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' ' ' -RESULTS OF THE ACCIDENT, —THE LAST, pAoa 213 231 256 263 282 304 322 332 347 nau 359 Talk that ha^ spires ai natter ( tvhich d 373 iwelling 389 3rertie's 39j [raceful, nd firn laving b haken t Her n< ^Mch n PAOB RK FLY 213 231 .AU, 255 THE IRON HORSE; XINO BLOCK 263 oa, LIFE ON THE LINB. 282 . 304 . 322 CHAPTER L TUATS OF TBI aifQINB-DBITKB'* H0U8B AND HODSHHOLD. ITLEMAN :ely on ^^^ I Talk of earthquakes ! not all the earthquakes HocsB> 347 Jthat havu rumbled in Ecuador or toppled over the pires and dwellings of Peru could compare, in the atter of dogged pertinacity, with that earthquake which diumally and hourly shocked little Gertie's 373pwelling, quivered the white dimity curtains of little assfcrertie's bed and shook little Grertie's frame. A 39«Taceful, rounded little firame it was ; yet strong, d firmly knit — perhaps in consequence of ita aving been from infancy so constantly and so well haken together. Her neat little body was surmounted by a head rhich no sculptor in search of an antique model A i f: THE IRON HORSE ; would have chosen. Gertie's profile was not Grecian; her features were not classic — but they were comely, and rosy, and so sweet that most people wanted to kiss them, and many pe-^ple did. Gertie did not object Probably, being only six, she imagined that this was the ordinary and natural method of saluta- tion. Tet it was observable that the child did not reciprocate kisses except in one or two special cases. She had evidently a mind of her own, a fact which was displayed most strikingly in the passionate manner in which she reciprocated the embraces of John Marrot, her father, when that large hairy in- dividual came in of an eveniug, and, catching her in his long arms, pressed her little body to his damp pilot-cloth- coated breast and her chubby face to his oily, smoke-and-soot begrimed countenance — forgetful for the moment of the remonstrance from his wife that was sure to follow : " Now then, John, there you go again. You ain't got no more power of subjewin' your feelings than one of your own ingines, w'ich is the schreechln'ist, fiznn'ist, crash- in'ist, bustin' things I ever 'ad the misfortune to *ave to do witL There 's a clean frock just put on this mornin' only fit for the wash-tub now !" But John was an easy-going man. He was mild, kind, sedate, undemonstrative by nature, and looked upon slight matrimonial breezes as being good for the health. It was only Gertie who could draw him into desori procat wash- It \ could monial riding boiling day an This, I earthqr Gert prefer i our gtet sons be but, for Grand I house st passenge they ap] train ha< it — an i what juj stood wi fronts or a suddex the twei OK, Lm ON THS IJNl. 8 acian; imely, «d to d not ithat aluta- id not cases, which lionate ices of iiy in- her in damp ace to ance — e from John, power J own crash - ave in this mild, looked |od for Iwhim into demonstrations of feeling sueh as wa hart described, and, as we have said, she always rnoi- procated them violently, increasing thereby the waub-tub necessity tenfold. It would have been strange indeed if John Marrot could have been much put about by a small matri- monial breeze, seeing that his life \*ua spent in riding on an iron monster with white-hot lun<^8 and boiling bowels which canied him through space day and night at the rate of fifty miles an bour I This, by the way, brings us back to our text — earthquakes. Gertie's house — or Grertie's father's house, if you prefer it — stood close to the embankment of one of our great arterial railways — which of them, for rea- sons best known to ourself, we don't intend to tell, but, for the reader's comfort, we shall call it the Grand National Trunk Railway. So close did the house stand to the embankment that timid female passengers were known occasionally to scream as they approached it, under the impression that the train had left the ruJs and was about to dash into it — an impression which was enhanced and some- what justified by the circumstance that the house stood with one of its comers, — instead of its side, front, or back, — towards the Line ; thereby inducing a sudden sensation of wrongness in the breasts of the twenty thousand passengers who swept vjsi it 3 r 4 XaE moil H0B8B i daily. The extreme edge of its moat protruding stone was exactly three yards four inches — by mea- Borement — from the left rail of the dowp Una Need we say more to account for the perpetual state of earthquakedom in which that house was involved ? But the tremors and shocks to which it was ex- posed — by night and by day — was not all it had to bear. In certain directions of the wind it was inter- mittently enveloped in clouds of mingled soot and steam, and, being situated at a curve on the line w'lere si^oialling became imminently needful, it was exposed to all the varied horrors of the whistle — from the sharp screech of interrogation to the suc- cessive bursts of exasperation, or the prolonged and deadly yell of mtimidation, with all the intermediate modulations — so that, what with the tremors, and shocks, and crashes, and Rhrieks, and thunderous roar of trains, Gertie's father's house maintained an upright front in circumstances that might have been equalled but could not have been surpassed by thoss of the Eddystone Lighthouse in the wildest of winter storms, while it excelled that celebrated building in this, that it faced a storm which knew no calm, but raged furiously all the year round. John Marrot was an engine-driver on the Grand National Trunk fiailway. This is equivalent to laying that he was a steady, sober, trustworthy OB, Un OM TBI LDTL maa None hut men of the beat chiuncter are now- a-days pnt in so responsible a position. Nearly all the drivers on the line were of this kind — some better than others, no donbt, but all good. Of coarse there are exceptions to every rule. As in the bebc regulated families accidents will happen, so, on the best conducted lines, an occasional black sheep will get among the drivers, but this ia the exception that proves the rule. The rule in Jihe Grand National Trunk Railway was — get the best drivers and pay them welL The same may be said of the firemen, whose ambition was ultimately to drive the iron chargers which they fed. Besides being all that we have said, John was a big, burly, soft- hearted, hard-headed man, who knew that two and two in ordinary circumstances made four, and who didn't require to be told that his left foot was not his right one. It was generally supposed that John Marrot had ao nerves and that his muscles had imbibed some of the iron of which his engine was composed. This was a mistake, though there was some truth in both suppositions. John's family consisted of himself — when at home, which, although often, was never for long ; his wife — fat and fair, capable of being roused, but, on the whole, a good, sensible, loving woman ; his eldest daughter, Lucy or Loo — nineteen, dark. 2 P. \ i I r' 6 THE nOM EOBAX ; pntty, and amiable ; his youngest daughter, Ger- trude, alias G«rtie — six, sunny and serious, at least as serious as was possible for one so young, so inno- cent, so healthy, and so happy as she ; his son Bob, aged twelve, who was a lamp-boy at the great station not far off, and of whom it may be briefly ■aid that he was "no better than he should be;" and, lastly, the baby — not yet at the walking period of life, with a round head, round body, roimd eyes, and a round dozen at least — if not more — of hairs standing t'^aight up on the top of his bald pate, suggesting/ he idea that he must at some period of his life have been singed by a passing locomotive — an event not by any means beyond the bounds of possibility, for it may be written with more truth of this than of any other infant that he had been bom and nurtured amid thunder, smoke, and blazes. As might have been expected in the circum- stances, he was a powerful baby. We cannot afford space for a full description, but it would be wrong to omit mention of the strength of his lungs. The imitative tendency of children is proverbial Clearly the locomotive was baby Marrot's pattern in many things. No infant that ever drew breath equalled this one at a yell. There was absolutely a touch of sublimity in the sound of the duet — frequently heard — when baby chanced to be performing a solo Oil, Ura ON THE LINI. , Gei- I; le&st ( inno- 1 Bob, great briefly i be;" period d eyefl, if hairs d pate, riod of otive — Linds of :e truth been :e, and jnm- )t afford wrong The Clearly many mailed touch [ueutly a Bolo Mid his father's engine went shrieking past with a running accompaniment I It is a disputed point to this day which of the two beat the other ; and it is an admitted fact that nothing else could equal either. There were two other inmates of John Marrot's house — not members of the family. One was his fireman, William Garvie, who lodged with him, the other a small servant or maid-of-all-work who led a rugged existence but appeared to enjoy it although it kept her thin. Her name was Ann Stocks, fami- liarly known as Nanny. We are thus particular in describing the engine- driver's household because, apart from other reasons, a group of human beings who could Hve, and thrive, and eat, and sleep, and love, and learn, and so forth, in such circumstances is noteworthy. It was quite a treat — beUeve it, reader — to see little Gertie and the baby slumber while the engines were apparently having " a night of it " outside < Come with us and behold. It is 10.30 p.m. Father is crossing country on the limited mail at any pace you choose between fifty and eighty miles an hour — time having been lost at the last station, owing to the unaccountable disappearance of a first-class pas- senger, and time having to be made up by fair means or otherwise. His mate stands beside him. In the family mansion pretty Loo sleeps like a " good i 9 r THE moN HOBBi: ; »i! ii;^ angel," as she is, in a small room farthest from tht>, comer next the line, but with her we have nothing to do at present Nanny, also 9ound asleep, lies in some place of profound obscurity among the coals in the lower regions of the house, laying in that store of health and vigour which wlQ enable her to face the rugged features of the following day. We dismiss her, also, with the hope that she may survive the coal dust and the lack of oxygen, and turn to the chief room of the house — ^the kitchen, parlour, dining- room, drawing-room, nursery, and family bedroom all in one. Engiiie- drivers are not always so badly off for space in their domicUes, but circumstances which are not worth mentioning have led John Marrot to put up with little. In this apartment, which is wonderfully clean and neat^ there are two box-beds and a sort of crib. Baby sleeps — as only babies can — in perfect bliss in the crib; Gertie slumbers with her upturned sweet little face shaded by the white dimity curtains in one bed ; Mrs. Moll> MaiTot snores like a grampus in the other. It is a wide bed let deep into the wall, as it were, and Mrs. M's red countenance looms over the counterpane like the