril
blast of the whistle, with the roar O
escaping steam and the grinding o
air-brakes the heavy train came to
sudden stop within q hundred feet o
the yawning chasml
The train crew came running fol
ward to ascertain the cause OF tn
/ danger signal. accompanied by man
Of the frightened passengers. In NUT
horror they eazed on the raging ton
rent before them, into which the
would have plunged but for the inte
| ligence, the intrepid courage Of ss u
Of the Delsl
Loud we're the praises showere
upon her; but she took all modestll
even coolly-she had but done he
duty,
In the excitement Of the momeu
Sylvia had unfortunately swallowe
her cud, so she gratefully accepted
chew Of tobacco from the engineer
then. swimming the torrent. she col
tentedly made her way on to the ha
stack.
april 2d-Cloudy; more rain.
!
The Ea0ft - A.. 49,