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About The Albany register. (Albany, Or.) 1868-18?? | View Entire Issue (June 11, 1875)
'.1- ,lf! t : , COLL-ALB.VNT. OREGON. THIS FOOTBKIIXJK. BT MAR1K 8. LAOD. Throughout the long hours of the day, How many tread its yielding plank. That safely bear them on their way Across the stream, to either bank. A motley throng in eager haste To chase their phantom; though it flies ; Once grasping it, they hope to taste The blissful joys at Paradise. And yet, what thoughts best through the brain In time with footsteps, fast or slow ; What hopes they carry in their train, . Or what unrest, we may not know. ' Cfiuld all their fancies take dim form And hover in the ambient air, ' . ' Bow' strange or sad an outward charm That little quiet bridge would wear. But to that bridge who will repairs, 1 And, passing, leaves no other trace Than that which constant treading wears : Cpou its hard, enduring t ace. Yet sa the varied way in life. We leave the marks where we have been, Disclosing, in the restless strife, The silent path we tread within. . An Electro -Mechanical Ro mance. " . CUAPTEB I. - . THE F-NOLNK. . She was a beauty. , From head-light to ouner-casnng, irom spam-arrester to air-brake coupling, she shone resplen dent, i A thing of grace and power, she seemed instinct with, life as she paused upon her breathless flight. Even while resting quietly upon the track, she trem bled with the pulsations of her mighty nam. Dnuui wonaer max tne passen gers waiting upon the platform came down to gaze upon the feat express en gine, No. 59. She seemed long and slen der like a greyhound, and her glistening sides, delicate forefeet, and uplifted head were suggestive , of speed and power. The engineer stepped down from his high throne with his long nickel-plated oiler in hand, and the fireman clambered over the glistening heap of coal, and swung round the great copper water " pipe that the magnificent creature might have a drink of pure spring water. The engineer looked eagerly up and down the platform as if in earch of someone. Two or three tourists of the usual type and a . Stray idler were all to be seen. A group : of big fellows were unloading mail bags, ' and beyond them the busy throng down the platform was lost to view. How lov ingly he touched the shining arms of his great pet with, the smooth, clear oil, , golden and limpid. , Here her great cylinder, seventeen inches wide, and with stroke of twenty-four, safely rested be 7ind the sturdy buttress that held her forefoot so daintily thrust out in front. The head-light gleamed in all the sparkle of plate-glass, and her shapely rods fairly glowed in polished beauty. On one side lay her boiler-feed pump, a finished bit of mechanism, and on the other was : hung a steam . injector for forcing water into the boiler without the aid of the pump. How perfect everything ! . Even the driving-wheels were works of art. from balanced throttle-valves to air brake she had every device that Ameri can skill had produced, or that such an engine could demand, and her thirty-five tons of chained-up energy seemed the perfect expression of the highest mechan ic art. r-':y. y-.-.--. --..;. . -': With a loud roar her safety-valve yielded to her pent-up vitality, and filled all the air with clouds of steam. . The engineer gazed proudly upon his noble wteed, and then looked anxiously down the platform to see if any. came whose presence would be welcome. : - ( The fireman swung back the great copper pipe, and the idlers suddenly withdrew. The last trunk was thrown in, and the engineer climbed slowly -up into his house. He looked , anxiously about the long platform. It was nearly clear, and he could see the gold band on the conductor's hat glistening in the sun. 1 WVhere, can she linger? v "Why" does she not come? Tliirty-nine is here,' and still she comes not. The gold-banded cap is lifted in the air. "With one hand ' on the throttle-valve, the engineer glances down the long empty platform. The bell rings ; there is a hissing sound beneath-, the giant's feet ; . the house trembles slightly ; the water-tank seems to move backward ; the roar of the saf ety- ' waive - suddenly stops ; the fury of the v great iron monster -vents itself in short, deep gasps ; clouds of smoke pour down on everything. They almost hide the platform from All 1 A dress fluttering in the door- -way. -'Some one appears abruptly upon the platform. With both hands on the throttle-valve, the engineer leans out the window. A handkerchief is quickly flirted in the air. He nods, smiles and then iturns grimly away, and stares out ahead - with a fixed look, as if the world had suddenly grown very dark, and life was an irog road- with dangers every where. f .Tne fireman shovels coal into the fiery cavern at the engineer's feet, sad then stirs up the glowing mass till it torts and flames with fury. The steam gauge trembled . at 120 degrees, and quickly arises -t tar 125 degrees. The wasfcn engine -f trembles- and throbs i ss it ; leaps forward. ' The landscape woods, houses and fields seem to take wings in s wild Titanic waltz. The engineer gazes ahead with tight-set Hps, but his heart can outrun his locomotive, sad lingers behind at the deserted way- . station. " ' . ''" " ' ' chapteb il;.;,.' , , . : . , , . TJtt STELWJBAPH OPERATOR, , ' 11 ' With that T' perversity for which rail roads are famous, the line did not enter the town,- but passed along its outermost edge, among the farms' and woodlands, '; This affected the life of the place curi- ously. ' At one hour the station i was ani mated and thronged with people; at an other it was dull, quiet and, deserted, by all nave the stationmaete.and his daugh ter. a She it was who guarded the little : telegraph ofScej received ; and sent the telegrams of the town and did anything Laa that pertained to her position. She bmd a little box f place portioned,' off in one comer of the ladies waiting-room,' .