The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-02-07

moment-running her beads through
her withered fingers"
There was a gasp, quickly sup
pressed; a silence-a long silence.
The priests lips were moving.
"Will you-will you help me, Fa-
ther?" then came Derry's trembling
tones.
with Gods help, my SOM"
Outside the wind shrfeked and had
reached the summit Of the pass, howl
ed and shook the wooden shanty to
it's frail foundations. The storm had
reached the summit of the pass and
was raging with fury almost indie
scribible. Dale Creek had become a
swollen, roaring, maddened torrent
during the short afternoon, and the
risen waters were tearing at the
trestle abutments and beating with
tremendous force against the under
framing. The glimmer of lantern
shot into the dark room, and there
was the sound of voices. Just as poor
Derry bent his head for dissolution,
mans voice reached them.
"You can't do it," he said. "The
trestle won't stand an hour. There's
a regular hurricane smashing at her.
You can't get your freight through to-
night"
1t was the car which Derry had
been waiting for to take him away
from Tie Siding. Derry and Father
Maurice, with one impulse, went out
side. The car, east-bound, doomed up
before them, not a wheel moving. A
little group of men stood near it. The
track-walker looked up as Father Maui
rice walked close to him, and nodded.
Everyone knew Father Maurice.
"Glad to see you, Father!" he said
briefly. There's nasty work ahead.
All the wires in the mountain division
| are down, and the Overland is due
here in an hour. And there's no time
to go round and stop her."
The priests face paled.
"But, man, some one must go!"
whatsoever goes will have to cross
the trestle, Father"
The freight conductor stopped and
picked up the red lantern, swinging
it over his arm.
'I'm going to try" he said. "The
trestle'n hold the weight of man,
anyhow"
The rest were silent. The man bent
toward Father Maurice.
I'm not your kind" he said, "but
your blessing will help. Give it to
me?"
Father Maurice extended his hands
and placed them on the uncovered
head. There was set, strained look
on every face. A plunge into that
boiling torrent meant death-certain
and terrible. There was no chance of
escape from it-a fall of thousands of
feet below the frail bridge which was
now Turing the great Overland on to
fearful destruction. The conductor
stopped, and on hands and knees be-
gan to crawl out across the swaying
trestle. Slowly he went from tie to
tie, clinging desperately to the rail
when the gusts took him. But he
chung. And then they saw that he
was turning back, crawling slowly,
painfully. When they extended their
hands and caught him he could scarce
ly speak.
"I can't-do it," he gasped. mo
one CAM" And he tainted.
Anxiously they bent over him, then
as one man, all stood up and listened;
for a faint rumbling came to them,
a rumbling that told them the Over
land limited was Iaboring up the
mountain grades. A thrill of horror
went through every heart. All stood
silent, nerves taut, looking into one
another's faces.
Derry CARAT moved from Father
Maurice's side.
What must you do if you get over
there?"
Swing the red lantern across the
track. The engineer will understand
"Give it to me-" he said. He turned
to the priest. Perhaps this is the
real reason, Father?"
God bless you, Derry" said Father
Maurice.
Derry took the lantern. The freight
conductor, who had scarcely regained
his breath, clutched his arm.
tits death, man." he said. "No
living being can cross there tonight.
The wind would sweep the Overland
itself from the track. The blasts"
"I'm going!" said Derry briefly.
He buttoned the lantern under his
coat and started. The wind had in
creased in violence. The trestle
swayed, creaking and groaning as it
was shaken in the fury of the hurri-
cane. At the very point where the
other man had stopped-the center of
the trestle-Derry stopped, too,
crouching with his arms and legs
twined about the rail. Those who
were watching saw the wind shake
him, and the bridge itself sickeningly
from side to side He swayed a mo-
ment, all his energies bent to the task
of holding on. Again he made an ef-
fort to advance, and again he crouch
ed, suspended in mid-air-one poor
human being fighting against terrible
odds.
Once more came the rumble of the
Overland-more plainly now-more
plainly still to Derry, who lay against
the rail.
HE can't do it! He can't do it,"
shouted one of the men. He put his
| hand around hic mouth acme hack