Year: 1876

had drank an extra glass and got crazy
drunk, or whether he had n touch of the
delirium tremens that night, nobody could
ever tell. He and his firemen were both
dead, poor fellows. 1t was only known
that he had rushed the train through at
full speed, disregarding all signals from
the conductor, and stopping at no station.
But as for tho thirty odd miles from St.
A. to Nj. there were none but small sta
tions, where the express stopped only
when signaled, I think no one suspected
any harm until they reached NJ, where
they should have'stopped, and from thcre
to destruction had been only brief ten
minutes ride.


There were half a dozen killed and
wounded on the express train on mine,
one of the brakemen was badly hurt, and
Brooks Vane could not Dc fo'tnd.


Cant be found, man." / said to my
informant; "what do you mean ?"


That's what l mean, sir. The men
on your train have searched everywhere
and they can't find a trace of him oven."


i: was odd, to say the least. 1t was
now broad day light and l could not con-
ceive how any search should have failed
to find him. got up, lame and sore, but
still able to move about, and went out.


The house was only little way from
the scene of the accident. Tho dead and
wounded had been moved away and men
were busy removing the debris and clear
ing the track. The express train was
very heavy one, and mine, though freight,
comparatively light, since l had but few
cars. My engine had been thrown COM
petcly from the track, over the low bank,
into wet, marshy meadow lying along
side the road. The smole-stack was half
buried in the mud. l walked around it,
searching carefully, but there was no sign
of my unfortunate fireman. | looked
for him as long MS l was able, and then
dragged myself back to the house, whence
dispatched the farmers son TO b., with
telcgraphic message to be sent to my
wife, apprising her of my safety and beg
ging her to see that all knowledge of the
accident was kept from poor Vane's wife,
and directed him to wait for reply.


He returned in the afternoon with this
message from my wife:


"Viola says Brooks body is buried in
the marsh, under the smoke stack of tho
Amoskeag. Search for it there.


EMMA DEANE."


Viola was Brooks wife. ] was CON
founded. had not intimated to my wife
that the body was missing, though of
course she knew from the wording of my
dispatch that he must be dead or badly
hurt. l knew that an account of the ac-
cident had been telegraphed to N, but |
doubted if this fact had been mentioned.
However, it was evident that they knew
it, but how Mrs. Vane should know more
than that, | could not understand.


l walked out again to tho place where
the engine lay. Men were already at
work with derrick trying to raise 1t. 1t
was many hours before their efforts were
successful. When at last they accom-
plished their task, ander tie Smohe-Stack
was JooId the body of Brooks Vane


There is little more TO tell. You were
ut his funeral and you know how hard his
poor wife took his loss and how sho faded
and pined and ere long followed him with
her babe to the farther shore"


The little l have to tell you is the reas-
on my wife sent that mysterious telegram.
All that night on which tho accident hap
pened, Mrs. Vane lay in half stupor--
my wife was sitting up with her-rousing
but once, between three and four in the
morning-.juSt about The time her hus-
bdnd mast hare been kiiiet-when she
started up with shrek that rang through
the house, crying:


80 Brooks ! Brooks ! don't 90 ~ and
then she fell back moaning "dead, dead,"
and seemed TO realize nothing more.


No one, then, knew anything of the
accident but when the news came not
long after, every precaution was used 10
keep it from her. 1t was not until just
before my telegram had been received
that she seemed ~ evince any conscious
ness Of what was passing around her. At
that time she opened her eyes calmly,
looking steadily into the face of my wife
who sat beside her, and spoke in low even
tones


"They can't find my husband, Mrs.
Deane. Telegraph to Mr.. Deane to have
them look in the marsh, under the smoke
stack of the Amoskeag; they will find
him there"


She didn't speak again all day. How
she knew her husband was dead or where
he was, cannot tell.


There are stranger things in heaven and


earth, IlOIatio,


Than are dreamed Of in your philosophy"


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