-where therewaa a sunny window; that looked far up the line, and a little" open,- - friav -s-hei-e she, received the messages, f ,e viewed life through this scant out- j3k, andthorJght'it very queer s,Wre people always in state -of excitement 3 everybody have trouble in the fam xirtVit demanded such breathless, heart- 1 tl-i-llzg messages t Was it in every life toLsve these awful,' bidden things: hap- ' ren f life from her point ' of view was y-we tragic than joyful, and, ehe some l z,'is thought it relief to j-eceive a jsxi -" order to "tell Jones to bring back f soc'i and have mower mended. Some t '"tea between the. trains the station was quite deserted, and were it .not for the ticking of .the clock, and , the incessant rattle of the fretful machine on her desk. it would be as still as a church on Mon day. At first she amused herself by lis tening to the strange language of the wires, and sbeevenmade the acquaintance 1 of the other operators. With one ex ception they all failed to interest her. They were a frivolous set, and their chat ter seemed as empty as the rattle of a brass sounder. One girl she knew must be a lady. Her style of touch, and the general manner of her work, showed that plainly, and between the two a friend ship sprang up, though they lived a hun dred miles a part, and had never met. Finally she took wisely to reading books, and the sounder chattered in vain, ex cept on business. Then there was John. She saw him for one hurried moment every day, and the thinking of it filled many a weary hour. He was the engineer of the ex press, and stopped at the station every afternoon at 5 and just before, daylight every morning. She met him at the water-tank by day, and by night she awoke to hear his train thunder through the valley. She heard it whistle as it passed the grade crossing, a mile up the line, and as it pulled up at the station. If the night was calm she heard the faint rumble as it flew over the resounding iron bridge at the river. Then she slept again. He would soon reach the city, and on the morrow she would see him again. - ' - ' " ' . The happy morrow always found her at her post, busy and cheerful as the long day crept away, and the time drew near for his train. Oh! if her window only looked the other way, that she might see No. 59 come round the curve in the woods! , The station was always full at that . hour, and messages - were sure to come in just as she wanted to close her little office and go out to the water-tank, where John waited, oiler in hand, to see her. ' Strange that he should always be oiling up just there. . , This time she waited with calm face and beating heart to see if any stupid passenger had forgotten anytbing that he must telegraph home.' Fortunately none came, and as the engine rolled past her I window, she hastily put on her pretty hat and ample cloak and went out on the platform. A few quick steps, and she was beside the noble 59. ' The fireman smiled a grimy smile, and, while he swung the water-pipe over the tender, he gave a lively whistle. The engineer tipped up his oiler with a sud den jerk, as if the piston-rod had quite enough, and then climbed hastily into the! cab. There she sat on the fireman's perch, radiant, blushing and winsome. " She's a beauty perfectly lovely, and a Westiu ghouse, too ! I tried to see you yesterday, and aren't you very proud of her V . , John thought he was rather proud of 59. , She was perfect. , Han her one hun dred and fifty miles yesterday, for the first time. The little electrician was charmed. To think ' that John should be appointed master of the oompany's new express engine. Dear fellow, he had run that old 13, till she was ready to rat tle to pieces. And now, what a magnifi cent machine he had beneath him ! And everything is so bright and handsome, i know you're proud of her." ' John thought he was also proud, of somebody else. Then they smiled, and the firearm whistled softly as he pushed back the water-spout. How brief the precious moments ! John pulled out a little blank-book and began hastily to tell her about the new prize the directors had offered to the en gineer who should travel 5,000 miles with the least expenditure of coal and oiL It would take about twenty-seven days to decide the matter, and then the books would be all banded in, and the records examined and the prize awarded. And if we could get it !" -. " It would come in very convenient for " ' She blushed a rosy blush, and clasping his arm, she laughed Boftly and said : " My dear, you must win it. We shall want it for our -" " Liively, now ! Here comes the Con due. ; What a friendly fireman !' How sharp he watches for the lovers ! The girl pre pared to spring down from the engine when the gold-banded cap of the con ductor came in sight. Hun up to the siding, Mills, and bring down that extra car." Aye, aye, sir. Cast off the coup lings, Dick." Then, in a whisper: "Wait a bit Kate. Ride up to the sid ing with us." The girl needed no invitation. ' " Oh ! I intended to. Here, let me tend the bell." 3 v i 'Good! Do. Dick -must tend the couplings." , ' With a hiss and a jar the monster started forward, while the girl sat on the fireman's high Beat with her hand on the bell-rope and one little foot steadied against the boiler. ; Suddenly, John turned the valve for the air-brake and re versed his lever, and the monster stop ped. A deafening blast , from the whistle. . . . . . ," Where is the signal man ? Why don't he show his flag ?" r . Again the whistle roared in short, quick