setting sun over a winter fog- bank. Hark! A rumble in the far distance — ominous and low at first, but rapidly increasing to the tones of distant thunder. It is the night express for thf OK, UTF. ON TBK LIKH othing lies in oalflin itore ol ice the iss her, le coal e chief dining- oom all adly off istauces d John irtment, are two -as only Gertie shaded ; Mrs. e other. lit were, er the ,er fog- l)ininous |e tones I for thf North — going at fifty miles an honr. At such a rate of speed it might go right round the world in twenty- one days ! While yet distant the whistle is heard ; shrill, threatening, and prolonged. Louder and louder ; it is nearing the curve now and the earth tremhles — the house tremhlee too, but Gertie's parted lips breathe as softly as before ; baby's eyes are as tight and his entire frame as still as when he first fell asleep. Mrs. Marrot, too, maintains the monotony of her snore. Round the curve it comea at last, hammer and tongs, thundering like Ol3rmpus, and yelling like an iron fiend. The earthquake is " on ! ** The embankment shudders ; the house quivers ; the doors, windows, cups, saucers, and pans rattle. Outside, all the sledge hammers and anvils in Vulcan's smithy are banging an ohbligato accom- paniment to the hissing of all the serpents that St. Patrick drove out of Ireland as the express comes up, — still Gertie's rest is unbroken. She does in- deed give a slight smile and turn her head on the other side, as if she had heard a pleasant whisper, but nothing more. Baby, too, vents a prolonged sigh before plunging into a profounder depth of repose. Mrs. Man*ot gives a deprecatory gruni between snores, but it is merely a complimentary " Hallo ! 's that you ? " sort of question which requires ao answer. As the rushing storm goes by a timid and wakeful f ( fi k 10 THI IBON HORSK ; passoufner happens to lower the window and look out He sees the house. " It 's all over ! " are his last words as he falls back in his seat and covers his face with hia hands. He soon breathes more freely on finding that it is not all over, but fifteen or twenty miles lie between him and the hou^e he ex- pected to annihilate before his nervous system has quite recovered its tone. This, reader, is a mere sample of the visitations by which that family was perpetually affected, though not afflicted. Sometimes the rushing masses were heavy goods trains, which produced less fuss, but more of earthquake. At other times red lights, inti- mating equally danger and delay, brought trains to a stand close to the house, and kept them hissing and yelling there as if querulously impatient to get on. The uproar reached its culminating point about 12.46 on the night of which we write, when two trains from opposite directions were signalled to wait, which they did precisely opposite John Mar- rot's windows, and there kept up such a riot of| sound as feeble language is impotent to convey. To the accustomed ears the whistle and clank of a I checked and angry pilot-engine might have beeD| discerned amid the hullabaloo ; but to one whose experience in such matters was small, it might have I seemed as though six or seven mad engines were sitting up on end, like monster rabbits on a bankJ pawn wild able f habit ! hghts " Com« of satis live st( trailing The intense, the hea to it 801 He y pilot CO somewh tried th< " I th( " rio muc He n knuckles hope I I the door of any ei this, for, back win the top y) 1 1 ill I Hi OE, LLTI OV THB LIKI. 11 tatlonB though 68 were 188, bnt te, inti- b trains hissing it to get it about len two ailed to in Mar- riot of convey. ,nk of a ve becD whose ;ht have I es were I a bank,! pawing the air and screaming out their hearts in the wild delirium of unlimited power and ungovern- able fuiy. Still, although they moved a little, the sleepers did not awake — so potent in the force of habit ! However, it did not last long. The red lights i«moved their ban, the white lights said " Come on," the monster rabbits gave a final snort of satisfaction and went away — each with its tail of live stock, or minerals, or goods, or human beings, trailing behind it The temporary silence roimd the house was very intense, as may well be believed — so much so that the heavy foot -fall of a man in the bypath that led to it sounded quite intrusive. He was a taU broad-shouldered man in a large pilot coat, cap and boots, and appeared to walk somewhat lame as he approached the door. He tried the handle. It was locked, of course. " 1 thought so," he muttered in a low bass voice ; " «o much for a bad memory." He rapped twite on the door, loudly, with his knuckles and then kicked it with his boot. Vain hope ! If a burglar with a sledge-hammer had driven the door in, he would have failed to tickle the drum of any ear there. The man evidently was aware of this, for, changing Iiis plan, he went round to a back window on the ground floor, and opened it ai the top with some difficulty. Peeping in he gazed 5 r I f i II THK IKOM HOKAI ; Hi for some time intently, and then exclaimed under hifl breath, '* Ha ! it 's open by good luck." Gather- ing a handful of gravel, he threw it into the house with considerable force. The result proved that he had not aimed at random, for the shower entered the open door of Nanny's sleeping-cellar and fell smartly on her face. It is well known that sailors, although capable of slumbering through loud and continuous noises, can be awakened by the slightest touch, so likewise Nanny. On receiving the shower of gravel she in- continently buried her head in the blankets, dre\f an empty coal-scuttle over her shoulders and began to shout thieves ! and murder ! at the top of her voice, Having taken such pains to muflQe it, of course nc one heaid her cries. The man, if a burglar, had evidently a patient philosophical turn of mind, foi he calmly waited till the ilamsol was exhausted, ard when she at length peeped out to observe the effectj of her heroic efforts at self-preservation he said quietly, " Nanny, lass, don't be a fooL It 's me ; opeD| the door ; I've gone an' forgot my latch-key." " Oh la ! master, it ain't you, is it ? It ain't thievesj and robbers, is it?" " No, no. Open the door like a good girL" " And it ain't an accident, is it?" continued Nanny partially dressing in haste. " Oh, I knows it *s a acci dent. Missus always prophesied as a accident woul dometc not mai "No, "Noi Oh dan' "Bill jaH he br Now, to locon] f her hi he kitcl n ample " Notl "Noth •ruifle 01 lad to g ifore CO isuaL" "Are y 0, comi ihawl, ani " Sure ? !ee here.' Saying lulling u{ " WeU, ou know, " Let m< •R, UFR ON THE LDHt. 19 L nndei I M>me to pass some day, which has come true. You 're Gather- 1 not maimed, master?" e house | " No, no ; be quick, girl !" " Nor Willum ain't maimed, ifl he ? He ain't dead 1 imed at lOh don't say Willum is — " door of I " Bill Garvie 's all riglit," said the engine-driver, her face. I ah he brushed past the girl and went up -stairs, capable I Now, although Mrs. Marrot's ears were totally deaf to locomotives they were alert enough to the sound f her husband's voice. When, therefore, he entered he kitchen, he found her standing on the floor with n ample shawl thrown round her. " Nothing wrong ?" she inquired anxiously. Nothing, Molly, my dear, only I got a slight raise on the leg in the engine shed to-day, and I to go up an' show it to the doctor, d'ye see. fore comin' home, which has made me later than BuaL" " Are you sv/re it 's not a bad hurt, father ? " asked he saidKiOO, coming in at the moment — also enveloped in a e ; openfthawl, and looking anxious. " Sure ? ay, I *m sure enough ; it 'a only a scratch, ee here." Saying this he removed one of his boots, and ulling up his trousers displayed a bandaged leg. " Well, but we can't see through the bandages, 's a accifou know," said Mrs. Marrot nt woull " Let me take them off, father, and 1 11 replace— * B noises, likewise 1 she in- 3is, drevr nd began her voice. XJurse nc 'glar, had mind, foi sted, ard the effect I't thievesi ^d Nannyl I h V f. it u TBI IRON HORBt ; . I! '" \ '* Take 'em off ! " exclaimed John, palling down the leg of his trouser and rising with a laugh " No, no, Loo ; why, it 's only just hin done up all snug by the doctor, who 'd kick up a pretty shindy if he found I had undid it There's one good will come oi' it anyhow, I shall have a day or two in the house with you all ; for the doctor said I must give it a short rest. So, off to bed again, Loo. This is not an hour for a respectable young woman to be wanderin' about in her night-dress. Away with you !* '• Was any one else hurt, father ? " said Loo. She j asked the question anxiously, but there was a slight | flush on her cheek and a peculiar smile which be- trayed some hidden feeling. " No one else," returned her father. " I tell 'ee it I wasn't an accident at all — it was only a engine that brushed up agin me as I was comin' out o' the shed That's all; so I just came home and left WiU GkiTvie to look after our engine. There, run away." Loo smiled, nodded and disappeared, followed by Mrs. Marrot, who went, like a sensible woman,] to see that her alarmed domestic was all right. While she was away John went to the crib and! kissed the rosy cheek of his sleeping bo^. Then hel bent over the bed with the white dimity curtains tol kiss Gertie's forehead, for which purpose he had tol remove a mass of curly hair with his big brown hand] 0*1, UFl OW TEE Wn. 15 " Bless yon, my darling," he said in silent speech, ** you came near bein' fatherless this night — nearer than yon ever was before." He kissed her again, tenderly, and a fervent " thank the Lord I" rose from his heart to heaven. In less than half-an-honr after this the engine- driver's family sank into profound repose, serenaded by the mnsic of a mineral train from the blaok country, which rushed laboriously past their dwelling; like an over-weighted thunderbolt tell *ee it gine that the shed, left Willi m away.' followed woman, 01 right.! crib and! Then hel irtains tol le had tol iwn hand! f; I-- I- 16 THE IRON HORSK m CHAPTER It 7HI DftlVm TUITC ▲ UTTLS ELDBRLT QBXfTLXWOltAir JUm FSVPAUGB TO mm HOBftB FOB Aonoa. Next day John Marrot spent the hrief period o< repose accorded by the doctor to his leg in romping about the house with the baby in his arms. Being a large man, accustomed to much elbow-room and rapid motion, and the house being small, John may be said to have been a dangerous character in the family on such occasions. Apart from baby, no elepliant was ever more sluggish in his motions ; but when coupled — professioually speaking — to his i own tender infant, John knew no bounds, his wife knew no rest, and his baby knew no higher earthly] bliss. Sometimes it was on his shoulder, sometimes on I hifl head and often on his foot, riding with railway! speed to " Banbury Cross." Again it was on itsl back in the crib or on the bed being tickled into] fits of laughter, which bid fair at times to merge int fits of convubion. to the horror of little Gertie, whd OE, Lrfi: ON THE Lnnt. 17 came in for a large share of that delightful holiday's enjoyment, but whose spirit was frequently harrowed ith alarm at the riotous conduct of her invalid father, n his glee the man might have been compared to a ocomotive with a bad driver, who was constantly hutting off the steam and clapping on the brakes too con or too late, thus either falling short of or over- hooting his mark. What between the door and the resser, the fire, the crib, the window, and the fur- iture, John showed himself a dreadfully bad pilot, nd was constantly running into or backing out of ifficulties. At last, towards the aftemoan o4 that ay, while performing a furious charge round the )om with baby on his head, he overturned the ash -tub, wliich filled the baby with delirious joy, nd Gertie with pleasurable alarm. As for Mrs. Marrot, she was too happy to have or husband at home for a whole day to care much out trifles, nevertheless she felt it her duty to reprove , lest the children should learn a bad lesson, rthlvl "^^®^® ^°^> John, I knew you'd do it at last. ou 're much too violent, and you shouldn't ought to ,^r,^k the baby's neck in that way. Such a mess ! How times ox\w ■^ -^ ilwaVB^ ^'^^ expect me to keep things tidy if you go Is on itsP^o?" iVPABKB )riod oi amping Being 3m and hn may p in the aby, no loticos ; —to his Ills wife Lied int^l |erge Lie. mi who John was very penitent He did not reply at first, It, putting baby into the crib — where it instantly )wned with a great yeU the shriek of a passing ,.! 