Year: 1879

sIook brave, and Kitty stared fast at the level prairie flying past. It was of no use. They all broke down together and had hearty cry alone in the empty car as it rolled on and on before the gale

 The station-master's wife rolled up her sleeves to put the house in order while the children were safely out of the way. The station-master, feeling sure the children were safe in the freight car, sat in his office nearly all the morning. At last the beds were made, the dinner put on the fire, and the mother wondered how the girls were getting on in their play house on the track. She threw a shawl over her head and went out on the platform. At once the wind blew the shawl over her face, and she could not see exactly where she stood. Turning her back to the wind she began to call the children. How loudly the wind roared through the telegraph wires Perhaps they could not hear in all this din. Maybe they were inside the car out of hearing. She walked on toward the siding. Not there had not been a mistake. Per haps the car was on the other side | trackP No, the rails were unoccu- 1 pied as far as she could see in every direction. What did it meanP What had happened? She staggered back into the station and startled her husband with a cry of despair.

 "The car! The children!"

 The station-master ran out upon the platform and looked up and down the | line Not 8 car in sight! 1t had been blown away before the terrible wind, and was perhaps at this instant rolling swiftly onward with it's precious load to destruction. What would happen to il? Would it meet train or run into sta tionp Would the children try to get out, or would they stay in the car till it | was wrecked?

 He sprang to the door Of the depot to l telegraph the terrible news down the | line, but just as he opened the door he saw a faint white cloud on the western horizon. It swas a train. Help was coming. At the same instant his wife appeared with new grief and terror in her eyes.

 "I cannot get call in either direction. The wires are blown down."

 This only added to the danger, tor there was now no means of sending word i. advance of the runaway car. It must go on to it's fate without hel or warning.

 Help is coming, mother. Here's a train bound east"

 Nearer and nearer came the train, and the father and mother stood watching it as it crept along the rails. It seemed as if it would never come. At last it reached the platform and proved to be a passenger train bound up the Black river road and not intended to go in the direction in which the car had been blown away. The instant it stopped the station-master ran to the engineer and told his terrible story. The mother, with quicker wit, found the conductor and demanded that the engine be taken off and sent after the children

 The conductor was a man Of regular habits, and such a bold request struck him as something extraordinary. Take the engine off and leave the train and passengers waiting at this lonely stationp The idea was preposterous! Some of | the passengers gathered near and asked what was the matter.

 Three children lost; blown away in an empty car. Some one said, ''Yes, go at once. We can wait here till the engine returns" The conductor said he must telegraph for instructions; but some one said, The wires are down" :" and the people only cried out the more, Let the engine go!' so the mother ran to the tender and began to pull out the pin, that the engine might start.

 Hold on, marm , said a brakeman "I'll cast her off. You jump aboard if you want to go too. Fire up, Jack, and make ner hum :"

 It was all done in a moment, and away flew the engine, leaving the conductor and the station-master staring in surprise at this singular proceeding. The station master did not feel very happy. He had half intended to go with the engine, but it would never do to leave his post.

 '' Fire steady, Jack" said the engineer to the fireman. Its no use to get ex- cited. for we're in for long race

 " It's enough to make fellow excited to see that woman, said the fireman. The engineer turned round. and there by his side stood the mother, her eyes straining ahead down the line in search of the missing ones.

 "Oh, sir! open the throttle wide Don't try to save coal at such a time as

 We must keep cool, marm, and go steady, or we shall run out of coal and water and come to a standstill on the line'

 The woman said not word, but nod ded mourntully and leaned against the side of the cab for support, and the fire man gave her his seat, where she could look out ahead over the line. How the en- zine shookand roarcd! The little finger of the steam gauge tremhled and rose higher and higher as the steam pressure in creased over the raging fire. The engine seemed to be eating up thetrack in front, and behind the rails spun out like shin ing ribbons in the sun. The station and train had already sunk down out sight, and the grassy Morizon on either side seemed to fly away in kind of gi- gantic waltz. The wind died away to a dead calm, and in few moments little breeze sprang up and blew in at the front windows. V

 l,o 41, engineer. If we can keep up this pace we shall soon overtake them" :. How long have they been gone?'' shouted the fireman, above the roar of the engine

 don't know, screamed the woman, without taking her eyes from the hori- zon where the rails met the sky It