blasts. "" ' ...... "Ohl Why didn't I think of it before?" , "Think of what?" , " ""That whistle. You could use it to eall tne." ' ' ; . "When?" ' . : Why. ' yon see. I never exactly know when yoa are coming. ) I cannot tell your whistle from any other, and so, I some times miss seeing you. " , -"It have noticed-that ", said John, pulling at the throttle valve. " But, what can I do ?, If I gave two whistles or three,", they would think it meant some signal, ana it would make trouble." " Y.Yes, but if you did this, I should know you? were coming, and nobody would think anything of ifcf?,--, .! f ; . So saying, she stood np, leaned over the boiler, and grasping the iron rod that moved the - whistle, made it speak in long and short blasts, that may be repre sented as follows : - ' ""I see. - Like a sounder. Morse's alphabet. ' But what does it spell ?" " K - - - A T E ', "Oh! Xiet me learn that by heart,", . -: ',' You' must, John. ' And will it not be amusing to hear the, folks talk ? What on earth can that engineer be roaring about with his ' - ... The signal-man looked indignant as 59 rolled past him.' - What was the good of such a din on the whistle ! Was the man crazy i ' Yon mast write it down,' Kate. It won't do to practice now. See how the people stare on -the platform." Th! sentence was broken np by J ohn's efforts "over ; the reversing bar, - and the deep-toned gasps of the ; engine drowned further conversation. The monster backed into the siding, where Dick stood ready to couple on the extra ear; : . Then he climbed, up into the cab, and the lovers were silenced. , The en gine, with the three, rolled out upon the main line, stopped, and then backed up to the train. Kate, with a pencil, wrote some marks on the edge of the window frame, and with a bright smile she shook hands with the burly engineer, nodded to the fireman, and then sprang lightly to the ground. ; The safety-valve burst out with a deaf ening roar. The smoke belched forth in clouds, and while white fairy rings of steam shot into the air, the train moved slowly away. Presently,' the girl "stood alone upon the deserted platform, with the ruddy glow of the setting sun gilding her bright f aoe. ..... The roar of the train melted away on the air. Still, she stood listening in tently. She would wait till' she heard him whistle at the next crossing. Then, like a mellow horn softened by the dis tance, came a strange rhythmic song. A smile and a blush lit np her winsome face. , 'How quickly love can learn, ! That night the waning moon sank cold and white in the purple west,' while the morning star came out to see the sleep ing world. ! Kate awoke suddenly and listened. Wan that the roar of the train ? "How soft and sweet the notes so far away ! There ! He has crossed the bridge. Dear John!" Then she slept again. , CHAPTER IIL THK OTHER OPERATOR. . The Ipst local train to the city left the station. The gray old station-master put out the lamps on the platform, rolled the baggage trucks into the freight house, and having made the tour of the switches to see that all was clear for the main line night mail, he returned to his little ticket den. - . His daughter still sat reading like a demure cat in her little corner. - The old man remarked that it was 10 o'clock, and time to go home. , "Leave the key, father ; I'll lock up and return home as soon as I have fin ished this chapter." The old fellow silently laid a bunch of keys on her desk and went his way. The moment he departed she finished her chapter in a flash, and laying the book down, began to operate her tele graphic apparatus; No reply. Middleboro had evidently gone to bed, and that office was closed. : No response. Dawson City refused to reply.; r Good. Now, if the operator at the junction failed to reply, she and Mary would have the line to themselves with none to overhear. Allston Junction paid no heed. Good. Now for : Mary replied instantly, and at once the two girl friends were in close conversa tion with one hundred miles of land and water between them. The conversation was by sound in a series of long and short notes nervous and staccato for the bright one in the little station ; smooth, legato, and placid for the city girL . . , ; Translated, it ran as follows : . Kate : "I taught him my name in Morse's alphabet, and he sounds it on his whistle as he comes up to the station; but I am in daily terror lest some imper tinent operator should hear it, and, catching its meaning, tell of it." The other operator was all sympathy, and replied': " I see the danger. At the same time, my dear, I think the idea is worthy of your bright self. It is perfectly jolly. Think of hearing one's name for miles over the country on a steam-whistle. I never heard of anything so romantic in vny life." Kate "And when he passes in the night he sounds my name all through the valley, and I can hear it for miles. How people would laugh if they knew what it meant." Mary " They would, I'm sure, and it would be very unpleasant to be found out. Why don't you fix up some kind of open circuit and let him telegraph to you from the line as he approaches your station?" Kate " My love, your idea is divine. If I only had a wire." . . Mary "It would take two wires, you know, and a small battery. At the same time, it would not cost much, and would be perfectly safe." -' Kate "Would not some one find it out and be ringing the bell out of mis chief?" Mary " No. You could hide the con nections in the bushes or trees by the road, and his engine could touch it as it passed." -' I. -.