18 THJC IRON HOBtiS ; ] I 111 11 ,ni!li<;il '•I' "Ca must I drive it Max we Thomps (io it he said i Buch me "Max troin — he went down on his knees and began to " Bwab " up the water with a jack-toweL Loo ran laughingly from the corner where she had been •ewirig, and insisted on doing it for him. " You '11 hurt your leg, father, if you bend it so, Mad I 'm sure it must be swelled and pained enougt already with so much romping." " Not a bit. Loo," objected John. " It was me ai caused the mess, an* justice requires that I should swab it up. There, go sew that sentiment into ■ampler an* hang it up over yer bed." But Loo would not give in. While they werjggj^j j , still engaged in the controversy the door opened, aniBfy]]^ « j young Bob Marrot stood before them with his eyeftjj ^^ . wide open and his hair straight up on end, as if hjr ^n • ■^ ■" give bad recently seen a ghost. This aspect, howeveAi^^Q r was no sign of alarm, being tis normal condition. Ijteam wii " Hw. ! seems to me, somehow, that somebody 's bi up to somethin'.*' " Eight, Bob," replied his father, rising from knees and throwing the jack towel at him. The lad easily evaded the shot, bemg well aoc tomed to elude much more deadly missiles, picking up the towel, quietly set to work to perfo the duty in dispute. "You're wanted," he said, looking up au C^er while he wrung the towel over a tin htaixL -Ehl Where?" This las as accoi he ceiling *he impre mewed, rtie he uring the eal they e storm. He was ttoned OB, LITK OH TEK L/Sn. 19 gan tol joo ranj i beenl id it 80,1 enoughl .8 me aa| I should it into tiey wed ened, an(! I his ey( i, as if hi howevej dition. lody 's bij from rell aoci ksiles, |to perfoi lUp ftw Inbtaii^ -Up at the shed* " 1 'm on sick leaye," said John. " Can't help that. The 6.30 P.M. passenger train must be drove, and there 's nobody left but you to drive it. Jones is away with a goods train owin* to Maxwell having sprained his ankle, and Long Thompson is down with small-pox, so you 11 have to do it. I ofifered 'em my services, but the manager he said that intelligent lads couldn't be spared for such menial work, and told me to go and fetch you." " Maxwell had no business to sprain his ankle," eaid John Marrot. "Hows'ever," he added cheer- jfully, " I *ve had a i-are good holiday, an' the leg 's but right again, so, Molly, let's have an early tea ; 'U give it a good rest for another half-hour and ;hen be ready for the 6.30 P.M. — ers. Cut off your (team, will you ? " This last obsei-vation was made to the baby, and as accompanied by a shake and a toss towards |he ceiling which caused him to obey instantly, under [he impression, no doubt, that the fun was to be jnewed. Being, however, consigned to the care of sitiQ he again let on the steam and kept it up [uring the whole time the family were at tea — which eal they enjoyed thoroughly, quite regardless of le storm. He was asleejv when his father rose at last and ittoned his heavy coat up to the chin, while Mrs. I- r.; 90 THI IBOR fiOlUSB ; Marrot stood on tiptoe to arrange more carefully the wooUon shawl round his neck. '* Now. don't stand more than you can help on youi hurt leg, John." " Certainly not, duckie," said John, stooping to kiss the upturned face ; " I '11 sit on the rail as much as I can, like a 'Merican racoon. By the way," he added, turning suddenly to I^o, "you delivered that note from young Mr. Tipps to his mother ? " " Yes, immediately after I got it from you ; and I waited to see if there was an answer, hut she said there wasn't It must have contained bad news, I fear, for she turned pale while she read it." " H'm, well," said John, putting on his cap, " I don't know nothin' about what was in it, so it 's no bizzness o' mine." With a hearty good-evening to all, and a special I embrace to Gertie, the engine-driver left his home, | accompanied by Bob his hopeful son. " Mr. Sharp," said Bob, as they walked along,] "has bin makin' oncommon partikler inquiries among] us about some o' the poii;era I raither think they're] a bad lot." " Not at all," replied his father severely. " They 'r«| no more a bad lot than the drivers, or, for the matterl of that, than the clerks or the directors, or the lamp-l boya. You ought to be gitiin' old enough by thul OE, LTTE OK THE LJOTi. 91 ly the lyoui mg to rail as ^y the "you to his ; and I jhe said news, I cap, "1 ) it 's no special I is home, I along, ^8 among! they're They'M ie mattei 16 lampi by tl tdme, Bob, to know that every lot o' fish in thii world, however good, has got a few bad ons among 'em. As a rule railway directors and railway clerka, and railway porters and railway officials of all sorts aio good — more or less — the same may be said of banks an' insurances, an' all sorts of things — but Jo what ye may a black sheep or two loill git in among em, and, of course, the bigger the consam, the more numerous the black sheep. Even the clergy ain't free from that uniwersal law of natur. But what *8 Mr. Sharp bin inquiring arter ? " " Ah — wot indeed ! " replied Bob ; " *ow sliould I know ? Mr. Sharp ain't the mtm to go about the line with a ticket on his back tellin' wot he 's arter. By no means, P'lice superintendents ain't usually given to that ; but he's arter sow^thin' partickler." " Well, that ain't no bizzness of ours, Bob, so we don't nficd to trouble our heads about it. There 's nothin' like mindiu* yer own bizzness. Same time," added John after a short pause, " that 's no reason why, as a sea-t'arin' friend o* mine used to say, a man shouldn't keep his weather-eye open, |d* ye see ? Bob intimated that he did see, by winking with ihe eye that chanced to be next his paient; but further converse between father and son was inter- ipted at a turn in the road, where they were joined )y a stout, broad-shouldered young man, whoM 11 Tin IBOV HOIUSX ; i!|iil||i ii liii ■l 1 The I creasinc before t neat sut of the ( to sprin smoky, h able adv possess e green yelveteen jacket, vest, and tronBers bespoke him a railway porter. "Eveniu', Sam," said our driver with a friendly nod ; " goin* on night dooty, eh ? " "Yes, worse luck," replied Sam, thrusting hifs powerful hands into his pockets. "Why so, Sam, you ain't used to mind night dooty?" "No more T do," said Sam testily, "but my missus is took bad, and there's no one to look after herBtheless, p properly — foi that old 'ooman we got ain't to beB "Is yo trusted. 'Tis a hard thing to have to go on night ■ stout eld( dooty when a higher dooty bids me stay at home." ■summons- There was a touch of deep feeling in the tone iuBand bang which the latter part of Sam Natly's remark wasBnightly ca uttered. His young wife, to whom he had beenBout of his only a year married, had fallen into bad health, andl " Yes • latterly the doctors had given him little encourage ment to hope for her recovery. " Sam," said John Marrot, stopping, " T 11 go an' send a friend, as I knows of, to look after yei wife." 'T doed ith me, aiTot t pass.' The eld " A friend ? " said Sam ; " you can't mean any oweturned IIMll your own family, John, for you haven't got time t^ go back that length now, and — " " Well, never mind, I *ve got time to go wher I 'm agoin'. You run on to the ^ed. Bob, and Gkrvie that I '11 be thafe in fifteen minutes." the man ft ^nd poorly Parlour, w fhair, looki " Ev'nin' iiiili OB, UFK ON THl! LINE. ss ispolt* iendly ig hif night missus tef h«n i to bel m nigM] lome." tone ID I Lark wasj ad beeiil dth, and! courage! U go anj fter yeJ in any oi time t^ B[o "wlier and The engine-driver kimed off abruptly, and, in- creasing his pace to a smart walk, soon stood before the door of one of those uncommonly small neat suburban villas which the irrigating influence of the Grand National Trunk Railway had caused to spring up like nioshrooms around the noisy, smoky, bustling town of Clatterby — to the unspeak- able advantage of that class of gentlefolk who possess extremely limited incomes, but wh©, never- theless, prefer fresh air to smoke. "Is your missus at 'ome?" he inquired of the stout elderly woman who answered to his modest summons — for although John was wont to clatter and bang through the greater part of hie daily and Inightly career, he was tender of touch and act when ut of his usual professional beat. " Yes ; do you wish to see her ? " "I does, my dear. Sorry T 'aven't got a card th me, but if you'll just say that it's John aiTot the engine-driver, I dessay that '11 do for a pasa" The eldeily woman went off with a smile, but turned quickly with an anxious look, and bade he man follow her. He was ushered into a small d poorly furnished but extremely neat and clean arlour, where sat a thin little old lady m an easy- hair, looking very pale. " Ev'nin', ma'am," said John, bowing and looking I** t; 24 THE raOH H0R8K , !