Year: 1877

1
the switch before the car? It's roaring
rang in her ears. Painting, with almost
bursting bosom she reached the switch
opened it, and stood clinging to it as the
car came laundering over the viaduct.


She looked up at her lover upon the
car. He had seen and understood the
change in the switches, His car, help.
less though it was, would cross over to
the down-track and roll harmlessly
along the level line till its force was
spent. He was saved, and by her ready
wit and skill. The passengers in the
train were also saved.


She had saved him. Love had been
her inspiration.


Great heavens what's that2 The
express! The down express was com
ing!


All was in vain. He was lost. She
saw him throw up his arms in despair.
The very plan she had devised to save
him would be his destruction. Better
far to have thrown him off the siding as
she had intended. Now he would meet
a more dreadful death, and the destruc-
tion would include scores of lives instead
of a dozen.


All this flashed through her mind like
as lightning. She felt her knees give
way beneath her, and she clung to the
switch in despair. She shut her eyes to
hide the coming disaster.


Hark The whistle on the express.
They had seen the imminent collision
and were doing their best to avert it.


She, too, must do something. With q
bound she sprang to the next switch,
tore it open, and stood painting and
moaning beside it with the bar in her
hand. She must save the train, even if
she buried her lover under the splintered
wreck of the car.


Onward came the car, laundering over
the viaduct, and just ahead of the train
1t turned quickly at the switch, crossed
over and shot past her into the siding
He had one look at her upturned face.
1t was full of love and helpless misery.
She was sending him to certain destruc-
tion-to save the express train.


The instant the car passed she closed
the switch and sprang back again to the
other switch, and closed it just in time
to see the express train sweep past in
safety.


In an instant the helpless car ran into
the freight-house with an awful splin-
tering crash. The express pulled up OPP
posite the station, and in a moment a
crowd of people ran shouting and frantic
up the line. Some of them had seen the
whole performance and knew what it
meant, but for the majority of them it
was tragic mystery.


They found Lydia upon the ground
by the switch, and with the keys still
clutched in her hand. What had she
done? What had happened to her.


She could not answer. Nature had
mercifully taken away her senses. They
took her up tenderly and carried her to
the station and laid her upon seat in
the waiting-room. The passengers of the
two trains crowded the room and offered
every aid, for in some vague manner they
began to understand that she was the
creditor to the value of all their lives.
She had paid for their safety with costly
sacrifice.


The freight train backed down to the
cross-over switch and the engineers of
the three trains met and began to exam
inc the positions of the switches. A
number of men also came from the ex-
press train, and among them was one
who seemed in authority. He, too, ex-
amined the line carefully, and the engi-
neers explained the matter to him and
listened to his remarks with becoming
Difference.


The little room in the station was
packed with people, idlers and others,
and they could with difficulty bring him
in.


"No," said one of til ladies who were
trying to restore the girl. cit may be
too great shock for her. She must not
see him yet"


"Make way there, gentlemen. The
Superintendent of the road is here"


The crowd moved slightly, and the
Superintendent advanced into the room.
He took off his hat and spoke quietly to
the people near, and then he stopped over
the unconscious girl and softly kissed
her, like as father.


"She saved all our lives, and / fear
she thinks she paid dearly for them"


Suddenly she opened her eyes and sat
up bewildered.


"Where is he? Is he much, hurt Z?
Oh Perhaps he is -


"Let me alone, tell you," cried a
big, bold voice in the crowd, 81 must go
to her."


He escaped from those who would
detain him, and in a moment was beside
her.


Some of the people laughed in foolish
Joy, others cried. The more delicate
and sensible were silent, for the meeting
was not for words or description.


After slight pause the Superintend-
ent said to the young man:


congratulate you, sir. You were
on the carp"


eyes, sir. 1 was on the car, and
saved myself at the last moment by
jumping off, / landed on pile of fine
coal, and got rough tumble-and that
was all. The car is heap of splint-
ers."


Then the Superintendent called the
young man nearer to him and spoke to
him privately, and presently they both
shook hands as if greatly pleased over
something. The young man sat down
beside the girl, and whispered in her ear.


I've got the place, Lydia. We're
all right now."


Then tbe bells rang and tba ,,ao,Io