- s Kate " Yes, but wouldn't every engine touch it?" Mary " Then you could fix it so that a stick, or something secured to the en gine, would brush it as.it passed. ' No other engine would be provided with the stick, and they would all pass in silence." " The idea was almost too brilliant for contemplation, and the two friends, one in her deserted and lonely station in the far country, and the other in the fifth story of a city block, held close converse over it for an hour or more, and then they bid eacn other good night, and the wires were at rest for a time.-; ';- About 6 one afternoon shortly after, Kate sat . in her office waiting for 59 to sound its Titanic love-signal. ; . Presently it came in loud-mouthed notes: , . ' She closed her little office hastily; and went out on the platform. As she opened the door two young men laughed immoderately, and one said aloud: " Kate ! Who's Kate ?" -Found but ! She hastily turned away to hide the blush that mounted to hex temples, and walked rapidly up the plat form to the water-tank. No. 59 rolled up to the spot, and the lovers met. "With one hand on the iron front of his great engine, she stood wait ing for him, and at once began to talk :rapidly.v--,:,;.;.:;;t :..,-,,;,,. : . "It will never do, John ! They have found it all out.' " Oh !" I was afraid they would. Now what are we to do?'1 If 1 1 could only telegraph you from the station below,' . "It wouldn't do.r It is too far sway. Besides, it would - be costly, and some body would suspect." ' I . it,,;, " Conduc V shouted the 1 fireman, as he swung back the great water-pipe. 11 "Good-byt dear; , : I'm sorry we must give itup.'r.r, , . i. : -sf ; " So am T. And, , John, oome and spend next Sunday with us." " Yes, I wilT . Good-by, good-by. Fifty-nine hissed out her. indignation in clouds of steam from her cylinders, and moved slowly forward.; Then Kate stood alone again on the platform. The sun sunk in angry clouds, and the wind sighed in the telegraph -wires with a low moaning sound., fitful, sad. and dreary. - Ine next morning the express, tore savagely through the driving ram, and thundered over the iron "bridge till it soared again. - The whistle screamed, but love no longer charmed its own voice. . , , . . , , The electrician listened in silence, and then, ' after a tear or two, slept again. CHAPTER IV. LOVE AXD LIOHTSrSO. . It was a ' lovely autumnal 'afternoon, and the lovers went out to walk in the glorious weather. " f ;: , To escape observing eyes, they wan dered down tne railroad track toward the woods, where the line made a great curve to avoid a bend in the river. - After a while they reached a shady dell in the woods,, and, taking down a bar in the fence, they entered its depths. Just here the various telegraph wires hung in long festoons from their poles. With a sudden cry of delight, she seized his arm and cried : ' "Look, John. Just the thing. An abandoned wire." "Well; what of it?" . My dear, can't we use it ? Come, let us follow, it and see where it goes. Perhaps we may make it useful." John failed to see how that might be. Kate was all eagerness to follow the wire, and returned to the track, and began to trace the wire up and down the line as far as it was visible. John replaced the ; fence rail and joined her. Then she be gan to talk in that rapid manner that was so' becoming to her.; He was fairly dazzled by the brilliancy and audacity of her ideas. They both walked on the sleepers toward the bridge over the river. The wire was still continuous, but after walking about half a mile, they found it was broken, and apparently abandoned. Then she laid down her plan. This wire had been " put up by a certain company some years since, but as the company had failed, the wire had been abandoned, and here for perhaps a mile it was still hanging on its insulators. At the bridge it came to a sudden end. " Now, if we can manage to rig up an other wire from , here to our station we can make an open circuit, and as you pass this point you can join it and ring a bell in my office !' The two sat down on the iron bridge and fairly laughed at the splendor of the idea. Suddenly she looked very grave. " The expense !" "Ah! yes. Well, I'm willing to pay something for the advantage of seeing you every day. It's worth " "How much?" "About 85,000,000." . "John!" Two days after, a package by express from the city, and Kate stowed it away in her telegraphic den till the evening. Then, when the day had passed, and she had some leisure, she carefully opened it and found a neat little. Wooden box with a brass gong or bell attached to the bottom. A slender liammer hung be side it, and there were places for secur ing, the connecting wires, an electric bell, and 3,000 feet of insulated wire, and a bill for the same. Eleven dollars. " Not half so bad as I expected.., As for the battery, I- fancy I can make one myself.. A pickle jar, some zinc and copper, and a little acid will answer, and John can arrange the rest. Fortunately I selected insulated wire, as we shall have to carry our wire through the woods to cut off that bend in the road." - Thus talking and planning to herself, she examined her . purchase, and then carefully placing the bell and the wire in a closet under her desk, she closed up the station and went demurely home, conscious of the . innocence of all her dark plottings. The third day after seemed like the Sabbath, and was not. It was Thanks giving day, and all the very good people like Kate and her lover did nothing of the kind. John Mills engineer, did not ride on No. 59 that day. He had a holi day, and came to see Kate quite early in the morning. : .She proposed a walk in the woods, as the day was fine. . " Did you bring the boots?" ",I did, my love, spikes and alL I tried 'em on an apple-tree, and I found I could walk up the stem as nicely as a fly on the ceiling." - "That is good; for, on the whole, I think we must shorten