«' 1 loiigber and bigger than usual in such a small | a[>artment " You — you — don't bring bad news, I hope ! — my | •on Joseph — " "Oh no, Mrs. Tipps, not by no means," saidj Marrot, hasting to relieve the timid old lady's feel- ings, "Mr. Joseph is all right — nothing wotiverl wrong with him — nor likely to be, ma'am I>iaat*| wise iio woa all right w'en I seed 'im last." " And when might that be ? " asked the timid old! much ttare I we'd t "Dr "Istha "Oh as goes forty an thirty u more oi lady with a sigh of relief as she clasped her handsB train I c w'ich. is fastest : obleeged to make " The said Mrs. an hour, " Prett tightly together. " Wy, let me see," said John, touching his fore head, "it was yesterday evenin' w'en I came up wi the northern express." " But many accidents might have happened sinci yesterday evening," said Mrs. Tipps, still in anxious tona " That 'y tnie, ma'amu All the engines on th Grand Trunk from the Pentland Firth to the ChanJa mile o] nel might have bu'sted their bilers since that timlaverage o — but it arin't likely," replied John, with a blaa smile. " And — and what was my son doing when yoi passed him ? Did you speak to him ?" " Speak to him ! Bless your heart, ma'am," sa John, with another benignant smile, " I went pa And es an " Yes. " With " Cer'ni •How Langrye station at sixty mile an hour, so we hadj#go !" ^gja i>ji' ii' 1— my I J," said] ya feel- wotavftTl Least- 1 iinid old! er hands) his forej e up witlil iued s'mc^ 01 in 9 on tli« ,he Chanj that timj 1 a blaiifl Iwhen yoi i'am," sa [went pal we had much chance to speak to each other. It would bare been as much as we could have managed, if we 'd tried it, to exchange winks." " Dreadful ! " exclaimed Mrs. Tipps in a low tone. * Is that the usual rate of travelling on your railway?" " Oh dear no, ma'am. It 's only my express train as goes at that rate. Other expresses run between forty and fifty miles, an' or'nary trains average about thirty miles an hour — goods, they go at alx)ut twenty, more or less ; but they varies a good deal The train I drives is about the fastest in the kingdom, w'ich is pretty much the same £is sayin' it's the fastest in the world, ma'p^. Sometimes I'm obleeged to go as high as nigh seventy miles &D. hour to make up time." " The fastest mail coaches in my young days," said Mrs. Tipps, " used to go at the rate of ten miles au hour, I believe." " Pretty much so," said John. ** They did manage |a mile or two more, I'm told, but that was their verage of crawlin* with full steam on." And you sometimes drive at sixty or seventy iles an hour?** " Yes, ma'am." " With people in the carriages ? * " Cer'nly, ma'am." " How I wish that I had lived a hundred years ^go !" Edghed poor Mrs. Tippa, ,1 h *' r; 36 'fH» TROIf HORSE ; ii ti f liiiil " You 'd hav»» bin a pretty old girl by this time 1/ yon had/' thought the engine-driver, but he w^ too polite to give utterance to the thought. *• Aud what was my .son doing when you passed him at that frightful speed — you could see him, 1 suppose ? " " Oh yes, ma'am, I could see him well enough. He was talkin' an' laughin', as far as I could make out, with an uncommon pretty girl" •* Indeed ! " exclaimed Mrs. Tipps, flushing slightly — for she was extremely sensitive, — and evidently much relieved by this information. " Well, my good man, what do you wish me to do for you? anjrthing that is in my power to — " "Thankee, ma'am, but I don't want you to do nothin' for me." " Then what have you to say to me ?" added the old iady with a little smile that was clearly indica- tive of a kind little heart. " I 've come to take the liberty, ma'am, ol askin' you to do one of uiy mates a favour." •* Most willingly," said Mrs. Tipps with anima tion. " 1 shall never forget that you saved my dear Joseph's life by pulling him off the line when one of your dreadful engines was going straight over hinou Anything that 1 am capable of doing for you or your friends will be but a poor return for what you have done for me. I have ofben asked mm Oft, UFK ON TBI LUtK ar yon to allow me to make me souie such retarn, Y . Marrot, jmd have been j^rieved at your constant re- fusal I am delighted that you come to me now." " You 're very good to say no, ma'am. TIia fact is that one o' my frionds, a porter on the line, named Sam Natly, has a young wife who is, I fear, far gone wi' consumption ; she 's worse to-night, an' poor Sam's obliged to go on night dooty, so he can't look arter her, an' the old 'ooman they 've got ain't worth nothin*. So I thought I 'd make bold, ma'am, to ask you to send yer servant to git a proper uurae to take charge of her to-nigh'i, it would be — " " I 'U go myself !" exclaiu\ed Mrs. Tipps, inter- rupting, and starting urs with a degree of alacrity that astonished the engine-driver. " Here, write [down the address on that pieci^ of paper -yon can I write, 1 suppose ? * " Yes, ma'am," replied John, modestly, as he bent I down and wrote tlie address in a bold flowing hand, r I raither think I ca7i write. I write notes, on a [paper I've got to till up daily, on the engine ; an* IVen a man's trained to do that, ma'am, it's my opinion he's fit to write in any circumstances ^hatsomedever. Why, you 'd hardly believe it, la'am, but I do assure you that I wrote my fust 1)' last love-letter to my missus on tiie engine. T was invin' the Lightenin' at the time— that 's the name >' my engine, ma'am, an' they calls me JAck Blazes 98 THE IBON R0R81 ; in consikence — well, I *d bin oonrtin' Molly, otf-an'- on, for about three months. She b'longed to Pinchley station, you must know, where we used to stop to give her a drink — " « What 1 to give MoUy a drink ? " " No, ma'am," replied John, with a slight smile, " to give the ingine a drink. Well, she met me nigh every day 'xcept Sundays at that station, and as we 'd a pretty long time there — about five minutes — we used to spend it beside the pump, an* made | the most of it. But somehow I took it into my head thit Molly was playin' fast an' loose with me, an' I was raither cool on her for a time. Hows'ever, her father bein' a pointsman, she wos shitted along with him to Langrye station — that 's where your son | is, ma'am — an' as we don't stop there we was ob- leeged to confine our courtship to a nod an' a wave I of a handkerchief. Leastwise she shook out a white handkerchief an' I flourished a lump o' cotton-waste. Well, one day as we was close upon Langrye station — about two miles — I suddenly takes it into my head that 7 '^ bring the thing to a| pint, 80 I sings out to my mate — that was my fire- man, ma am — says I, *look out, Jim,' an' I di-awsl out ray pencil an' bends my legs — you must alwaysl bend your legs a little, ma'am, w'en you writes on &I locomotive, it makes springs of 'em, so to speak— I %\\ I writes on the back of a blank time-bill, ' MollyJ OK, Urs ON THK UNS. S9 smile, let me )U, and linutes l' made ito my ith me, ws'eveT, d along ^our son was ob- a wave out a lump o' [se upon ddenly Lg to a lyfire di-aws always '.a on & ipeak— I' Molly, my dflar, no more shilly-shallyin' with me. Time *» up. If you 11 be tender, I '11 be locomotive. Only say the word and we're coupled for life in three weeks. A white handkerchief means yes, a red 'un, no. If red, you'U see a noo driver on the 10.15 A.M. express day after to-morrow. John MAHRfiT.' I was just in time to pitch the paper cram pled up right into her bosom," continued the driver, wiping his forehead as if the deep anxiety of that eventful period still affected him, " an' let me tell you, ma'am, it requires a deal o' nice calculation to pitch a piece o* cmmpled paper true off a locomotive goin' between fifty and sixty miles an hour ; but it wont all straight — I oould see that before we was [gone." " And what was the result ? " asked the little old [lady as earnestly as if that result were still pend- •* Wy, the result wos as it should be ! My letter as a short 'un, but it turned out to be a powerful irake. Brought her up sharp — an' we was coupled less than six weeks." " Amazing phase of human life ! * observed Mrs. ipps, gazing in admiration at the stalwart giant ho stood deferentially before her. " Well, it was a raither coorious kind o' proposal," laid Marrot with a smile, "but it worked uncommon ell I 've never wanted to uncouple since then." f fl 30 THB Qioii Hoiune ; ■11 liiiiii m \ lis ! " Pardon me, Mr. Marrot," said Mrs. Tippe, with little hysterical laugh — knowing that she was about to perpetrate a joke — " may I ask if there are any — any little tenders ? " " Oh, lots of 'em," replied John, " quite a train of 'em ; four livin' an' three gone dead. The last waa coupled on only i short time ago. You '11 excuse me now, ma'am," he added, pulling out and consulting the ponderous chronometer with which the company supplied him, " I must go now, havin' to take charge 0* the 6.30 P.M. train, — it ain't my usual train, but I 'm obleeged to take it to-night owin* to one of our drivers havin' come by an accident. Evenin', ma'am." John bowed, and retired so promptly that poor Mrs. Tipps had no time to make further inquiry into the accident referred to — at the very mention of which her former alarm came back in full! force. However, she wisely got the better of her| own anxieties by throwing herself into those oii others. Putting on her bonnet she sallied forth oii| her errand of mercy. Meanwhile John Marrot proceeded to the engine' shed to prepare his iron horse for action. Here he| found that his fireman, Will Gar\'ie, and his cleaner, had been attending faithfully to their duty. Th( huge locomotive, which looked all the more gigantii &r being under cover, was already quivering that trei rendered vant of its iron : ' with silv( I were gay land scre^i land oiled, \to while the she bally empt furnace. Its safety-1 '^as life M blown the i k which tl Itanding- f I journey, a etting off Jrolonged ; lara'ory to naf ){ our ^^ suortir Iticenting t [arriors, wh fargers, wei their shirt aches hare OB, LIFE ON TBI LDfl. 31 that tremendous energy — that artificial life — which rendered it at once so useful and so powerfol a ser- vant of man. Its brasses shone with golden lustre, its iron rods and bars, cranks and pistons glittered with silvery sheen, and its heavier parts and body were gay with a new coat of green paint Every nut and screw and lever and joint had been screwed up, and oiled, examined, tested, and otherwise attended to while the oblong pit over which it stood when the shed — and into which its ashes were periodi- ally emptied — glowed with the light of its intense urnitce. Ever and anon a little puff issued from ts safety-valve, proving to John Marrot that there as life within his fiery steed sufficient to have lown the shed to wreck with all its brother engines, f which there were at the time two or three dozen ding — some disgorging their tire and water after journey, and preparing to rest for the night ; some tting off steam with a fiendish yell unbearably rolonged ; others undergoing trifling repairs pre- ara^^ory to starting next day, and a few, like af )f our engine-driver, ready for instant action d snorting with impatience like war-horses scenting the battle from afar." The begrimed 1 jjgyBarriors, whose destiny it was to ride these iron argers, were also variously circumstanced. Some their shirt sleeves busy with hammer and file at ^Lu« *^^®fi ^^^'d ^y> others raking out fire-boxes, or ith bout ly— in of t was seme lilting apany charge in, but of our Ivenin', at pool inquiry ention Q full of bei [hose lengine* ■MHIMMMBiiiMll 31) THX atom HOBSK ; iillii oiling machinery; all busy as bees savo the few, who, having completed their preparadons, were I buttoning up their jackets and awaiting the signal | to charge. At last that signal came to John Marrot — not in a I loud shout of command or a trumpet-blast, but by the silent hand of Time, as indicated on his chrono-l meter. ** But how," it may be asked, " does John Marrotj know precisely the hour at which he has to start, the stat) ons he has to stop at, the various little act«| of coup-ing on