Year: 1870

In the year 1861 / was superintendent
of the Howrich and Rocky River rail-
road.


1t was line which did good run of
business, connecting as it did great city
with fourishing back country, and we
ran a pretty good number of trains over
the rails in the course of twenty -four
hours.


The daily trains were every hour, but
after nine in the evening there was only
one train, until the steamboat accommo-
tion at half-past three in the morning


This intervening train was the Bel
port mail. 1t was made up at Belport
and ran as far as Clinton, express all the
way.


Belport was the large city of which
have spoken, and it was there that my
Office was located, for the business was
the line.


OF course give fictitious names, and
the reader need not expect to find Bel
port on any railroad map.


The 1870 train, or the midnight mail,
as it was more frequently designated, was
run by Earl Rogers, young man of
seven or eight-and twenty, who had been
employed on the road for several years.


He was the best engine driver on the
corporation, and for that reason he had
been selected for the train, It being
deemed expedient to put men of best
Judgment on the train, because there was
better lookout required b. night.


Earl, taken all in all, was one of the
finest fellows | ever saw.


Frank, handsome, generous to fault,
and well educated.


He had fallen into the vocation of an
engineer more from his love of excite
ment and danger than anything else,
perhaps and if there was ever any par
ticularly perilous business to be done,
Earl Rogers was our man.


For some time he had been desperately
in love with Laura Demain, the daughter
of rich old fellow just on the other
side of the Rocky River, a half-dozen
miles beyond Belport.


This love was fully returned, for Laura
was noble-hearted girl, and did not
care for wealth or ambition when weighed
in the balance of love but old Demain
and her were two, and there was no prob
ability of his ever giving his consent.


He had set his heart on her marrying
Prince Carlton, young blood of the vi
cinity reputed wealthy, and of an old
family.


Demain's opposition naturally made
the lovers more determined, and they
only waited an increase of Earl's salary
to be married, in spite of Papa Demain.
Earl was faithful fellow, and was do
ing my best to get an advance for him,
with every probability of success.


Somehow, took q strong interest in
Earps love affairs.


l am an old codger, and love matters
are rather out of my line, my forte being
the calculating of accounts, the regula-
ton OF freight rates, and the manage
| ment OF business so as to secure the fat
test dividends to the stockholders
Perhaps my interest in Earps love for
Laura might have been because most
cordially detested Prince Carlton. He
was always Glowing" our road, finding
fault with the rate of speed, with the
grade, with the carriages, with the ven
tiiation, with everything in short, for
nothing suited him.


Then upon one occasion he and had
few words, neither very pleasant nor
| very choice, and he had colled me a
scoundrel, and had returned the COM
pliment with interest. After that we
were worse friends than ever.
One dark rainy right in November,
just after the nine o'clock had been got
off, and was sitting in the Office trying
to balance an account that would not bal
ance, the door opened and Earl Rogers
walked in. He had on his water proof
suit, the hood over his head, and the
collar buttoned closely, but saw that bis