the line, and cut off that great bend in the road." " And save battery power V " Yes. My pickle-jar battery works well, but I find that it is not particularly powerful. It rings the bell furiously when I close the circuit, but the circuit is not two yards long. What it will do when the line is up remains to be seen. " " Where did you place the bell ?" "Oh,' I hung it up in the cupboard under my desk. I can hear it, and no one will be likely to look for it there. But that is not the great difficulty. How are we to hide the wires that enter the station?" "I wouldn't try. Let them stand in plain sight. . Not a soul will ever notice them among the crowd of wires that pass the station." . By this time the two had reached the railroad station, and opening her little office, they both went in. ; Presently they reappeared, each with a brown paper parcel, and with the utmost gravity walked away down the line toward the woods.'- ' ; - In a few moments they were lost to view round a curve in the road, and they turned off toward the bank and sat down on a large, flat stone. ""The boots, Kate." a ; - She opened the bundle she had in her hand, and displayed a pair of iron stir rups having an iron rod on one side and a snarp steel point on the bottom. There were also leather Straps and buckles,, and John, laying aside his burden, proceeded to strap them to his feet When ready, (he iron , rods or bars reached . nearly to the knee, and the steel points were just below the instep. - Kate, meanwhile, took a pair of "stout shears from her pocket and began to-open- the other, bundle. It contained a large roll of insulated copper wire, some tacks, and a hammer. - Then they started down the track, with sharp eyes oh the abandoned wire hang ing m long festoons from its insulators. All. right so far. Ah 1 a break; they must repair it. Like a nimble cat J ohn mount-, ed the pole, and Kate unrolled the wire as he took it up. In a moment or two he had it secured to the old wire. Then up the next pole, and while Kate pulled it tight he secured it, and the line was reunited. "..; ' i; ' Then on and oh they walked, watching the wire, and Btill findfag it whole. At last theyreached the great iron bridge, and anxiously scanned the dozen or more wires, to see if their particular thread was still continuous. ' - v'.r -.;. "We must cross the river, John. The line seems to be whole, and we can take our new line through the woods On the other shore till we reach the town bridge." i It was a relief to leave the dizzy open sleepers of the bridge and stand, once more on firm ground. , ; f This must be the limit of our circuit. I wish it was larger, for it will not give me more than three minutes' time. Now, if youH break : the line on ' that "pole. John ; - At-.rr-rv-.w " - There was a sound of fallinc crlaM. n1 then the new. insulated line was secured to the old line ; the broken end fell te the ' ground and was abandoned. For naif an hour or more the two "were busy over their .work, and then it was finished. It was a queer looking affair, and no one would ever guess where it was or what it was designed to do. A slender maple tree beside the track had a bit of bare copper wire (insulated at the ends), hung upright in its branches. Near by stood a large oak tree, also having a few feet of wire secured horizontally to its branches. From the slender maple a wire ran to the old telegiaph line. From the old oak our young people quickly Tan a new line through the woods by simply tacking it np out of sight in the trees. Then they came to the wooden bridge where the town road crossed the stream. It took but a few moments to tack the in sulated wire to the under side of the string-pieces well out of sight, and then they struck off into the deep woods again. ? - -- ; Three hours later they struck the rail road, and found the old wire some dis tance beyond the station up the line. Again the two legged cat ran up the pole, and there was a sound of breaking glass. The old wire fell down among the bushes, and the new one was joined to the piece still on the line. A short time after two young people with rather light bundles and very light hearts gravely walked into the station and then soberly went to their dinner. That night two mysterious figures flitted about the platform of ho deserted station. One like a cat ran up the dusky poles, and the other--unrolled a bit of copper wire. There was a sound of boring, and two minute wires were pushed through a hole in the window frames The great scientific enterprise was finished. . CHAPTER V. AtiSIOST TELESCOPED. It was very singular how absent-minded and inattentive the operator was that day. She sent that order for flowers to the butcher, and Mrs. Robinson's mes sage about the baby's croup went to eld Mr. Stimminsy the bachelor lodger at the gambrel-roofed house. . . No wonder she was disturbed. Would the new line work ? ' Would her pickle jar battery be strong enough for such a great circuit? Would John be able to close it ? The people began to assemble for the train. The clock pointed to the hour for its arrival. "He cometh nut," she said. Then she began to be a little tearful. The people all left the waiting-room and went out on the platform, and the place was deserted and silent. She listened in tently. There was nothing save the murmur of the voices outside, and the irritating tick of the clock. Suddenly, with startling distinctness, the bell rang clear and loud in the echo ing room. With a little cry of delight she put on her dainty hat and ran in haste out upon the platform. The idle, people stared at her flushed and rosy" face, and she turned away and walked toward the water-tank. - Not a thing in sight? What did it mean ? All! The whistle broke