and dropping off carriages and trucks, and returning with trains or with * empties' withinl fixed periods so punctually, that he shall not inter- fere with, run into, or delay, the operations of thej hundreds of drivers whose duties are as complei nice, important, and swift as his own ?" Header, we reply that John knows it all in con"! sequence of the perfection of system attained railway management. Without this, our trains an^ rails all over the kingdom would long ago have bee smashed up into what Irishmen expressively namj smithereens. The duty of arranging the details of the syst devolves on the superintendents of departments the line, namely, the passenger, goods, and locomo tive superintendents, each of whom reigns indepei^ dently and supreme in his own department, but OB ins OH THI UKS. •I few. were] }ignal| it in al )ut by larono- MarrotI ) start, tie acUi trucks, ■withiBl it inteTl ; of m somplei sys' lents 01 loCOIBi Indepei but course, like the members of a well-ordered family, they have to consult together in order that their trains may be properly horsed and the time of nm- uing so arranged that there shall be no clashing in their distinct though united interests. When the number of trains and time of running have been fixed, and finally published by the passenger super- intendent, — who is also sometimes the " Out-door jguperintendent," and who has duties to perform that emaud very considerable powers of generalship, it is the duty of the locomotive superintendent supply the requisite engines. This of&cer, esides caring for all the "plant" or rolling-stock, ew and old, draws out periodically a schedule, in hich is detailed to a nicety every minute act that as to be done by drivers — the hour at which each ngine is to leave the shed on each day of the week, ihe number of each engine, its driver and fireman, d t^e duties to be performed ; and this sheet con- ins complete daily (nay, almost hourly) directions r passenger, goods, and pilot engines. In order to secure attention to these regulations, h engineman is fined one shilling for every minute e is behind time in leaving the shed. The difi&- ty of making these nmnings of trains dovetail ito each other on lines where the traffic is great a constant may well be understood to be con- derable, particularly when it is remembered that r ' I' i i MaMM M THK IRON H0R8B ordinary regular traffic is interfered with constantly by numerous excursion, special, and other irregular I trains, in the midst of which, also, time must be provided for the repair and renewal of the line itself, the turning of old rails, laying down of new ones,! raising depressed sleepers, renewing broken chaii-s,! etc., — all which is constantly going on; and that, too, at parts of the Hne over which hundreds of traijuj pass in the course of the twenty- four hours. Besides the arrangements for the regular trafficj which are made monthly, a printed sheet detailinj the special traffic, repairs of lines, new and altered signals, working arrangements, etc., is issued weeklj| to every member of the staff, particularly to engine drivers and guards. We chance to possess one these private sheets, issued by one of our principa railways. Let us peep behind the scenes for a luc ment and observe how such matters are managed The vacation has come to an end, and the boys Rapscallion College will, on a certain day, pour do^ on the railway in shoals with money in hand andBuired of confident demand for accommodation. This invac army must be prepared for. Ordinary tiuins are n\ gufficient for it. Delay is dangerous on railways ; must not be permitted ; therefore the watchful supe intendent writes an order which we find recorded I follows : — '* Wednesday, ^6th ApriL — Aooommodation must be p4 W«d on tl ■M. Down 6g«- Byt illected at on tht ^•ter to asi Again- on't "pf lasarily, it, and oolhitch at JM., calLng , '«9-i5 P.M. ■eet to prov This is 1 vetailiiig^ •ne on all i leet from t? tions, anc the hold n^^ are pj fcl cl of telegr passes;' IS; the necessity 5ters, robb ; the inti iast trains m OB LIFl OW THl liTfl. H ided on this day in tbe 3. 10 and 6.2'> ru. T7p, and 2.25 and 6.10 .II. Down Trains, for the Cadets returning to ElapHcallion Col- eg«. By the Trains named, Rapscallion College tioketa will bo nllected at Whitewater on the Down journey, and at Smoking- on the Up journey. Oldershot to send a man to White- rater to assist in the collection of these tickets." Again — a " Relief Train" has to be utilized. It ron't " pay" to run empty trains on the line unne- BBsarily, therefore the superintendent has his eye it, and writes — 'April 23d. — An Kmpty Train will leave Whiteheath for foolhitch at about 8.10 p.m., to work up from Woolhitch at 9.5 [m., calling at Woolhitch Dockyard and Curlton, and forming 9.15 P.M. Up Ordinary Train from Whiteheath. Greatgun reet to provide Engines and Guards for this service." This is but a slight specimen of the providing, vetailing, timeing, and guarding that has to be ine on all the lines in the kingdom. In the same leet from which the abo^e is quoted, we find notes, tnaged ^tions, and intimations as to such various matters the holding of the levers of facing points when IIS are passing tlirough junctions ; the attention ind and Quired of drivers to new signals ; the improper of telegraph bells; the making search for lost are nWasses ;" the more careful loading of goods wag- Lways ; ws ; the changes in regard to particular trains ; ful sup« necessity of watchfulness on the part of station- jorded^sters, robberies having been committed on the ; the intimation of dates when and places where Ut be pW^t toiins .re to be workup; on the line j the ^' m » S6 THE IROK nORSK ililill times and places when and where; repairs to Hiiel are to take place during the brief intervals between! trains of the ordinary traffic ; and many other mat- ters, which naturally lead one to the belief that! snpeiintendents of railways must possess the eyesl of Argus, the generalship of Wellington, and tli^ patience of Job. Being carefully hedged in, as we have showi with strict rules and regulations, backed by fines case of the slightest inattention, and the certaiiitj of prompt dismissal in case of gross neglect or obedience, with the possibility of criminal prosecuj tion besides looming in the far distance, our frienij John Marrot, knowing his duties well, and feelii perfect confidence inhimself and his superiors, coil suited his chronometer for the last time, said, " NoJ then, Bill !" and mounted his noble steed. Will Garvie, who was putting a finishing drop oil into some part of the machinery, took his stati(j beside his mate and eased ojQf the brake. John ! off two sharp whistles (an imperative duty on part of every dri\'er before starting an engine) let on the steam. The first was a veiy soft pi tion — a mere puff — but it was enough to move ponderous engine as if it had been a cork, though i actual weight with tender was fifty-three tol Another puff, and slowly the iron horse moved ouJ its stable. There was a gentle, oily, gliding, fai OR LUn (M THX LOTK. 37 [) liuel tweenl • mat-! f tliall le eytil Qd i\\\ sbowi fines ertaiiitj ■j or prosecul IT frienj (1 feel ior3, coil 4, " '^^\ IcT drop K^i ling, ^^8! effect connected with it« first movementa that might Te won the confidence even of timid Mrs. Captain ipps. Another puff of greater strength shot the mgiue forward witli a sudden grandeur of action ihat would certainly have sent that lady's heart into er throat. In a few seconds it reached and passed he place where the siding was connected with the ain line, and where a pointsman stood ready to ihift the points. Here the obedient spirit ef the owerful steed was finely displayed. Will Garvie versed the action of the engines by a process hich, though beautifully simple and easily done, nnot be easily described. John let on a pufiF of am, and the engine glided backwards as readily it had rim forward. A few seconds afterwards it oved slowly under the magnificent arch of Clatterby tion, and its buffers met those of the train it was lestined to draw as if with a gentle touch of endly greeting. At the station all was bustle and noise ; but here ? must venture to do what no human being could complish in reality, compel the 6.30 p.m. train wait there until it shall be our pleasure to give the signal to start ! Meanwhile we shall put back e cluck an hour or so, ask the reader to return to 13. Tipps' residence and observe what transpired ere while John Marrot was in the shed getting hii u 8t-«ed ready for action. f : r ! TBI DON HOBBK CHAPTER III. ni WHICH ;n Is not vor • alarmed — is comfortj Mrs. Ti knowing \n aovm whili placed him ing her sh her, and ad her on the which, whiJ part of seco; Mrs. Tipj To return to our story after this long digre?! sion : — We left Mrs. Tipps in the last chapter putting on her bonnet and shawl, on philanthropic missions intent. She had just opened the door, when a hand- some, gentlemanly youth, apparently about one or two and twenty, with a very slight swagger in his gait, stepped up to it, and, lifting his hat, said — " Mrs. Tipps, I presume ? I bring you a letter from Clatterby station. Another messenger should have brought it, but I undertook the duty partly for the purpose of introducing myself as your son's friend. I — my name is Gurwood." I "What! — Edwin Gurwood, about whom JosephB "P' ^^ ^un speaks so firequently, and for whom he has been try-H ^^^ ^' ing to obtain a situation on the railway through oiuB^^"' ^ Mi friend Captain Lee ?" exclaimed Mi-s. Tipps. brought out "Yes," replied the youth, somewhat confused bjB lliank 3 the earnestness of the old lady's gaze, " but, pray readB^^^^'^ ^^ to the letter— the telegram — I fear — " I '^^« stout He stopped, for Mrs. Tipps had torn open theB*^®^^^ envelope, and stood gazing at it with terribl«B ^ome hei anxiety depicted on her face. B^ant you to " There is no cause for immediate fear, I believefl*^™*"- I Ji began Edwin, but Mrs. Tipps interrupted him IW^ '^''^^^^ av slowly reading the telegram. ID^gnt You "From Joseph Tipps, Langrye station, to Mnl'^P ^^® ^o»Sf Tipps, Eden Vilk, Cktverby. Dear Mother, NetJ*'^*^ ^er- ^^ n. ox LJPB ON THE LIKK. 45 \m\ Ifl not voiy well — nothing serious, I hope- -don't be alanned — but you 'd better come and nurse her. She is comfortably put up in my lodgings." Mrs. Tipps grew deadly pale. Young (xurwood, knowing what the message was, having seen it taken uown while lounging at the station, had judiciously placed himself pretty close to the widow. ObseiT- iug her shudder, he placed his stroog arm behind her, and adroitly sinking down on one knee received her on the other, very much after the manner in which, while at school, he had been wont to act the part of" second to pugilistic companions. Mrs. Tipps recovered almost immediately, sprang [up, and hurried into the house, followed by Gurwood. " You 'U have time to catch the 6.30 train," he [said, as Mrs. Tipps fluttered to a i^ipboard and [brought out a black bottle. " Thank you. Yes, 1 11 go by that You shall I escort me to it. Please ring the beU," The stout, elderly