Year: 1869


River railroad.


1t was line which did g good rur
Of business, connecting as it did
great city with a flourishing back
country, and ne ran a pretty goOd
number Of trains over the rails ir
the course of twenty.four hours.


The daily trains we're every hour
but after nine in the evening there
was only one train until the steam
boat accommodation at hsif-past
three in the morning.


This intervening train was the Bel
port, and ran as far as Clinton, ex'
press all the way.


Belport was the large city of
which l have spoken, and it wa:
there my Office was located, for tht
business of the road was settled ant
arranged at that end Of the line.


OF course / give fictitious names
and the reader need not expect to
find BelpOrt on any Railroad map.


The 1890 train, or the midnight
mail as it was more frequently des-
ignateG, was run by Earl Rogers, 8
young man of seven or eight-and-
twenty, who had been employed on
the road for several years.


He vas the best engine driver on
the corporation, and for that reason
be had been selected for tie train, ii
being deemed expedient TO place
men of judgment on the train, be-
cause there was a better lookout
required by night.


Earl,taken all in ally one ofthe
finest fellows / ever saw, Frank,
handsome, generous to a fault and
very well educated.


He had fallen into the vocation
OF an engineer more from his love OF
and danger than any
thing else, perhaps; and if there was
ever any particular perilous business
to be done, Earl Rogers was the
man.


For some time be had been des.
perateIy in love With Laura Demsin,
the daughter Of a rich old fellow
just on the other side Of Rocky
River, q half-dozen miles beyond
BelpOrt.


This love was fully returned, for
Laura was a noble hearted girl, and
did not care for wealth or ambi-
ton when weighed in the balance Of
love; but old Domain and she we're
two, and there was no probability
Of his ever giving his consent.


He had set bis heart on her mar
ryiug Prince Carleton, a young
blood Of the vicinity, ,reputed wealthy
aud of an old family.


Demain's opposition naturally
made the lovers more determined,
and they only wanted an increase
Of Earl's salary to be married in
spite of Papa Domain. Earl vas q
faithful fellow, and ] was doing my
best with the company 10 get an
advance for him, with every probabil-
lty Of success.


Somehow, ! took strong inter-
est in Earl's love affairs.


/ am an old codger, and love
matters is rather out Of my line,
forte being the calculating of &C
the regulation of freight
rates, and the management Of bu-
siness so as to secure the fattest di.
vidends to the stock holders.


Perhaps my interest in Earls
love for Laura nigh be because
most cordially detested Prince Carle'
ton. He was always Showing
our road, finding fault with the rate
of speed, with the grade, with the
carriage, with the ventilation, with
everything in short, for nothing
suited him.


One dark, rainy night in Noysm
ber juat after the nine o'clock trair
had got of, l was sitting in the OF
fee trying to balance an accOOni ;ha'
would not balance, when the doo'
opened and Earl Rogers walked in
He had on bis waterproof suit, the
hood over bis head, and the collar