loud and clear on the cool, crisp air, and 59 appeared round the curve in the woods. The splendid monster slid swiftly up to her feet and paused. " Perfect, John ! Perfect ! It works to a charm." With a spring she reached the cab and sat down on the fireman's seat. " Blesse'd if I could tell what he was going to do," said Dick. " He told me about it. Awful bright idea ! You see, he laid the poker on the tender brake there and it hit the tree slam, and I saw the wires touch. It was just prime 1" The happy moments sped, and 59 groaned and slowly departed, while Kate stood on the platform, her face wreathed in smiles and white steam. So the lovers met each day, and ione knew how she was made aware of his ap proach with such absolute certainty. Science applied to love, or rather Llove applied to science, can move world." Two whole weeks passed, and then there suddenly arrived at the station, late one evening, a special with the direc tors' car attached. The honorable direc tors were hungry they always are and would pause on their journey and take a cup of tea and a bit of supper. The honorables and their wives and children filled the station, and the place put on quite a gala aspect. As for Kate, she demurely sat in her den, book in hand, and over its unread pages admired the gay party in the brightly-lighted waiting-, room. Suddenly, with furious rattle, her electric bell sprang into noisy life. Ev ery spark of color left her face, and her book fell with a dusty slam to the floor. What was it? What did it mean? Who rang it ? . , - With affrighted face she burst from her office and brushed through the as tonished people and out upon the snow covered platform. There stood the di rectors' train upon the track of the on coming engine.. . - " The conductor ! Where is he ? Oh, sir ! Start ! Start ! Get to the siding. The express ! The express is coming 1" With a cry she snatched a lantern irom a brakeman's hand, and in a flash was gone. They saw her light pitching and dancing through the darkness, and they were lost in wonaer ana amazement. The girl is crazy.. No train is due now ! There can be no danger. She must be An i liiai norrioie wnisue I ouctr a wild shriek on the winter's night ! The men sprang to the train, and the women and children fled in frantic terror m ev ery direction. ; 'Bun for .your lives," screamed the conductor., "There's a smash-up com ing I A short, sharp scream from the whistle. The head-liirhfc gleamed on the snow- covered track, and there was a mad, rush of sliding wheels,' and the ' gigantic en gine reared like a demon. -: The, great 59 slowly drew near - and stopped in the woods.- A hundred heads looked out. and a stalwart figure leaped down from me engine auu ran on inio we Drignt giow oi me neaa-ngnt. -"Kate!" ' "Oh! John. I- " She fell into his arms Benseless and white, and the lantern dropped from her nerveless nana. ' . . . :- ;a They took her np tenderly , and bore her into the station-house, ' and, laid her upon the sofa in the "ladies' room. With hushed voices they gathered round to offer aid and comfort. Who was she ? How did she save the train? How did she know of its approach ? . V . ; "She is my daughter." said the old station-master. "She tends the tele- graph." , ,r The President of the railroad, in his gold-bowed spectacles- drew near. One grand . lady in silk and satin pillowed Kate's head on her breast. ; They all gathered near to &ee if she revived. , She opened her eyes and gazed, about dream ily, as u m searcn of something. ' ; i Do you wish v anything, .my dear?1 said the President, taking her hand. ' y! "Some water, if you please, sir ; and I want--I want " - 1 - ' ' ' -: They handed her some wine in a silver goblets he sipped a little, and then looked among the strange faces as if in search oi some one. ' " Are you looking for any one, Miss ? " Yes no it is ' no matter. Thank you, ma'am, I feel better. I sprained my foot on the sleepers when Iran down the" track. It is hot severe, and I'll Sit UP.",- -.,o; - . They were greatly1 pleased to see iier recover, and .a quiet buzz of conversa tion filled the room. How did she know it ? How could she tell the special was chasing us ?; Good Heavens I If she had not kndwh it, what an awful loss of life there would have been ; it was very careless in the Superintendent to follow our train in such a reckless manner. " You feel better my dear," said the President. ''---''-;': " Yes, sir, thank you. I'm sure I'm thankful. I knew John I mean the en gine was coming."s:5 ..ris;4:s9,. "You cannot be more grateful than we are to you for averting such a disas trous collision." , : "I'm sure I am pleased, sir. I never thought the telegraph " ' She paused abruptly. " What telegraph ?" u ;r. " I'd rather not tell, sir. jRnt von will tell ns "how vn t ! the engine was coming ?" c?lfc "'as feeding-Tha rooting " Must you know V - ! 1 about approached the cwlt and touched " We ought to know in order to reward ! Ler. 8n,oufc1 its-jela The colt you properly " " ' -' - " - '' ' ' lustently kicked out ' fiercely and ac- ' She put up her hand in a gesture of 1 curatelvnd, struck porker squarely refusal and was silent. The President ! ,n tb-e,rib,8-1 As the boofs rattled against and Directors consulted together, and I ?le Blde,ot thaogtomt Qmethimdev two of them came to her and briefly said l-"1?,1?10? 