female— Netta's nurse — an- Uwered. " Come here, Burby," said the widow quickly ; " I [want you to take this bottle of wine to a poor sick Iwoman. I had intended to have p:one myself, but im called away suddenly and shan't be back to- jnight You shall hear from me to-morrow. Ixxsk jup the house and stay with the woman to look liHer her. if need be — and now, Mr. Gurwood." f 1 r ■■■I 46 TRK ntOH HOISI They were gon« beyond recall before Mrs. Dnrby could recover herself. •* I never did see nothink like my poor missus," she muttered, " there miLst be somethink wrong in the 'ead. But she 's a good soul." With this comforting reflection Mrs. Durby pro- ceeded to obey her " missus's " commands. On reaching the station Mrs. Tipps found that she had five minutes to wait, so she thanked Gur- wood for escorting her, bade him good-bye, and was about to step into a third-class carriage when she observed Captain Lee close beside her, with his daughter Emma, who, we may remark in passing, was a tall, dark, beautiful girl, and the bosom friend of Netta Tipps. " Oh, there is Captain Lee. How fortunate," ex- claimed Mrs. Tipps, "he will take care of me. Come, Mr. Gurwood, I will introduce you to him and his daughter." She turned to Gurwood, but that youth did not hear her remark, having been forced from her side by a noiseless luggage truck on India-rubber wheels. Turning, then, towards the captain she found that he and his daughter had hastily run to recapture a small valise which was being borne off to the luggage van instead of going into the carriage along with them. At the same moment the guard intervened, and the captidn and his daughter were lost in the orowiL OB LIFI ON THI LUrS. 4T But Edwin Gurwood, although he did not hear who they were, had obtained a glance of the couple before they disappeared, and that glance, brief though it was, had taken deadly effect ! He had been shot straight to the heart. Love at first sight, and at railway speed, is but a feeble way of ex- pressing what had occurred. Poor Edwin Gur- wood, up to this momentous day woman- proof, felt, Ion beholding Emma, as if the combined powers of locomotive force and electric telegraphy had smitten [him to the heart's core, and for one moment he stood rooted to the earth, or — to speak more appro- priately — nailed to the platform. Recovering in a moment, he made a dash into the crowd and spent [the three remaining minutes in a wild search for Ithe lost one ! It was a market -day, and the platform of Clat- jrby station was densely crowded. Sam Natly Ihe porter and his colleagues in office were besieged by all sorts of persons with all sorts of questions, |ind it said much for the tempers of these harassed len, that, in the midst of their laborious duties, they konsented to be stopped with heavy weights on their (boulders, and, while perspiration streamed down leir faces, answered with perfect civility questions |f the most ridiculous and unanswerable descriptiou " Where 's my wife ? " frantically cried an elderly [fatleman, seizin^g Sam by the jacket V 48 THl IRON HOBfiV ** I don't know, air,** replied Sam with a benig* nant smile. "There she is," shouted the elderly gentleman, | rushing past and nearly overturning Sam. "What a bo-ar it must be to the poatas to V woaried so by stoopid people," observed a tall, I stout, superlative fop with sleepy eyes and long] whiskers to another fop in large-check trousers. " Ya-as," assented the checked trousers. " Take your seats, gentlemen," said a magnificeDt| guard, over six feet high, with a bushy be^rd. " — ah ! " said the dandies, getting into theii| compartment. Meanwhile, Edwin Gurwood had discoveredl Emma. He saw her enter a first-class carriage! He saw her smile ineffably to her father. He heardi the guard cry, " Take your seats ; take your seata,'! and knew that she was about to be torn from hiuil perhaps for ever. He felt that it was a last looi because, how could he hope in a populous city meet with her again? Perhaps she did not eve belong to that part of the country' at all, and wj jnly passing through. He did not even know ha name ! What wm he to do ? He resolved travel with her, but it instantly occurred to hiii that he had no ticket. He made a stride or two i^ the direction of the ticket office, but paused, rerneu berin^ that he knew not her destination, and thd OB LIFK ON THIS LINE. 49 )W red I two therefore he could not demand a ticket for any place in particular. Doors began to slam, and John Manot's iron orse let off a little impatient steam. Just then he " late passenger " arrived. There is always a ate passenger at every train. On this occasion the ate passenger was a short-sighted elderly gentle- an in a brown top-coat and spectacles. He was ccompanied by a friend, who assisted him to push rough the crowd of people who had come to see eir friends away, or were loitering about for astiine. The late passenger carried a bundle of pa; the boots of his hotel followed with his rtmanteau. "All right, sir; plenty of time," observed Sam atly, coming up and receiving the portmanteau m boota " Which claaa, sir ? ** " Eh — oh — third ; no, stay, second," cried the ort-sighted gentleman, endeavouring vainly to en his purse to pay boota. " Here, hold my wraps, d." His friend Fred chanced at that moment to have thrust aside by a fat female in frantic haste, Edwin Gurwood, occupying the exact spot he vacated, had the bundle thrust into his hand. retained it mechanicallj, in utter abstraction of d. The bell rang, and the magnificent guarc^^ iose very whiakerti curled with an aii* of calm « f if ( h 90 TH£ IRON B0K8K serenity, said, "Now then, take your seats; mak« haste." Edwin giew desperate. Eiuma smiled bewitchiugly to a doting female fiieud who had nodded and smiled bewitch in^ly to Emma for the last fivo minutes, under the impression that the irain wafl jufit going to staii;, and who earnestly wished that it would start and save her fronj t) ► necessity of nodding or smiling any longer. "Am 1 to lose sight of her for ever?" m\itt(^re(i Gurwood between his teeth. The magiiiticent guard sounded his whistle and held up his hand. Edwin sprang forward, pulled open the oaiTiage door, leaped in and sat down opposite Emma Lee ! The iron hoi-se gave two sharpj responbive whistles, and sent forth one mighty pul The train moved, but not with a jerk ; it is oiilj| clumsy drivers who jerk trains ; sometimes puUinjj | three-legged stool! He had hated writing figures, and now visions of ledgers, cash-books, inl voice-books and similar literature with eudleal arithmetical calculations began to float before mental vision. With intense regret he reflecWJ that if he had only used reasonably well the brifl period of life which as yet lay beliijwi him, he miglilj by that time have been done with initial dradgenj and have been entering on a briUiant career in owj of the learned professions. As to the army navy, he was too old to get into either, even if had possessed interest, which he did not. Stenil)! did he reproach his departed uncle when he broodei over his wrongs, and soliloquized thus : — " You ougH to have known that I was a fool, that I could not 1 OS LirX ON THE UNI •1 expected to know the fact or to guide myself aright in opposition to and despite of my own folly, and you ought to have forced me to study when I de- clined to be led — bah ! it 's too late to say all this now. Come, if there is any manhood in me worthy of the name, let me set to work at once and make the most of what is left to me ! " Edwin reflcjcied with complacency on the fact [that one part of what was left to him was a tall Btrong frame and broad shoulders, but his judgment told him that though these were blessings not to be despised, and for which he had every reason to be Itliankful, he ought not to plume himself too much ton them, seeing that he shared them in common [with numerous prize-fighters and burglars, besides ^hich they could not prove of very much value pro- jfessionally unless he took to mining or coal-heaving. fe a] 30 reflected sadly on the fact that beyond the ree R's, a little Latin and French, and a smattering bf literary knowledge, he was little better than a red Indian. Being, as we have said, a resolute fellow, b determined to commence a course of study with- kut delay, but soon found that the necessity of en- pyouring to obtain a situation and of economizing slender fortune interfered sadly with his efforts. lowever, he persevered. Id the time of his prosperity, young Gurwood made nuuiy friends, bat a touch uf prid«d had ^r "■MMMMMMkl 6S THI IKON HOBfilS induced him to torn aside from these — althongl many of them would undoubtedly have been glad to aid him in his aims — to quit the house of his cliild- hood and betake himself to the flourishing town of Clatterby, where he knew nobody except one aofl, amiable little school-fellow, whom in boyish days he had always deemed a poor, miserable little creature, but for whom nevertheless he entertained a strong affection. We need scarcely say that this wiv Joseph Tipps, the olerk at Langiye station. OU UKE on TB£ LOfi. 63 CHAPTER V. AM Ai^OIDlNT AKD ITfl OONHBQCKNORS. Locomotives and telegraphy are mere snaib com- pared to thought. Let us therefore use our advan- utge, reader, stride in advance of the 6.30 p.m. train (which by the way has now become a 7.45 p.m. train), and see what little Joseph Tipps is doing. There he stands — five feet four in his highest- heeled boots — as sterling and warm-hearted a little man as ever breathed. He was writing at a little desk close to a large window, which, owing to the station being a temporary one and its roof low, was flimsy, and came nearer to the ground than most windows do. Mr. Tipps wrote somewhat nervously. He in- herited his mother's weakness in this respect ; and, besides, his nerves had been a little shaken by the sudden illness with which his sister had been seized that day at his lodgings. Outside on the platform a few people lounged waiting the arrival of the expected train. Among r <4 THK mOV HOKJai them was one whoae bulky frame and finn strongly- lined countenance spok« of much power to dare aiid do. He was considerably above the middle height, and somewhere about middle age. His costume was of that quiet unobtrusive kind which seems to court retirement, and the sharp glance of his eyes seemed to possess something of the gimblet in their pene- trating power. This was no less a personage than Mr. Sharp, the inspector of police on the Grand National Trunk Railway. Mr. Inspector Sharp had evidently an eye for the beautiful, for he stood at the farther extremity of the platform gazing in rapt atten- tion at the sun, which just then was setting in a flood of golden light But Mr. Sham had also a peculiai faculty for observing several tlu t; at once. Indeed some of his friends, referring ■ ohis, were wont to remark that he was a perfect Argus, with eyes in his elbows and calves and back of his head. It would seem, indeed, that this, or something like it, miut really have been the case, for he not only observed and enjoyed the sunBet, but also paid paiticular atten- tion to