Year: 1876

watched ali the way along!"


I saw the whole diabolical scheme at
once. IF the train came it would be
thrown off the embankment and they
could easily lie in wait there.


"Come," Martin said, twill you join
u.s."


"Never !" 1 cried Indignantly.


"We must force you then. Tie him
fast"


trembled for Alice If only my
life we're at stake l could have borne
it better. But even if we were both
murdered I could not take the blood
of the passengers in the train upon my
head. Not sound came from the lit
tie room as I was tied hand and foot
to my chair, bound SO securely that |
could not move. 1t was proposed to
gag me, but they finally concluded that
my cries, if made any, could not be
heard, and handkerchief was bound
over my mouth.


The door Of the wash-room was closed
and locked. Alice stood undiscovered,
then the light was blown out and the
rufians left me, locking the door after
| them.


There was long silence. Outside
I could hear the step of one Of the men
pacing up and down watching rubbed
my head against the wall behind me,
and succeeded in getting the handker-
chief on my mouth to fall around my
neck.


I had scarcely accomplished this
when there was a tap on the inner
door,


"Robert!' !'' Alice said.


"Yes, love. Speak low, there is a
man under my window"


"Are you alone in the room 2"


eyes, dear"


II am going to Postville. There is
no man under my window, and 1 can
get out there have six long roller
towels here, knotted together and 1
have cut my white skirt into wide
stripes to join them. The rope so made
reaches nearly to the ground. I shall
fasten it to the door knob and let myself
down 1t will not take long to reach
home, saddle Selim and reach Post
vile in time. Don't fear for me. When
you hear hen cackling under my win
dow you will know | am safely on the
ground"


Little Alice! My heart throbbed
heavily as I heard her heroic proposal,
but I dared not stop her.


"Heavens bless and protect you," /
said, and listened for her signal. Soon
the cackling noise told me the first step
Of her perilous undertaking was taken.


1t was dark, cloudy and threatening
storm, and nearly as I could guess,
close upon 9 o'clock She had to go
six miles and I could only wait and
pray. was too much stunned even
vet to realize the heroism Of this dark
ride through wild country with a
storm threatening.


Nine o'clock As the bell of the
church clock ceased to strike, a rumble;
flash, told me a thunder storm was
coming rapidly. Oh, the long, long
minutes Of the next hour


Ten o'clock. The rain falling in
torrents. the thunder pealiug, light
ming flashing! Alice was SO afraid of
lightning. Often 1 had held her, white
as death. trembling, almost fainting,
in such a storm as this. Had she
feared to start with the storm in pros
pect. or was she lying somewhere on
the wild road overcome by terror, or
perhaps stricken by lightning?


Eleven o'clock. The storm was over,
though the still night was inky black
no sound to cheer me, none to make
the hideous suspense more durable. A
host of possibilities, like frightful night
mares, chased one another through my
tortured brain.


Would the next hour ever pass p
Once the clock tolled midnight, all was
safe.


Twas drenched with a perspiration
wrung from me by mental agony one
hour, chilled with horror the next. No
words can describe the misery of wait
ing as the minutes dragged along. In
/ the dead silence far off sound struck
thrill Of horror to my heart, far ex-
ceeding even the previous agony. Far,
, far away a faint whistle came through
, the air. Nearer and nearer. then the
; distinct rumble Of the train growing
more and more distinct.
! The midnight up train was coming
swiftly, surely, to certain destruction
3 Where was my wife? Had the rufians
intercepted her at the cottage? Was
. she lying dead somewhere upon the
wild road Her heroism was of nc
avail, but was her life saved? In the
: agony Of that question the approaching
rumble of the train was lost far more
did feel the bitterness of Alice dead
than the horror of the doomed lives the


train carried. Why had let her star
I upon her mad errand
) tried to move and writhed in i'm.
: potent fury upon my chair. forcing The
q cruel cords to tear my flesh as / vainly
tried to loosen even one hand. The
e heavy train rumbled past the tele.
graph Office. 1t was an express trair
and did not stop at my station, but az
I listened, every sense sharpened BY
mental torture, it seemed to me that it,
speed slaekened. Listening intently
s., knew that it stopped at the embank.
ment, as nearly as I could judge. No,
3 with the sickening crash I expected
/ not preceding walls and groans from the
injured passengers, but gradually and
, carefully. A moment more and beard