Year: 1867

Z don Z know what it is myself / feel it
( somehow, and want you to drive slow /:
l and promise me, william dear, to look
l at the wheels and things, won't yOu.'
/ Susan" says I kissing her, f'I'll
4 walk her all the way"


/ And thai was what was going to do
/ I made Collins, the fireman. as mad as
a March nair, by making him 90
4 mer, before we started back from Pal
i lert0n that night. I went through the
/ engine myself, examined the springs
I and levers, and had two extra men put
Z on the brakes and an extra lantern fas-
tened on the engine, in front Of the boil
I er. They all laughed at me but kept
I on till I felt that things were as they
should be.


When I was speaking of Jim Mel
4 sons house in the wood, perhaps
ought to have said that he was a wild
over, and had little tot Ofa baby, and
/ L noticed it as I ran by that morning
playing in the door yard. I say this
that that which comes after may be


better understood.


Wei we started back at 4:20. that Is
back to Croydon. 1T was sborming as I
thought it never did before the clouds
rolled up black and the winds came
down through the mountains cold and
clustering. i shut her all up tight and
turned the light into the cab, so that i
might see better how things went out
side. Pretty soon it came on TO rain,
mixed with hail, and the night came
down blacker than before. I kept my
. hand on the lever, and my eyes on the
broad streak of light that lit up about
two hundred yards Of the track I let
her go along easy at about twenty
miles an hour, taking q look now and
then at the cars, and keeping an eve on
everything. We ran on this way stead
ily for two hours, and lost fifteen min
utes, and still everything was right
kept my course, as the danger cOmnen-
ced now If there was any at all. The
storm and rain was worse than ever
and beat against US like mad, and blew
the smoke and steam down over US, so
that felt like stopping altogether, but
of course that wouldn't do. We kept
on this way for another hour, feeling
our way carefully. About twenty min
utes after that I got off my seat to look
at the oil cups and guage, when quick
as lightning Collins, the fireman ierked
my arm and shouted "GOod God
there's child crawling on the track ~


I showed my lever back, and pulled
the whistle valve short and quick, and
opened the cab window jumped out on
the engine. In doing so thought af-
forwards must have kicked the lever
back again. At that moment what
saw made me forget everything else,
for sure enough. about two hundred
rect IN front OF the engine, kneeliDu on
its hand and knees, and without moving,
but looking straight at the lantern
'GOd help me ~ says j, seeing the poor
thing must be killed if I didn't help it
and I scrambled forward past the boiler
and out on the COW catcher. The wheels /
OF the cars grated but the engine was
working harder than it had that night.
I couldn't stop to think why, and pus-
ting my feet between the bars, I caught
hold the shackle with my left hand, and
leaned forward over the track. / shut
H-.H Il q I'll a n
like death, knowing well that q slip OF
my hand or foot would end me. The
poor, covering HtSle thing crept away
to one side, but was so scared that it
had sunk down and was lying on its
belly across the rail.


"God help it again says ], and bend
ing low down, stuck my arm out
straight and stiff, with my hand an
inch from the track; in an instant !
showed my hand under the body Of the /
child, but pushed it along about five
feet before I could lift it up over my
head, and put it on the platform behind
me, then quick as may be, / ballOOed, 1
for felt kind of a weakness coming
over me. I took the baby in my arms,
but was too weak to go back so I sat
there. The engine was going like Il 1ght-
nidg, and the rain was beating in mine
and the baby's face, and the wheels.
were grinding and roaring, and afors
heaven / never was so WOmanfsh along
Of any have been in, as L was then
with the poor little thing, and its arms
around my neck, and sObbing as if its
heart would break. I was there only a
minute, and was nearly fainting, when
heard a shouting louder than the
storm and the noise of the engine, and
/ opened my eyes and saw the figure OF
a man about thirty yards in front of
the engine. He stopped down then
jumped up with something large in his
hands and threw it off the track; then
he did it again and again he worked
quick and Wild-like and just before the
engine reached him he jumped of, and
waved his arms at nae and the baby,
and the glare of the lantern fell on him
at that instant and showed q face which
was pale round the nose and lips, such
as had seen before.


Well got back to the cab, with the
baby, Whistled brakes off, and went
into Croydon thirty-five minutes be-
hind time. I told Susan all about it,
and she took the baby in fine style, and
she and I sat by the fra that evening
talking and wondering over what had
happened, when a knock came to the
door, and went to it and says, "Who's
there ?'


''It's me, says a voice which was tren-
bling, as though the man was crying !
''Let me in, Rogers; Pm Jim Nelson /
I've got nothing agin' you and Susan
now, God knows"


so opened I0o door, ana ne came IN
staggering as if he was in liquor, and
as white as snow; then he looked
around the room, and seeing the child
in Susan's lap, he ran to it, and kneel- /
ing down, buried his face in its clothest /
and sObbed and cried as I never saw
man before or since. After a while he
got little calmed then he stood up,
and turning round to ne, he says:


civilian Rogers. I meant to do you
harm tonight, but you saved the little
one for me, which is all have to love
in this big world you took one away
from me; and thought to mend by
breaking; but William" }" he went on
ST wasn't the old Jim Nelson, which is
a true taan, and who Is speaking to you
now, and so ask forgivness of you and
her."


Then Susan and shook hands with
him, but we could not speak a word
then Jim stopped down and took the
baby into his arms and says as last
word to Susan and me:


''God bless both of you for man and
wife, says he, 'tand may you always
be happy"


Then he turned and shut the door
behind him, and went out in the storm
and rain, and / have never seen BIN
since.-BOStO75 Traveller.


The Alabama Convention.


Probably no body Of men that ever
assembled has been made the subject of /