the conversation of two men who stood not far from him, and at the same time was cognisant of | the fact that behind him a couple of hundred yardi or more up the line a goods engine was engaged in | shunting trucks. This process of shunting, we may explain for the | benafit of thoae who don't know, ooufliiits in ddt^db- OR LITE ON TH1! Llin. •• ing trucks from trains of goods and shoving them into sidings, so that they may be out of the way until their time comes to be attached to other trains which veill convey them to their proper destination, or to have their contents, if need be, unloaded and dis- tributed among other trucks. Shunting is sometLmes a tedious process, involving much hauling, pushing, pufiiiig, and whistling, t)n the pait of the engine, and uncoupling of trucks and shifting of points on the part of pointsmen and porters. Inhere is consider- able danger, too, in the process, — or rather there vhu danger before the introduction of the " block system," which now, when it is adopted, renders accidents almost impossible,— of which system more shall be 3aid hereafter. The danger lies in this, that shunting has frequently to be done during intervals between the passing of passenger trains, and on lines where passenger and goods traflBc is very great these intervals are sometimes extremely brief. But, strange to say, this danger is the mother of safety, for the difficulty of conducting extensive traffic is so great that a combination of all but perfect systems of signalling, telegraphing, and organization is ab- solutely needful to prevent constant mishap. Hence the marvellous result that in the midst of danger we are in safety, and travelling by railway is really less dangerous than travelling by stage-coach used to be in days of old. Yes, timid reader, we assure you that Jv-'-^" THI IRON HORBI if yon travel daily by rail your chances of coining to grief are very much fewer than if you were to travel daily by mail coach. Facts and figures prove this beyond all doubt, so that we are entitled to take the comfort of it. The marvel is, not that loss of life is so great but that it is so small. Do you doubt it, reader ? Behold the facts and figures — wonder, be thankful, and doubt no more! A " Blue Book " (Captain Tyler's General Report to the Board of Trade on Railway Accidents during the year 1870) tells us that the number of passengers killed on rail\vays last year was ninety. The number of passenger journeys performed was 307 millions, which gives, in round numbers, one passenger killed for every three and a lialf millions that travelled. In the best mail and stage-coaching days the yearly number of travellers was about two millions. The present railway death-rate applied to this number amounts to a little more than one-half of a unit ! Will any one out of Bedlam have tlie andmcity to say that in coaching days only half a passenger was killed each year ? We leave facts to speak for themselves, and common sense to judge whether men were safer then than they are now. But to return. When Mr. Sharp was looking at the distant waggons that were being shunted he obsmred that the engine which conducted th« operation was moved about with so much unaecwi OB Unc ON THl UNI. «7 tb« iid not cease to run until he found himself panting in the middle of a turnip-field that lay at the back of the station. Turning round, ashamed of himself he ran back faster than he had run away, and leap- ing recklessly among the debris, began to puU broken and jagged timber about, under the impres- sion that he was rescuing fellow-creatures from destruction ! Strange to say no one was killed on that occasion —no one was even severely hurt, except the driver. But of course this was not known at first, and the people who were standing about hurried with terrible forebodings to lend assistance to th# passengers. Mr. Sharp seemed to have been smitten with feelings somewhat similar to those of Tipps, for, without knowing v«ty well how or why, he sud- '■'-««■«■ HMH TO THE IBON H0BJ9B denly found himself standing up to the armpits in cUbris, heaviag might and main at masses of timber. " Hallo ! lift away this beam, will you V* shouted a half-smothered voice close besJde him. It came from beneath the carriage that we have described as having been broken Ui spUnters. Sharp was a man of action. He hailed a porter near him and began with energy and power to tear up and hurl aside the boards. Pi jsently on raising part of t! broken frame- work of the carriage a man struggled to his feet, and, wiping away the blood that flowed from a wound in his forehead, revealed the countenance of Edwin Gurwood to the astonished Tipps. •• What ! Edwin !" he exclaimed. " Ay — don't stand there, man. Your mother is | in the train." Poor Tipps could not speak — he could oiily| gasp thfc word " WTiere ? " " In a third-class, behind — there, it is safe, I| see." His friend at once leaped towards the vehicle pointed out, but Edwin did not follow, he glanced wildly round in search of another carriage. " You are hurt, — Mr. Gurwood, if I mistake not,-| lean on me," said Mr. Sharp. " It 's nothing — only a scratch. Ha ! that 's thil quite compc "% dea stepping has " Oh, Edw Joseph, grasj Dot hurt, th[ ^ttle shaken one in the bo OB UFS OV THE UIAIL 71 carriage, follow me/* cried Edwin, stiuggling to- wards a first-class carriage, which appeared con- siderably damaged, though it had not left the rails. He wrenched open the door, and, springing in, found Captain Lee striving in vain to lift his daughter, who had fainted. Edwin stooped, raised her in his arms, and, kicking open the door on the opposite side, leaped down, followed by the captain. They quickly made their way to the station, where they found most of the passengers, hurt and un- hurt, already assembled, with two doctors, who chanced to be in the train, attending to them. Edwin laid his light burden tenderly on a couch and one of the doctors immediately attended to her. While he was appljdng restoratives Mr. Blunt touched Edwin on the elbow and requested him to follow him. With a feeling of sudden anger Gur- wood turned round, but before he could apeak his eye fell on Mrs. Tipps, who sat on a bench leaning on her son's breast, and looking deadly pale but quite composed. "My dear Mrs. Tipps," exclaimed the youth, stepping hastily forward, " 1 hope — I trust — " " Oh, Edwin — thank you, my dear fellow," cried Joseph, grasping his hand and shaking it " She is not hurt, thank God — noL even a scratch — only a little shaken. Fetch a glass of water, you 'U find one in the booking-office." MMMMM 73 THX IRON HOKSK Gurwood ran out to fetch it. As he was return ing he met Captain Lee leading his daughter out of the waiting-roon], " I sincerely hope that your daughter is not hurt," he said, in earnest tones. " Perhaps a little wdtej migiit — " " No, thank you," said the captain somewhat stiffly. " The carriage is waiting, sir,** said a servaut in livery, coming up at the moment and touching his hat. Emma locked at Edwin for a second, and with a sliglit but perplej.ed smile of acknowledgment passed on. Next moment the carriage drove away and she was gone. Edwin at the same time became aware of the fact that the pertinacious Blunt was at his side. Walking quickly into the waiting-room tie presented the glass of water to Mrs. Tipps, but to his surprise that ecceutric lady rose hastily aiii said, — " Thank you, Mr. Gurwood, me,ny thanks, but I am better. Come, Joseph- -let us hasten vO our darling Netta. Have you sent for a fly ? " '• There is one waiting, mother — take my am Many, many thanks for your kindness in coming with her, Garwood/' said Tipps. " I can't ask yes ] to oome with me just now, I—" OB urrc ON the lxnx. 75 The rest of his speech was lost in consequence of the iiiipatient old lady di-agging her son away, but whai had been heaid of it wa? sufficient to fill Mr. Blunt with surprise and perplexity. "Well, Blunt," said Mr. Superintendent Sharp, coining up at that moment, " what has brought you h«3re?" The detective related his story privately to his superior, and remarked that he began to fear there must be some mistake. " Yes, there is a mistake of some sort," said Sharp, «rith a laugh; " for I Ve met him frequently at Clat- terby station, and know him to be a friend of Mr. Tipps ; but you have done your duty, Blunt, so you can now leave the gentleman to me," saying which he went up to Edwin and entered into an under- toned conversation with him, during which it might have been observed that Edwin 'looked a little con- fused at times, and Mr. Sharp seemed not a little auiused. " Well, it 's all right now," he said at last, " we have telegraphed ior a special train to take on the passengers who wisli to proceed, and you can go back, if you choose, in the up tr&in, which is about i due. It wil: be able to get past in tho course of nalf-anhour. Fortunately the rails of the upline j we not damaged ana 'jhe wreck can soon be cleared.** Jiist then thii d»m»^y with the Jieepy eyes and ^ ^ 74 TBI IBON HOBS! long whiskers sauntered up to the porter on duty, with an unconcerned and lazy air. He had received no further injury than a shaking, and therefore felt that he could afford to affect a cool and not-easy- to-be-ruflPled demeanour. " Aw — po-taw," said he, twirling his watch-key, " w'en d' you expect anotha twain to take us on ?" " Don't know, sir, probably half-an-hour." "Aw! Dooced awkwad. My fwend has got the bwidge of his nose damaged, besides some sort of internal injuway, and won't be able to attend to business to-night, I fear — dooced awkwad." " D' you hear that ? " whispered Sharp to Gurwood, as the " fwend " in question — he with the checked trousers — sauntered past holding a handkerchief to hifl rose, " I know by the way in which that vras said that there will be something mure heard some day hence of our fop in checks. Just come and stand with me in the doorway of the waiting-room, and listen to what some of the other passengers are «aying." " Very hard," observed a middle-aged man with a sour countenance, who did not present the appear- ance of one who had sustained »ny injury at all, " very hard this. I shall miss meeting with a friend, and perhaps lose doin' a good stroke of business to- night" " Be thankful you haven't lost your life," said 01 Un. ON THE LINIE. TB Will Garvie, who supported the head of his injured mate. " Mayhap I have lost my life, young man," replied the other sharply. "Internal injuries from acci- dents often prove fatal, and don't always show at first. I 've had a severe shake." Here the sour- faced man shook himself slightly, partly to illustrate and partly to prove his point. " You 're quite right, sur," remarked an Irishman, who had a bandage tied round his head, but who did not appear to be much, if at all, the worse of the accident. " It 's a disgrace intirely that the railways should be allowed to trait us in this fashion. 