8Tx2H ,the ene that they would be glad to know how Sbboihood. JTheolt Jaued over the she had been made T aware of; the ap- nd a neighboring field, preaching danger. , a total wreck. , ,The, sow And pigs were Well? sir, if John is willing, I will f once m epace, but,,since the affair tell you all. ; people have gathered Sausage meat in John Mills, engineer; was called, and I "rt5 r,anA ialo,nfI' e road-side.' he came in, cap in hand, and the entire i L u.f tif re 18 of theecent account company gathered round in the greatest omglyf1U ?lo,n Du; eaeerness. ' f buque, and while it is out of place, of Without the slightest affectation, she'l r.; hjbout sucU put her hand on John's irrimv arm. and tie tlu"?S' it doesseem as if some por- Jaia .. , " ' j " Shall I tell them, John ? They wish to know about it. It saved their lives, they say." "And mine, too," said John, rever ently. -- " You had best' tell them, or -let me. - She sat down again, and then and there John explained how the open cir cuit line had been built, how it was used, , and frankly told why it had been tad been erected, i Never did story create profounder sen sation. The gentlemen shook hands with him, and the President actually kissed her for the company. A real cor poration' kiss, , loud and hearty. ? The ladies fell uppn her neck, and actually cried over the splendid girl. Even the children pulled her dress, and put their arms about her neck, and kissed away the happy tears that covered her cheeks. Poor child 1 She was covered with con fusion and knew not what to do, and. looked imploringly to John. He drew near, and proudly took her hand in his, and she .brushed away the tears and i smiled. The gentlemen suddenly seemed to have found something vastly interesting to talk about, for they gathered in a knot in the corner of the room. Presently the President said aloud : ' ' ' ! " Gentlemen and directors, you must pardon me, and I hope the ladies will do the same, if I call you to order for a brief matter ot business." . , There was a sudden hush, and the room, now packed to suffocation, was painfully quiet. " J. he Secretary will take minutes of this meeting." , The secretary sat down at Kate s desk, and then there was a little pause. "Mr. Jfresident!" " Mr. Graves, Director for the State, gentlemen." " 1 beg leave, sir, to offer a resolution. Then he began to read from a slip of paper : . . " Whereas, John . Mills, engineer of engine No. 59, of this railway line, erect ed a private telegraph ; and, whereas, he, with the assistance of the telegraph oper ator of this station (1 leave a blank for her name), used the said line without the consent of this company, and for other than railway business : " It is resolved that he be suspended permanently from the position of engin eer, and that the said operator be re quested to resign A murmur oi disapprobation tuieu the room, but the .President commanded si lence, and the State Director went on : " resign her place. ; " It is further resolved, and is hereby ordered, that the said John Mills be, and is, appointed chief engineer of the new repair shop at Slawson." A tremendous cheer broke worn the as sembled company, and the resolution was passed with a shout of assent.. ilow it all ended they never knew. . . it seemed like a dream, and they could not believe it true until they stood alone in that glorious 59. .,. The few cars the en gine had brought up had been joined to the train, and 59 had been rolled out on the Biding. With many hand-shakings, for John, and hearty kisses for Kate, and a round of - parting cheers for the two, the train had sped away. The idlers had dispersed, and none lingered about the abandoned station save the lovers.- Fifty-nine would stay that night on the siding. -. For a few. moments they stood in the glow of the great lamp, and then he quietly put it out, and left the giant to breathe away its - fiery ' life in gentle clouds of white steam. As for the lovers, they, had no need of its light. . .The win ter's stars shone upon them, and the calm cold .night seemid a paradise be low. An Extraordinary ' Decision. 'A' most extraordinary decision, even for the .latitude of New , York, was that rendered in the Court of Special Ses sions, the other morning, when Thomas Sprott was sentenced to five days in the city prison for having boxed his nine-year-old boy's ears,' in punishment for some act of disobedience. Thomas, "Jr., in his indignation at the indignity, rushed off to a police court, and secured a warrant for the old gentleman's arrest, on the ground that he had been brutally beaten by him; and, though there was nothing in the boy's appearance to in dicate that he had been disciplined any more than he deserved,'- and , though, . his mother appeared to testify that he hadn't been ill-treated, this astute" Justice sent the father to prisonr" Next thing, we shall have, infants getting out injunctions against their pa's and ma's spanking them at alL Springfield Republican. , The Sea-Mouse, v The sea mouse is one of the .psettiest creatures that lives under waters It sparkles like a diamond, and is radiant with all colors of the rainbow, although it lives in mud at the bottom of the ocean. : It should not be called a mouse, for it is larger than a bur rat. It is cov ered with scales that move np and down as it breathes, and glitters like gold shining through a fleecy down, from which fine silky bristles wave that con- stantlv chancre from one brilliant tint to another, so that as Cuvier, the great tiatN uraiiflt, says, the plumage of the hum ming birds is not more beautiful. Sea mice are sometimes thrown, up on the beach by storms. Home Guardian. - It does seem as though a little re flection must convince any reasoning person that Dubuque newspapers are sometimes guilty of exaggeration. Not that'the journals mentioned wilfnlly con struct outrageous tales, but that journal- . ism there is sufficiently peculiar to allow of temporary aberrations of mind in regard to one of the commandments. Take, for instance, the account of a re- cent nitro-glyoerine explosion near the city naoaed. . .The substoucef . the story is as follows: "Some miners near the town, ;whq liad fbeen using ) nftro-glycer-ihe, set some of the liquid in an open crock where the sun would fafrupon it, in order that it might thaw out. An old, motherly sow, with a piggish progeny of six, came nosing about, end stumbling upon ,the crock, upset it I Theivhe sow and her Utter ate up all the niCtoglycer ine. Continuing their explorations, the family of porkers : went.,into a neighbor- m? barn-yarn, where - a ! three-year-old turns oi the story might l6 'incorrect, There appears to be, as it were, a modest j,garb pt fancy .delicately, covering the ! naked, truth from leeiiaijlookers-on. ' eti -r t. ... oi. outs jcepuucican. st-n t-T" '-f ?