Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1880 — THE LOST CHILDREN. [ARTICLE]

THE LOST CHILDREN.

There were three of them—Kitty, Mary and little Tommy—the children of the station-master at Black River Junction, on the Great Southwestern railroad. The station stood alone on the open prairie, miles and miles away from anywhere in particular. Black river flowed through the mountains, a hundred miles away to the north, and on clear days the snowy mountains could be seen glimmering on the glassy horizon. The line leading to the Black river met the Southwestern here, and thus it was that the place was called Black River Junction. The station-master and his wife and three ohildren lived in the little depot quite happily, but there was not another family within ten miles in any direction. • At times the ohildren thought it rather lonely. There was nothing in particular to be done, except to watch the trains that stopped at the junction several times a day. Once in a while a freight car would be left on the sidetrack, and the children soon found that an empty freight car makes a capital playhouse. They could keep house in the corners and make visits, or sit by the open door and make believe they were having a ride. One morning they were awakened by a curious humming sound out of doors, and they all f-crambled up and looked out of the window. How the wind did blowl It whistled and roared round the house, and played upon tlio telegraph wires upon the roof as upon a huge harp. As the wires wore fastened to the roof, the house became a huge music-box with the children inside. After breakfast tho morning trains arrived, hut the wind was so high tho passengers wero glad to hurry from one train to another as quickly as possible. Then the trains went away, and the great wind-harp on the roof sang louder than ever. The Btation-master said it blew a gale, and that tho children must stay in the house, lest they bo blown away into the prairie and lost. The station-mas-ter's wife said that it was a pity the children must etayiu the house all day. There was an empty freight car on the side track; perhaps they might play in that. Tho station-master thought this a good idea, and he took Kitty by the hand, and Tommy in his arms, while Mary took hold of his coat, and they all went out to the empty car. Whew! How it did blow! They certainly would be lifted up by the wind and blown quite into the sky. The empty cav was warm and snug, and, once inside, they wore quite out of the way of the wind. Mary thought the rear end would be a good place to keep house, but Tommy preferred the other end, so they agroed to keep house at both ends of the empty ear. This was a nice place, for it gave them a chance to visit each other, and the opeu part of tlio door made a promenade to walk on. Louder and louder roared the gale. Safe and snug in tlio car they went on with their play, and thought nothing of the weather outside. Suddenly the car seemed to shake, and they stopped in their housekeeping, and ran to the door to see what had happened. “ Why, it’s moving ! Somebody’s pushing it,” said Mary. “ They’re taking us away on the freight train. Come, we mu3t get out.” “ I didn’t hear the whistle,” said Tommy. “ I guess something is pushing tho car.” 1 tThe girls leaned oat of the door te see what hud happened. Why, where was the platform? What was the matter with the station? It was moving away. No, it was the car. It had left the siding and had rolled out upon the main line, end was moving faster and faster along the road. “O, we must get out. They are taking us away.” “No, no,” said Kitty, “we must stay here till the brakemuu comes round. I didn’t hear them when they took us on the train.” “There isn't any train,” said Tommy, looking up aud down the line. “O, it’s the wind! It’s blowing the ear away. Wo must put on tho brakes and stop it.” This was a good plan, but how were they to carry it out? The brake wheel was on the top of the car, and they were inside.

Faster and faster rolled the car. It began to roar and rattle, as if dragged along by a swift engine. In a moment Tommy began to cry. Mary tried to look brave, and Kitty stared fast at the level prairie Hying past. It was no use. They all broke down together, and had a hearty cry alone in the empty car, as it rolled on and on before the gale. The station-master’s wife rolled up her sleeves to put the house in order, while tho children were safely out of the way. Tho station-master, feeling sure the children were safe in the freight car, sat in his office nearly all tho morning. At last the beds were made, the dinner put on the stove, and the mother wondered how the girls were getting on in their play-house on tho track. She threw a shawl over her head and went out on the platform. At once the wind blew the shawl over her lace, and she could not see exactly where she stood. Turning her back to the wind, she began to call the children. How loudly the wind roared through the telegraph wires! Perhaps they could not hear her in all this din. Maybe they were inside the car, out of hearing. She walked on toward the sidiDg. Not a thing to be seen. She wondered if there had been a mistake. Perhaps the car was on the other side track. No, the rails were unoccupied as far as she could see in every direction. What did it mean? What had happened? She staggered back into the station and startled her husband with a cry of despair. “ The car! The children! ” The station-master ran out on the* platform and looked up and down the line. Not a car in sight! It had been blown away by the terrible wind, and perhaps at this instant was rolling swiftly onward with its precious load to destruction. What would happen to it? Would it meet a train, or run into a station? Would the children try to get out, or would they stay in the car until it was wrecked ? He sprang to tho door of the depot

to telegraph the terrible news down the line, but, just as he opened the door, he saw a faint white cloud on the western horizon. It was a train. Help was coming. At the same moment his wife appeared with a new grief and terror in her eyes. “ I cannot get a call in either direction. The wires are blown down.” This only added to the danger, for there was no means of sending word in advance of the runaway car. It must go on to its fate without help or warning. “ Help is coming, mother. Hero’s a tiain bound east.” Nearer and nearei came the train, and the father and mother stood watching it as it crept along the rails. It seemed as if it would, never come. ‘At last it reached the platform, and proved to be a passenger train bound up the Black River road, and not intended to go in the direction in which the car had been blown ' away. The instant it stopped the station-master ran to the engineer and told his terrible story. The mother, with quicker wit, found the conductor and demanded that the engine be taken off and sent after the children.

