When White
Turned Black
By Prank A. Hays
(Copyright, by Shortstory Tub. Co.)
Ever since a small boy I have been
a great admirer of a railroad locomo
tive. A short time ago, while waiting
for a train in Pittsburg. I noticed a
new and unusually largo parsenger en
gine standing on a siding, and I wan
dered over to it. It proved to be one
of the latest machines—a “ten-wheeler,
compound cylinder-’ engine. 1 walked
from one side 10 the other and scruti
nized every part, from the electric
head-light to the vestibule attachment
at the rear of the tank. 1 was just
turning to leave, to look at another,
when the engineer ] leasnntly said:
"Better come up in the cab and see
how nice it is."
Being only too glad of an opportu
nity, I lost no time in climbing up and
inspecting the nerve-center of the 80
ion monster. Many times i had been
in engine cabs, but in this one I no
ticed something I never had seen in
any other.
It was a small, oblong box or case
fastened on top of the steam-gauge. It
was made of bevel-plate glass, with
gold mountings. In the box, standing
on end, was a single, snow-white feath
er. three inches long by three-quarters
of an inch wide.
Turning to the engineer and point
ing to the glass case, I said:
"That's rather an unusual, yet a
very pretty ornament."
“Yes," he said, "not only all that,
but very much more. Its significance
is far greater and more important, and
if you are interested, i'll tell you whj
that white feather is there."
Being interested, I sat down by him,
and said:
"1 am ready to listen.”
"Well," he said, "it was while I was
running the 525 that what I'll tell you
happened. My, but 525 Is an engine
for you! She's as swift as the wind,
and as easy to handle as a toy. How
“For God’s Sake—Stop!"
1 did dislike to have her taken away
from me! Hut she was transferred to I
Headache
For Years
“I keep Or. Miles’ Anti-Pain |
Pills on hand all the time, and 1
would not think of taking a !
journey without them, no mat
ter how short a distance 1 am
going. I have a sister that has
had terrible headaches for years,
and I coaxed her to try them :
and they helped her so much,
she now keeps them by her all
the time. From mv own exner- I
T '
lence 1 cannot praise them ,
enough.”
MRS. LOU M. CHURCHILL,
63 High st., Penacook, N. II.
Many persons have headache
after any little excitement or ex
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church, lectures, entertainments,
or ride on trains without suffer
ing. Those who suffer in this
way should try Dr. Miles' Anti
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they do not derange the stomach
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Get a package from vour drug
gist. Take it according to direc
tions, and if it does not benefit
he .will return your money.
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(he western division, as tne grades
there are lighter and this engine was
built heavier, for mountain climbing.
"Kast of here, about 90 miles, is our
longest tunnel, No. 4, and one-quarter
of a mile from the east end of the tun
nel is a small river, over which is a
bridge of two spans. This bridge has
always been considered dangerous,
owing to the fact that the river is very
swift and rises very suddenly, on ac
count of rains and snows in the moun
tains.
“About two years ago a young wom
an was killed just as we ran out of the
east end of tunnel Xo. 4. She was
hit by the 525 at the dead hour of mid
night. When we picked her up we
discovered that she was attired in
pure white—her night clothes. We
afterward heard that she was a som
nambulist, and that she had wandered
from her home, only a few yards dis
tant, and was certainly crossing the
track in her sleep.
“On my first run east, after the
death of the girl, all went right, yet I
could not keep from thinking of what
happened the last time I had made
the trip. It had made a strong impres
sion on my mind, and I was just
a little bit nervous as we entered Xo.
4. As we neared the east end my
heart beat louder and faster.
“ ‘What was that?' I asked myself,
as I saw, or imagined I saw, for just
one second, something snow-white
Hash ahead of my engine. By the
time I had pushed in the throttle and
reached for the air lever it had disap
peared.
" ‘Was I dreaming?’ No, not that;
for engineers don't dream in their
cabs. 'Was I becoming superstitious
or nervous?' 1 concluded to let it go
as imagination.
“On my return trip I thought of
what had occurred, and it was con
stantly on my mind. We struck tun
nel Xo. 4, and, though it was daylight,
1 was on the alert, but. nothing ap
peareu.
"Next trip east I entered No. 4 with [
more anxiety than I ever had, for pre-!
vious to that time I had expected noth-1
ing, but now It was: 'Will I see it, or
will 1 not see it?'
“'Ah:' 1 push on the throttle, for
again a momentary flash of white;
but, as before, it vanishes at the exit
of the tunnel.
"The next half dozen trips the same
thing appeared. I was not supersti
tious, and 1 became more and more
determined to learn what it waa.
"Night after night, as I neared the
end of the tunnel, 1 would see the
same thing. It would appear before me
like a flash and flit along ahead, for an
instant, and then as suddenly disap
pear. It was very strange, to say the
least, and while I became more or
less accustomed to it, yet I was al
ways on the lookout for it, as it
seemed to have a fascination, or an
Influence, about it. I had spoken of
it to no one, even to my fireman, but 1
concluded to say something to him, so
I asked:
“ 'John, have you ever seen anything
unusual, as we go east, in No. 4 ?'
" 'Yes,' he replied, I confess I have
seen, or imagined I have seen, that fig
ure in white that we struck.’
"There was little consolation, or ex
plan&tion, in that for me, so I dropped
the subject. I said no more to any
dne, but during the next month I did
a lot of thinking, for not a single trip
did w* go east, but what this 'figure in
white' would glide out of No. 4 ahead
oX us.