- Spare the Crow. Talking of crows, a BeTair Vi'&gi driver says that the country people are poison- f mS them with . strychnine Sjmtfding to a time-honored religious custom at t. this season of the year. The fatal dose is administered by being sairatiid in corn, which is scattered around IreelyT Some of the crews die on the -pot, others fly away and somersault in the sky, and others go blind and die of staryaon and the stomach' ache. An instance is cited of one worthy but wicked countryman gathering up 1,200 crows he had poison ed, taking their scalps cd reaping his reward from ? the county! aatlkotfties, 6 J cents apiece, 75. Crows, no doubt,-per-' form' a better part for f annexe than they are given credit for. Nature furnishes scavenger birds and animals adapted to the wants of every climate. In South America the condors perform this part, aided by the buzzards, which latter birds are also an important feature in preserv ing the sanitary' equililwium in the southern portions of the JfJnited States. Jji Charleston, S. C, the- buzzards are protected by wise laws, which impose a fine of $5 for eyery one slain. The birds are so tame in Charleston tliat they sit on the roofs of the mai-ket-hous$ on the watch to grab up every, bit of offal that is thrown out from the -butchers' stalls. In tbe summer time the birds, being very numerous, do a large part of the city's scavenger work. In;the same way crows," no doubt, are beneficial to the country in this latitude, as their name of "carrion crows" would indicate, besides making themselves ' generally useful in rooting out the grubs that hatch insects to destroy the labors of the farmer. No doubt if the crows wpre properly en couraged to do so, they would be useful in destroying the potato bug, lately so destructive in all parts of this country. Who knows until we have tried'them 1- Baltimore Sun. Apprentices Who Became Great Men. Shoemakers' . apprentices . read with pride tbat Roger Sherman, of Connecti cut, one of the signers of the Declara tion of Independence,' learned their, trade, and that Henry Wilson, Vice President of the United States, was work ing as a journeyman shoemaker when first elected to the Lecrislature of Massa chusetts. Aid lard J: dunore, a late Vice President and President of the United States, was an apprentice in a country clothier's estabhsh men t.' 4J Andrew John son, another late Vice-President and President of "the United,, Statfijfi learned and worked at the tailor's tra.)4 Simon Cameron, formerly Secretary of War, and now. United iSltate .Senator, was originally a printer. David it Carter, formerly a member, of.ohgwps from Ohio, now Chief Justice oi ihe.court in the District of Columbia,-ww t my ap prentice at Rochester. Several mechanics have , been Mayors of the city of New York , prominent amqng. ,w)if)raa were Stephen Allen, Gideon Lee, and James Harper. Daniel Cady, for more than thirty years one of" the most distin guished lawyers our State ever produced, served his apprenticeship and brked as a journeyman shoemaker untu , he was twenty-four years old. Thur. Weed. - Jfodical Properties of Eggs. The white of an egg has proved of late the most efficacious remedy.-for burns. Seven or eight successive-applications of this substance soothe pain'juid effect ually exclude the burn from., the air. This simple remedy seems to be prefera ble to colodioh or even'cottotiv Extraor dinary Btories are-told of that healing properties of a new oil which ; is easily made from the yolk of hen'a eggs. The eggs are first boiled hard, and 'the yolks are then removed, crushed, "nd placed over a fire, where they are. carefully stirred until the whole substance is just on the point of catching . fire, when the pi! separates and may be poured off. One yolk will yield nearly two teaspoon fuls of oiL It is in general use among colonists of South Russia as a means of curing cuts, bruises and scratches. i-hvr-o " i rir-a ... :- , Hermann, the celebrated magician, was married recently., 'And Bis wife doesn't have to get up at daybght to go to market. When she wants a dozen of eggs she simply hands hep husband the empty egg-bag, and he ; produces them by sleight-of-hand ; ; then b tjsooka an omelet in a borrowed hat, ,aa4 Converts a can of sawdust into that cauch white sugar and similar cups filled with chipped paper is changed into hot coffee; then be takes the same hat, stirs up its emptiness with. nlagio wand, and, presto, , change ! . out oomw a loaf of bread, a fresh shad, fco pitttM one pie, a bucket of coal, a dish of hash, with natural hairs in it, and half-a-dozen knivesand forks.;, flfw isjutjuk cheaper than going to market. But Mrs. Her mann is not happy. When her husband , wants a gold dollar he,iny8teppusly picks it off the end of his,, wife's, rope. And she is dissatisfied because she can't per form that ... trick t er-NorrisUnoth Herald. ' ' NbakLx one-third of'fii revenue' of : Italy is collected at Genoa. The imports of he kingdom for 1873 were 4,279,000 francs and the exports 1,129, OCO.000.