The conductor was a man of regular habits, and such a bold request struck him as something extraordinary. Take the engine off, and leave the train and passengers waiting at this lonely station ! The idea was preposterous. Some of the passengers gathered near and asked what was the matter. “Three children loot; blown away in an empty car.” Some one said, “ Yes, go at once. We can wait here till the engine returns.’ The conductor said that ho must telegraph for instructions; but some one said, “'lhe wires are down,” and the people only cried out the more, “ Let the engine go I” so the mother ran to the tender and began to pull out the pin, that the engine might start. “Hold on, marm,” said a. brakeman; “I’ll cast her off. You jump aboard if yon want to go, too. Fire up, Jack, and make her huml ’

It was all done in a moment, and away flew the engine, leaving the conductor and station-master staring in surprise at this singular proceeding. The station-master did not feel very happy. Ho had half intended to go with the engine, but it would never do to leave his post. “Fire steady, Jack,” said tho engineer to the fireman. “It’s no use to get excited, for we’re in for a long race.” “It’s enough to make a fellow excited to see that woman,” said the fireman. The engineer turned round,and there by his side stood the mother, her eyes straining ahead down the lino in search of the missing ones. “ Oh, sir 1 open the throttlo wide. Don’t try to save coal at such a time as ♦ his.”

“We must keep cool, marra, and go steady, or we shall run out of coal and water, and come to a standstill on the line.” The woman said not a word, but nodded mournfully, and leaned against the side of the cab for support, and the fireman gave her his seat, where she could look out ahead over the line. How the engine shook aud roared. The little finger of the steam-gauge trembled and rose higher, us the steam pressure increased over tho raging fire. The engine seemed to be eating up the track in front, and behind the rails spun out like shining ribbons in the sun. The station and train had already sunk down out of sight, and the grassy horizon on either side seemed to fiy away in a kiud of gigantic waltz. The wind died away to a dead calm, and in a few moments a little breeze sprang up, and blew in at the front windows. “Wo are beating the wind,” said the engineer. "If we can keep up this pace, we shall coon overtake them.” “How long have they been gone?” shouted the fireman, above the roar of the engine. “I don’t know,” screamed the woman, without taking her eyes from the horizon where the rails met the sky. “It may have been two hours or more. They were playing in the empty car.” “How did she get out of the siding? ” (He meant the car.) “It’s one of tho new switches,” said the engineer. “ Cars can easily jump out upon the main line.” Ah! something ahead. Was it the runaway car? No, the next station. What a terrible pacel Twenty miles already. “O, don’t stop,” cried the woman, as she saw the engineer put his hand on the throttle-valve.

“ 1 must, marm ; wo are getting I out of water. And perhaps we can I learn something of the runaway.” The sudden arrival of a solitary engine containing two men and a woman startled the station-master, and he came out to see wh&t it meant. He seemed to guess at the truth, for he said: “After the runaway car?” ‘‘Yes, yes. There aie three children inside.” “O. marm, I’m sorry for ye. It went past here, going twenty miles an hour It came down grade all the way, but the up grade begius about two miles out. I was inside when it passed, aud didn’t see it till it had gone past the door.” How long it took to fill the tender! The engine stood hot and smoking by the water-tank, and the water came out in a slender stream* while the . poor mother stood looking on, tearful and impatient. “ Good-by! I’ll put up my pipe Heaven help ye!—the up grade—” The rest was Jost, for tho engine shot ahead on and on over the open prairie. The water-tank seemed to sink down into the earth, and the shining rails stretched longer and longer out behind. Ah! what was that! A cloud of steam on the horizon far ahead. The engineer took out his timo-book and studied it carefully. “ Freight No. 6, bound west, stopping on the two-mile siding.” How swiftly freight No. G rose above the grass and grew big along the way. Listen I A whistle! The engineer whistled a reply and shut off steam. Their engine slowed down, and they could nee men leaning out from the other engine as if to speak to them. “It’s ten minutes back. Running slow on main line—road—clear—” “Thank Heaven!” said the woman. The engineer said nothing; but, at that instant, the engine gave a great leap and shot ahead at the rate of fifty miles an hour up the easy grade. How long the minutes seemed, and yet each meant almost a mile. Ah! a speck—a black dot on the horizon! The car? Yes, it was tho car. It grew bigger and bigger. Now they could see it plainly. But the children! Where were they ? The fireman sprung out through the forward window and ran along the engine and down upon the cow-catcher. The monster began to slaken its terrible pace, and in a moment it struck the car with a gentle jar ana stopped, The fireman thought himself a lively man, but the woman was before him, and sprang, up into the car. There they lay, safe and sound, in a corper of the car—Mary and Tommy fast asleep, and Kitty watching over them. “Oh, mother! I knew you would come. Mary and Tommy cried themselves to sleep, and I —l—” > Nobody could say a worJ. The fire-

man tried to rub hia eyes, and only marked his face with black streaks. The mother laughed and cried all at once. The engineer picked up the little ones and quietly took them into the cab of the engine. • “ There, now, my hearties, yon have had a risky ride; but it’s all right. Gome. We’re more than thirty miles from home, and it won’t do to be late for dinner. Fire up, Jack.”