Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 116, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 May 1915 — UTTLE MARGARET [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

UTTLE MARGARET

By HAROLD CARTER.

(Copyright. ISIS, by W. O. Chapman.)

Mooney remembered me when I stepped Into his cab. though It was four or five years since we had met. At that time I rode with him a good deal. I was getting up material for a aeries of articles upon the railroads. Now I was merely a claimant upon his hospitality for the sake of old times. I had had a longing to feel the sweep of the wind from the inside of an en-gine-cab and see the lights flash by. And the man in charge of 64 was Mooney. He knew me, as I said, and pres* ently I began to recall the old route we had traversed so often. I recollected that Mooney’s cottage stood two miles down the track,' and that his wife, a pretty young woman, and their little girl of five used to stand in front and wave to him as the train flashed past. I waited. Sure enough, the woman was there, but the child at her side could not have been four years old. - -I lost her—my little Margaret,” said Mooney. *Tm sorry,’’ I answered lamely. -Yes, we both felt it pretty hard even though the other came,’* he answered. “I guess she felt it most. We don’t talk about it now. didn’t much anyway—but that sort of thing hurts deep enough, especially when you don’t believe in a future life." What answer could I make to that? I did not attempt to. Mooney’s state of mind must have been hopeless indeed. "I said when you don’t believe in nothing more.** went on Mooney aggressively. ■ "Yes," I answered. “Well, I do now,” retorted Mooney sullenly, and suddenly clasped my hand “Man, you don’t know what It means to me now to think that I haven't lost her forever. It makes everythin&dlfferent, somehow. “You see, the wife used to bring her down to the edge of the cutting when

it was growing dark, so that I’d be sure to see them. The run, as you remember, ends seventeen miles from here, and often I wouldn’t get home till it was beginning to be morning. And that seeing them used to be a sort of comfort while I was coaxing the old 64 up Geddes hill and over the old wooden bridge. "It was diphtheria took Margaret away, and after that I asked the wife not to stand at the door, because I didn’t feel like seeing her alone. She understood my feelings. And so I wouldn’t see her, and I'd fall to brooding as the old engine went on her way. Then the night come when I saw her again.” "Margaret!** I exclaimed. He nodded and turned his eyes pathetically cm mine. “You can’t believe that, can you?" he inquired. "1 don’t know,” I answered, watching his face. I saw only seriousness there. “I have heard of such things, of course.” “Odd thing was,” he burst out, “that when I saw her it seemed so natural like that I clean forgot she was —she wasn't with us any more. I saw the wife and Margaret at her side, and I seemed to see them more clearly than Td have expected to, for it was a bit Hark that night. There was Minnie, standing by the roadway, and little Margaret at her side, and both were waving to me. . “Of course there isn’t time to see very much as the engine goes by, and my mind was pretty well occupied that night, because I had Vice-Presi-dent James and a party of his friends in one of the coaches, and naturally I was bent on getting the best out of the old 64. But. I did see them, and. as I looked, I saw Margaret leave Minnie’s side and dart toward me, holding up her arms. And even then it all seemed perfectly natural “The child ran straight into the cutting and toddled upon the Hue plumb fa front of the engine. Well, sir, my heart fairly stopped beating. And the worst part of it was that Minnie wait on smiling and waving to me, fart as if she didn’t know, «r,. tt she fesew as though she didn’t care. "'Minnie!' I yelled. ‘Saveherl’ There

was not time to stop the train, and the engine was bound to run straight over the little tot, but somehow I thought Minnie might Just manage to snatch her away. But she didn’t move, sir, only Just stood there waving to me smiling. I could see that she was smiling, thpugh It was nearly dark and she was a hundred feet away from me. And in the center of the track stood little Margaret, with her_ arms stretched out to me. “You know, sir, she’s used to play at signaling, and as I looked I saw her stretch out her arms sidewise, as though she wanted the train to stop. That used to be the ‘halt’ signal tn the old days when I played with her. I'd be the engine, and I’d go choolng up to her, and when she held her arms out like that I’d have to pull in. Then she’d let one fall, maybe, and I could go past on that side. “Well, all this was the work of a few moments, though I’ve taken time enough to tell it to you. There stood the little girl in the middle of the line, and before I could even begin to slow down the engine had struck her and gone—right through her! Ran through her without a tremor. And then I realised that it hadn’t been my child of flesh and blood I’d seen, but only a wraith. And then I thought my Imagination had played fast and loose with me, and I cursed myself for a fool, because when once a man loses grip of himself he's no use any more in the cab of an engine. “And of course that would mean the end of my Job, and I didn’t know what would happen to Minnie. _ “I was so scared I set the brakes, and the train slowed down. She’s come most to a stop before I got control over myself again. I thought of Vice-President James on board, and I opened up again. But I looked back as we rounded the bend that leads to the top of Geddes hill, and the line was clear, perfectly clear. I seemed to have double vision that night; I could see through’ the darkness in a way I’ve never been able to explain. And there wasn’t anybody on the line. “I opened up, as I was saying. But we’d Just got to the top of Geddes hill, ready for the quick run down to the old bridge. And suddenly a red light sprang up and lit up the -sky. And In front of me, at the bottom of the half-mile of grade I saw the old bridge in flames, ... “I pulled in then, as you can understand, and, though we’d started on the steep descent I managed to get the train to a standstill about a dozen yards this side. The bridge was burned clean through, and under us was Rock Gorge, some seventy feet or more. Then I knew why Margaret had come, and what she’d meant when she put out her arms like that. “Well, sir, Vice-President James was naturally pleased, but what I wanted to say was about Minnie. It seemed that when she stood there smiling to me she said she’d felt just as though Margaret wasn’t very far away from her. And when I told her she wasn't surprised, somehow. I guess that's the way it is. We know the truth, if we close our chattering minds and open our hearts. But there's the new bridge of steelwork. Ain’t she a beauty?”

There Stood the Little Girl.