Year: 1867

I Was il a pFec0ncerted interview be
tween them 2 dad she told him &
meet her as soon as /, the delude,
/ dupe, was safely out Of the way ? Dit
I they make my home a rendezvous, T.
escape the eyes of her father ? o


did they


Hark Surely that was a cry, viii,
and startling, full of horror. that dis
I turbed the gloomy current of my med
itations-a cry from Barbara Wye
/ liffe's lips ! From my commanding
post on the higher ground / could SCI
that she had started back from hin
and drawn her hand away. Ny frs


thought was to spring down into Tho
raVlne and Join her. but 1 desisted


when saw him take the hand once


again. L could Fee-not hear-thai


he was speaking in an eager manner


making frequent impulsive gestures


pointing In my direction and then I


saw him grasp her hand again I saw
his arm around her waist, her head


upon his shoulder and I saw, too,


that she did not again relapse him,


am glad | did not make fool Of


myself, 1 muttered, bitterly, between


my set teeth, turning away and hasten


ing, with long, Irregular strides, up


the hill Let them go on their way.


It is the last time I shall allow my


self to be duped by the bright eyes of


a heaFtless coquette. I am glad I have
discovered her in her true light at
last


But deceived myself. I was not
glad. The sorest pang that ever. rent
a true and honest heart was gnawiBg
at mine as l slowly returned to the
house, or rather cabin and the lively
refrain forced myself to whistle as I
went died away into melancholy minor
ere L was aware of It. As I entered
the room l looked up involuntary, with
the instinct that grows from constant
habit, at the clock. The hands midi
Gated the hour of six. [ had some
how fancied It to be later than that
The sun had dipped down behind the
purple line of woods; the long sbad-
ows of the tree-trunks. stretching out
across the brown turf In front of my
doorstep, had vanished and Just in
the warm orange glow of the west
great golden star famed and quivered,
like a solitary eye of FIRE


1t can't be that the sun sets earlier
than usual, / said to myself doubt
fully; and yet"


While I stood there hesitating. I
knew not why. the silver sound of
far-Off village bell-the church bell of
st, Marks, at BranhiEl, heard only In
the clearest and stillest days, and
when the wind set In peculiar direc-
tion-rang out its strokes with mar
7elOus distinctness.


II Nnn-Arvo--4b --s-
-seUen p


Like invisible writing suddenly
flashing into view at the magic action
Of fire, the whole chain of circum-
stances became frightfully, diabolical-
y clear John Walkers mysterious
in my cabiu but two hours
since was sufficiently explained now.
He had writhed in, deadly and noise
less, like a serpent, to work my ruin,
lud elevate himself upon the wreck of
my good name and trust. His hand
bad moved backward the indices of
my time-pieee upon the dial with a
motive too horrible fer me to contem-
ate without shudder. He knew (for
had I not myself told him p that the
Lighting Express, going north, met
ihe branch-rOad train at seven o'clock.
ind that it rushed wildly forward with
1ut stopping, with only a whistle Of
EARNING. The switch was set to the
branch road IL must be changec ut a
luarter to seven, or the Lightning Ex-
press would leave the track and coll
ide with the Accommodation. . calm 4
" waiting it In faucied security. I es;
John Walker had deliberately laid his
plans to ruin me and Barbara-could
t be possible that Barbara's sweet
arankness, her uuWonted presence. /
her warming, were part of his fiendish
TO divert my attention, and
vile me away from the post of duty ?
Was Barbara IN his interest ? and had
been doubly deceived ? As I stood
here perfectly motlOnless, with cold
lrops onzing out upon my brow, and
foZen sort of rigidity at my heart, I
could almost see the shattered cars,
he shapeless, splintered ruin, the
crushed machinery, the CHASTITY faces
lpturned TO the glowing purple of the
air twilight sky could hear the
jhrieks and groans and dying gasps
through the dull, continuous roar that
ieemed to surge across my brain ] And
II should have been the unconcious
murderer, the guiltless criminal ! o
God of all mercies ! Was there no
way of averting the impending shad-
lW of this awful catastrophe


All this was thought In a second \
md before the chimes had ceased ring /
ng the final stroke of seven I bound
I'd from the room. My usual route
down to the switch was a foot-path,
steep and narrow, that skirted the
edges of the precipitous hills but
there was nearer and much more di-
rect way, through dense underground
and matted briers aud bushes, through
which l plunged, needless of tearing
thorns and tangled branches which
seemed to impede my progress with al
most human malice. As [ ran my
speed was accelerated by the shrill
whistle of the approaching Accommo-
1ation train. [ did not mind that
the Accommodation would stop on its
track and wait for the Lightning EX
press to pass but [ had not a second
to spare, for usually the whistle of the
Lightning was heard as if it were the
echo of the other, so nearly simulta-
leousIy were they due at Barnhill
Junction / neared the track with
breath that came in short, painting sohs
and laboring pulses, 1 saw as it we're
a scarlet mist of blood, the
white, starry CLEAN of the signal lamp
in its accustomed place-the all
right" token to the engineer of the
train


Whose hand had so foully lighted
that treacherous star of doom?


AsI ran / had searched for the key
Of the sWich-lock. It was safe. /
sprang to the track. hurling down the
signal with a vehemence that shivered
the strong glass to a thousand atoms.
I thrust the key into the lock and un-
locked the switch Great Heavens !
the lever was immovable! The vii
lain had done his work completely,
and with small wooden wedge driven


firmly between the lever and the iron
frame york of the switch had made
the movement Of the former impossi-
bic. The loud shrek of the now ap-
preaching train gave me additional
strength In vain. for l could not move
the rails. Walker and Barbara Wy
cliffe had neglected no one link in the
chain of their detestable plot. One
instant [ stood 10 utter Abandonment
Of despair. In the same terrible in
stant the glare Of the laundering
train flashed on the track and lighted
it up with painful brilliancy, aud l