“Then one night I had the pleasure
of sitting behind the fust electric head
light ever placed on one of our en
gines. My fireman and I were very
proud of it. and were anxious to see
how it would work. After we had
made 60 miles and noted how much
stronger ti e light was. and how much |
plainer and farther we could see by
this light than by the old lamp, 1 said:
“ "John, to-night we can get a better
view of what flags us in Xo. 4.’
“Looking at me intently for a mo
ment, he replied:
“ 'I hope to heaven we will, for I
have lost more than a month's sleep
thinking about it. Besides that, I ,
strain my eyes, every time we go ,
through, til] 1 have a headache.’
"The night was dark, and as wc j
climbed up the mountains evidence of j
heavy rains was apparent, and a mist
hung over everything. All went well
till we were signaled down to a dead
stop, and lost 30 minutes, while a land
slide was removed from the track.
“Fifty miles an hour was our regu
lar schedule and anything that had
heretofore got out of our way would j
not have as much time to-night for. j
in making up lost time, I was pushing j
the 525 at 70 miles when we stuck her <
nose into Xo. 4.
“ 'Now for our figure in white!’
“ ‘Will she get out of our way—get in
the clear?’
“As we dashed through every nerve
was at its highest tension, my eyes
were riveted along the beam of elec
tric light.
“We neared the exit!
"We reached it!
“I looked over at John, as much as
to ask:
“ 'What has become of the “figure in
white?" ’
“When in answer to my mental
question he jumped from his seat—
clutched my arm and shouted:
“ 'For God's sake—stop!
“‘Yonder she stands in the bridge,
but now—now she's in black.’
“Looking ahead i saw what made
my heart leap, for, sure enough, there
stood a quivering black object in the
center of the bridge, only one-quarter
of a mile away. Quick as thought 1
knocked the throttle in, turned on air
and reversed her—coming to a stop
less than 200 yards from the bridge.
By this time our conductor, lantern in
hand, was out by the side of the train
and I called for him to come forward,
and showed him what had caused me
to stop.
’’ ‘What's that crazy woman doing
out there to-night? Do you suppose
there's anything wrong with the
bridge? Let's go ahead and see?'
" 'Come on, John, and go with us.’
"On the way I had all kinds of
thoughts. The past and the present
were enough to make a fellow think.
"As we neared the river we could
hear it roaring, when John, who was
ahead, suddenly stopped with the
startling information:
“ 'The bridge is gone.’
“Sure enough it was, but not so with
Tie black, quivering signal. It still
stood there, a silent and ominous wani
ng—stood there above the roaring wa
:er with no more support than the air
itself.
“So we left it.
“As we walked back to the train we
all tried to explain who. what, or
which it was, but evidently to no one's
satisfaction. Several times we stopped
and looked hack to see if it had gone.
Each time we saw the game black,
luivering specter—the specter, or
whatever it was—that had saved all
>ur lives.
“As we neared the engine we saw a
white object lying on the pilot. John
ushed forward, picked it up, and held
t out at arm's length:
"A snow-white pigeon!
‘ Naturally, I glanced upward, and
i
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as I did so my eyes reii upon an on
ject sticking on the very center of the
glass of the head light.
“ ‘John,’ I said, ‘climb up there and
see what that is.'
"He hurriedly did so, and holding It
up, said:
“ ‘It’s a white feather out of that
pigeon we’ve struck and killed.’
*’ ‘Put that feather back there,’ ex
citedly called the conductor.
“Sticking it back on the glass, which
was wet from heavy mist, John said:
“‘There you are; what about it?’
“ ’Look toward the bridge,’ from the
conductor.
“There stood the warning figure in
black.
” ’Now take the feather away.’
"It was removed.
“ 'Now look toward the bridge.’
“The figure in black had disap
peared.
“For months we had frightened that
white pigeon from her roosting place
In the tunnel. She had flown out ahead
of us till struck, and killed, by our
electric head-light when one white
feather cast a black shadow—when
white turned black.’’
Be All you Can.
Let us do all the business we can.
If we can’t be a lighthouse, let us be
a candle. Some one has said, “I can’t
be anything more than n farthing rush
light.” Well, if you can’t be more, be
that; that is well enough. Be all you
can. What makes the Dead sea dead?
Because it Is all the time receiving
and never giving out anything —
Dwight L. Moody.
Do not feed too much white bread
to young chicks or you will find it ra
ta,! to many of them.
Railroad Time Card,
WHITE RIVER BRANCH
St. L. I. M. & S. Ry.
Trains pass Newark as follows;
GOING WKST.
No. 210 (passenger). 7:43 a. in.
No. 2.11 ! passenger).5:117 a. in.
No. 246 (mixed).12:52 p. m.
GOING EAST.
No. 209 (passenger). r,:4« p. ru.
No. 2U2 (passenger). ..9:43 p. m.
No 245 (mixed). 9:05 a. m.
F. C. Hoyt, Agent.
Sw&MPINE—is a Laxative
Gompound guaranteed to cure
Ghills, Bad Golds and LaGrippe
Swept Over Niagara
lliis terrible calamity often hapjiens
because a careless boatman ignores
the river's warnings—growing ripples
and faster currant nature warnings
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the back warns you the kidney# need
attention if you would escape fatal
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disease. Take Klectric Hitters at
once and see backache fly and all
your best feelings return. “After long
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me.” writes J. K. Blankenship, of
Belk. Tenn. Only 50c at J. I. Sturdi
vant's.