Year: 1873

NAL swept past her. Charley drove an
engine, and his engine was, in her ewes, Il
fitting exponent of strength and beauty of
his manhood. Such was the romance of
her little dry life. Every body must have
his enthusiasm She'd been in the towns
great depot at night, arrived from holi-
day trip, and had laughed aloud to see
some busy engine hurrying up and down,
picking up freight like a hen gathering
her chickens breathing loud enough
to deafen a multitude now concentrating


its strength and painting slowly away at
the head of its charge She had walked
from sleep to hear then calling to each
other through the darkness, and translated
to herself what they said


1t was a proper thing for Madge to be
an engineers wife. She thought it fitting
to be Charey's wife, | assure you There


was only a little strip Of time between
Madge and Charley. She look over that
little strip and saw how it would be, They
We're to have a cottage on q clean street
her grand parents Gf they Were iniirm)
were to have home with her-'and these
two little hands said Charley. ''will lma>e
me the dearest nest, and I'll be SO glad to
run into it at night Madge's pink face
took on rose as she thought of all these
things, looking up and down the cut to
see if the track was clear, as her grand
father had said. 1t was clear. She felt
relieved and foolish about coming out
there through the twilight to spy for
Charley's welfare. and much inclined to
hide herself from the smoke atar off But
these unstable, sandy walls towering lar
over his way ? Madge watched them
jealouslv. just rs the thunder Of the train
could be heard her heart stood still to see
them dissolve like pillars ground down by
some malicious Samson, and piled upon
the track till nothing could be seen for
yards but one long hill Of earth and stone
Now little Madge, if there is any heroism
in YOU it must meet and lasso that iron
beast, whirling u hundred people upon
death Ahundred! The whole world was
in the engine house driving down first
upon that tale. lie would not try to save
himself when he came upon that life
trap She saw how he would set his lips,


bend nerve and brain to the cmcrgency-
she saw how car rwould crush into car the
wreck lie over q burning engine, Charley


ground and charred under them all.
Oh sublimely selfish woman She flew
over the track like a thing of wings. Ii
| was life and Charley or death with Charley.
The headlight flashed up through the dusk.
There We're matches in her pocket-shc
scraped them on u rail and tore off her
apron. Oh. they wouldn't ignite. and the
cotton would but smoulder 1t is rolling
down on her swift as air Bless the loom
that wove the cloth that made the cotton
apron! She tossed it. blinking and blaz-
ing above her head, walking slowly back
ward The red-eyed fury roared down
at her; but YOU can't terrify Il woman
when her mind is made up. 1t should run
over her before il should reach the sand
heap.


She was seen. The engine rent the
evening with its yclls-the brakes were on
her lasso had caught tit could now
stop in time She darted aside, but the
air-current was too strong for her. She
was dizzy, fell, and clutched in the wrong
direction. Poor, poor little fingers


Now the people pour out-they run here
and there. Women were crying-perhap,
because they weren't hurt The engineer
darts along like a nladman, looking under
the train. There, a dozen feet before the
engine, rises the sand-hill Everybody
wants to know how they were stopped
before they rounded the curve


Here She is.'' shouted Charley, strid-
inc mp with,n limp hun.ll", like n li"57 WI"
had sacriicedt to the good oftlc State. 'Shc
showed the signal and stood up to ii till
saw her-until we almost run her down.
There's half the fingers cut off her left
hand There, what do you think now, for
the woman that saved you all ?" holding
up the mutilated stump.


God bless it = prayed an old gentle
man, taking off his hat


..Amen = roared the crowd With one
breath they raised three shouts which
shook the sand hills until they came down
handsomely second time, Charley stand
ING above their enthusiasm with the faint
ing child i'll his arms, like Il regent hold
ing some royal infant.


'I.et me see herr sobbed first one
woman and then another So Charley sat
down and let them crowd around with ice
water. cologne, and linen for bandages.
He even gave the men a glimpse Of her
waXy face, just unfolding to consciousness.
Like all western people, they wanted TO
pour out their hearts in Il purse Madge
hid her face in Charley's blouse and would
take none Of it.


He carried her home at the head Of u
procession, which stopped before her grand
fathers hut and cheered her Hast appear
ance" SO do people troth up in gratitude


An hour afterward, when the neighbors
were dispersed, and Caspar stood CON
WINGED that ''an ingen" might not be the
best brace for Madge's nerves, when her
hand was dressed, and her grandmother
was quivering u psalm in the corner
Madge turned such look on Charley as
tnl
stand. He leaned close to her, and not hay
ing yet washed the smoke from his face,
was as Nulcan-like a lover as you could de-
sire. But Madge always saw the god not
the mechanic.


s'Oh, Charley how can | make a little
nest for YOU now? After the feeling of
tonight is over, you will wish you had
married anybody rather than n MANNED
girl y


Unwise Madge. She drew her fate upon
herself do aver that to this day her
nose is much ilattened by the vice-like
punishment that Charley made her suffer
for that speech.


When he came next evening, he laid Il
paper in her lap, and watched the pale
face expand and blossom, while it read u
deed Of gift to her of the prettiest cottage
on the prettest street i'll that city. The
company which Charley served, and which
could do handsome things as well as
thoughtless ones, begged her in a tlatter-
ing note to accept the Gift as only a small
acknowledgement of their obligations to
her.


"How could she make little nest for
him?' said Charley, looking at her through
brimming eyes.


"Why, with her hands after ALL" an
swered Madge, crying


''And this will always be the prettier
hand of the two," said that foolish fellow,
touching the bandaged one.


The APEX OF HONESTY At party
one evening, several contested the honor
of having done the most extraordinary
thing. A reverend gentleman was ap-
pointed judge of their respective preten-
SiOES