The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1909-10-07

SIDE. OOulu you zen Aue WIlttC you COlu
my-that is, what you told Mr.
Fletcher"
Then the superintendent told her how
the old bridge mad been washed away by
the heavy spring rains; how the en-
gineer, speeding to make up time, in the
darkness of the stormy night, had not
seen the gulf of blackness until too late
to avert the catastrophe; how the train
had crashed down over the bank and now
lay half submerged in the swollen river !;
how among the seventy five passengers
only few had escaped unhurt; how
some had been lost in the river; and
how the wounded had been cared for, by
the physicians hastily summoned from
Barton
As the girl started back for the office,
it seemed almost impossible to keep her
footing. The wind fairly blew the moon
around in the sky and now and again
the huTying clouds covered its face,
making the night so dark that often
times she had to wait for the clouds to
drift past 'ere she could see the way.
She had not gone far when she heard a
faint call from down the bank. She
stopped, istened-and again the wind
bore the sound of human voice to her
ear.
Without hesitation she began to climb
down the icy bank, and, slipping and
sliding, she at last reached the river
side. As she stopped to listen again for
the voice, she saw a dark shape lying
several feet away from her and as she
started toward it she was startled to
hear some one call 1854 ring 3D. the
telephone call of the Barton Gazette!
It must be--yes, it washer father! As
she knelt beside him she saw that he was
half-dead with cold. He had evidently
slipped at the top of the bank and
fallen the full length. He was now ly-
ing with one leg doubled under him, de-
liriously called for 1854, ring g."
Jumping up, the girl climbed-almost
crawled on her hands and knees-up the
bank and hurried to the wreck, where
she found several men to whom she told
her story. They FASTENED with her back
ITO the place where she had found him.
"Take him to Rockville to Mrs. Whea-
ton's,Y the girl said as they bore him up
the bank, deliriously calling 1854, ring
g." "He is my father. Tell Mrs. Whea-
ton that he is Mr.. Fletcher of the Ga
zette and she will understand
Then the girl hurried back to the
office, and, calling up 1854, ring g." asked
for the city editor.
81 have the story for you," she said,
"and I can tell you why Mr.. Fletcher
did not call you up" Then she told him
of the accident to her father and how
she had found him, even in his delirium,
trying to call the newspaper office and
angry at central because he thought she
would not give him the number.
"The story has to be in in half an
hour exactly" the city editor said; "can
you dictate it to me just as it should go
into print or can you only give me the
bare facts and leave me to get it into
shape?"
II think I can dictate it to you, sir,
so that you will not be ashamed to have
it appear in the paper" the girl an
swered.
Cali right, fire ahead. I will take the
chance anyway. Now do your best.''
And for exactly half an hour the girl
dictated the whole story to the city
editor. AS she finished he exclaimed:
splendid, splendid; that's fine! If you
ever want a job come to me-
Time dragged heavily on the girls
hands until in the morning when she
was free to leave the Office. As she
started for her boarding place she bought
a morning paper, where she saw, in big
black headlines, the story of the wreck.
Upon entering the house she met the
doctor coming out and recognized him
as one of her former friends in Barton.
''How is my father, DR.. Pierce?" she
asked anxiously
He's coming ON all right" the old
doctor answered. ''He is not delirious
any longer. Only weak and worrying a
good deal over his paper because the
story did not get in. I guess the sight
of you will do him good"
The girl tiptoed into the room where
her father lay with closed eyes, but
with fingers moving restlessly up and
down the spread.
Father" she called.
Mr. Fletcher's eyes opened quickly and
as nc caught sight of his daughter
standing by his bedside he half rose and
stretching out his arms cried: "Helen,
my daughter, can I really believe my
eyes?"
ct is really I, father, come to ask
your forgiveness. Can you forgive me,
daddy?"
Forgive your the old man asked as
ne stroked ner head, forgive you, why
it is you who should forgive me for be-
ing so harsh as to drive you from home :"
"And now, daddy dear, / have some
thing to show you," said the girl, and
she lifted the paper so that he could see
the big type telling the story of the
wreck
''The Gazette!" Mr.. Fletcher exclaimed.
'Why, how can that be? l was to get
that story and-I failed'
mo, listen, father" the girl said.
And after she had read him the story
of the wreck she read him, too, the story
of how a girl had gone to the wreck, got
the story and telephoned it in and on
her way had rescued the old newspaper
man found lying injured by the river
bank.
"And that girl was--?' the old man
asked.
81, father!''
That was how the old newspaper man
fell down on a story, but found a
daughter and a star reporter
Holton Sherman in Hartford Times.
CURIOUS OLD LONDON CLUBS.