11 they'd only go to the trouble an' expense of havin' proper signals on lines, there would be nothing o' this kind. And if Government would make a law to have an arm-chair fitted up in front of every locomotive and a director made to travel with aich train, we 'd hear of fewer accidents. But it's meself '11 come down on 'em for heavy damages for this." He pointed to his bandage'^ head, and nodded with a significant glance at the company. A gentleman in a blue travelling cap, who had aitherto said nothing, and who turned out to have received severer injuiies than any otbtr passenger, here looked up impatiently, ami said — " It appears to me that therg i« a gr«at deal of 71 THX IBON HOBBI o^juBt and foolish talk against railway companies, as if they, any more than other companies, could avoid accidents. The system of signalling on a great part, of this line is the best that has been discovered u[, to this dato, and it is being applied to the whole line as fast as circumstances will warrant ; but you can't expect to attain perfection m a day. What would you have ? How can you expect to travel at the rate you do, and yet be as safe as if you were in one of the old mail-coaches ?" " Right, sir ; you 're right," cried John Marrot en ergetically, raising himself a little from the bench on whioh he lay, " right in sayin* we shouldn't ought to expect parfection, but wrong in supposin' the old mail -coaches was safer. Wy, railways is safer. They won't stand no comparison. Here *ave I bin drivin* on this 'ere line for the last eight year an' only to come to grief three times, an' killed no more than two people. There ain't a old coach goin', or gone, as could say as much. An' w'en you come to consider that in them eight years I 've bin goin' more than two-thirds o' the time at an average o' forty mile an hour — off an' on — all night a'nost ai| well as all day, an' run thousands and thousands o miles, besides carryin' millions of passengers, laorel or less, it do seem most rediklous to go for to say that coaches was safer than railways — the revar8«| bein' the truth. Turn me round a bit, Bill; i that lid I shouldj truly rei with, by At thi attracted hitherto somewhat men had I as to bring she had be time past, ] wise, and i herself, B tivity by r doctor rema to have si dsemed it began by u shame a Coi perhaps, to 1 the accident heavily on tl Singularly 'thistle of th time past ^ficame frantj ^«<;overed- 01 Lm OV THB IJITK. 7t that'll do. It 's the b&d leg I come down on, elie I shouldn't have bin so hard up. Yes, sir, as you truly remark, railway companies ain't fairly dealt with, by no means." At this point the attention of the passengers was attracted by a remarkably fat woman, who had hitherto lain quietly on a couch breathing in a somewhat stertorous manner. One of the medical meu had been so successful in his attention to her as U) bring her to a state of consciousness. Indeed she had been more or less in this condition for some time past, but feeling rather comfortable than other- wise, and dreamy, she had lain still and enjoyed herself. Being roused, however, to a state of ac- tivity by means of smelling-salts, and hearing the doctor remark that, except a shaking, she appeared to have sustained no injury, this stout woman deemed it prudent to go off into hysterics, and began by tittering a yell that would have put to shame a Comanchee Indian, and did more damage, perhaps, to the nerves of her sensitive hearers than the accident itself. She followed it up by drumming heavily on the couch with her heels. Singularly enough her yell was replied to by the whistle of the up train, that had been due for some time past She retorted by a renewed shriek, and became frantic in her assurances that no power yet diflijovered — whether mechanical, moral, or other- 71 THS OtON HOUSl wise — could or would ever persuade her to set foot again in a railway train I It was of no use to assure her that no one meant to exert such a power, even if he possessed it ; that she was free to go where she pleased, and whenever she felt inclined. The more that stout woman was implored to compose herself the more she discomposed herself and everybody else ; and the more she was besought to be calm the more a great deal did she fill the waiting-room with hysterical shrieks and fiendish laughter, until at last every one was glad to go out of the place and get into the train that was waiting to take them back to Clatterby. Then the stout woman became suddenly calm, and declared to a porter — who must have had a heart of stone, so indifferent waa he to her woes — that she would be " glad to proceed to the nearest 'otel if 'e would be good enough to fetch her a fly." " H'm ! " said Mr. Sharp, as he and young Gur- wood entered a carriage together, after having seen I John Man ot placed on a pile of rugs on the floor oil a fii'st-class carriage ; " there 's been work brewiD'l up for me to-night." " How ? What do you mean ?" asked Edwin. " I mean that, fi'om various indications which 1 observed this evening, we are likely to ha^e somj little corrospondence with the passengers of thj 0.30 P.M. train. Howevei, we're used to it ; perhap »B LIFE OS TBM Wft. ^'p 11 get not to mind it in «« our carnage, and stations ^1 . P^Wicv-fit up We with giving our shaTI^, "' '"^'* "°°'P"i- oany tha« to and"^ «" r 1 7 * ^^ <*'"^-<^- -e safety and exceeding 1^ "" r!"" '>''^'- "ve in the count,y and dot ' ""'"" "'°'" ^ -" as afford faci^'^il 1 "^^ r^" ""^ '''^- ^ "•« earth in « few days- nottT ''T*'^ *"''» "^ 'arable blessings to wWchtrnn" °"'" "■ I we run to them, and vet „,. '"' °'' "'''w'' t-' occur (as it J/olriH"" 'T " '"« "»- h ""'"gh i' occu« lesson jr"^ """'" ^«'"- K institutions) tha^ To^^l^^ *"- - ™ost bubhc upon us with iudieno^ ^^ ih,s ungrateful f» ■ *. » tt. S.^ ,''"7,"'"''"" ^'«p «««^" v^\..> ^%. A^A^ ^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 ^-IIM IIM i IM i||||Z2 116 I 2.0 1.8 U III 1.6 Vi ^> o ^r em. a1^^ ^'^- ^ ,>^ / M Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ? MP. den or stone sleepei Thia fori] v^as tran this arra been ever These sometimes that the>- speed^we ^ the con pretensions ^ "nmena "isocmch tj ^^ working t ^00 horses i ^ofl roads, t the beginnii ^'^^ely emp]( trictsofthek ^ flien, seeii ^egan to sugg ^^ys, to run i a mode of cc ^^^, which P'esent day of |i^ to urge up j«>n^eyance wi Nysupersed< r a very short OS Lrm OK THX UNi g This form of rail h^inrr r^ j • this a^ngemlt 2 *° *'"* ^''««^'' «°<1 teen eve JCelt; ~' ""^''-«- ''- of working the trafR.? ? "^"^ *" ^ ''"P^We »" roads. theS b. ";'"^°" ^'""^' ^-« ae begin;iJ '7 !; ^*" *" ""^"P'?' ''-d about , 'ncte of the kingdom Abo„f T ^^'^ '^- '«g^ to suggest the formation oT^ '""'" "''^^• »W to run along the Z „T ?^""'' "' ''^- -o^e of oon4a;rb; t" rr-~r '"'ua. which thoughtful LnllZlu '"' *" P-*"' -Jay of supposed enliglCmt^' T "' ""^ K <« u^e upon an «nbelievL« rbU '"'^""- hweyanoe which we feol 1 ^""^^"-^ "'"'J" «/ hiysupersedeolritl^Z/"''^;'''-' "^ -- -ve., short tun. "^tt^rjTr""""' I > ^^^ *^, m the nam« of II 6S THE IKON HORfiK m. science and art and common sense, is to prevent (i tramway being laid from Kensington to the Bank. " or elsewhere," which shall be traversed by a suc- cession of roomy carriages following each other every tive minutes ; which tramway might be crossed and recrossed and run upon, or, in other words, used by all the other vehicles of London except when the rightful carripges were in the way? Nothing pre vents, save that same unbelief which has obstructed the development of every good thing from the time that Noah built the ark I But we feel assured that the thing shall be, and those Tvho read this book may perhaps live to see it ! But to return. Among these thoughtful and far seeing men was one Dr. James Anderson, who in 1800 proposed the formation of railways by the road- sides, and he was so correct in his views that the plans which he suggested of keeping the level, by going round the base of hills, or forming viaducts, or cutting tunnels, is preciacly the method practised by engineers of the present day. Two years later a Mr. Edgeworth announced that he had long before •* formed the project of laying iron railways for baggage waggons on the great i-oads of England," and, in order to prevent tear and wear, he proposed j instead of conveying heavy loads in one huge waggon, to have a train of small waggons. With the modesty of true geniuA, which never over-estimates or forms «^dly sfl waggon ] Kilgewori travel by What a j tliought h geese thej Society of time. Th medal. This mar ^ause he scale) iron ^^ehicles, 8U( on his truck fate of six t He also proj stationary st been dieamet Mother s( Thomas Gra^ kork on what Jor I^nd Stean m of Horses Fperiority in Methods of C Canals." Qra^ ttosually comi '^^^ a goose j„; ;:; :rj": ^^-^ -» - "'""Sht him. If thin i 5 ''"y """ ^"vc g-e they „, J ^'^ '^^ ^-^ '''ive now, ,hat time. They rewarded m '^''^'•' °^ th«ir medaJ. '^ "'"^ Edgeworth with their gold This man seems to have been « f ~ ^<^^ he not only de^ "1 °?'"^'""«^'^'''- """le) iron raa^J, T^ ""'' ■""''« (o" a small *.. such aSX--J^Xar ordinary He..sopropoji\':;^,-„-'^^'honeho.e. «ion«y steam-engines nl I '"'P'oyment of ^" dreamed oOtoXth"" - ""^ "^'^''g Another semi-proptS!'*'''"^/P»""'P inclines. K»* on what he styled a " gT f t ^"""^'"^ " »'Und Steam Convevl" to ^" ^"o^' kofHors.inallS^;^h:^^■::^°*''^~ hnority in every fespect otfl t '^"'^^' K 84 THK mOV HOBfOt way communication between all the important citiei and towns in the kingdom, and pointed out the im- mense advantage that would be gained to commerce by such a ready and rapid means of conveying fish, vegetables, and other perishable articles from place to place. He also showed that two post deliveries in the day would become possible, and tliat tire insurance companies would be able to promote their interests by keeping railway fire-engines, ready to be transported to scenes of conflagration without delay. But Gray was not esteemed a prophet. His sug gestions were not adopted nor his plans acted on, though unquestionably his wisdom and energy gave an impulse to railway development, of which we are reaping the benefit to-day. His labours were not in vain. Horse railways soon began to multiply over the country. The first authorized by Act of Parliameut was the Surrey Railway in 1801. Twenty yean later twenty lines of railway were in operation. About this time, too, another man of note aii'l of I great scientific and mechanical sagacity lent his powerful aid to advance the interests of the railway i cause. This was Charles Maclaren, of EdinbuigU editor of the Scotsman newspaper for nearly thirtTl years. He had long foreseen, and boldly asserted liiil belief iu, the certain success of steam loconioti*^ H OR Lffl ON THU Umt. 85 rail, at a time when opinions anch as his were scouted as wild delusive dreams. But he did more, he brought his able pen to bear on the subject, and in December 1825 published a series of articles in the Scotsmcm on the subject of railways, which were not only exten- sively quoted and republished in this country and in America, but were deemed worthy of being translated into French and German, and so disseminated over Europe. Mr. Maclaren was thus among the fore- most of those who gave a telling impulse to the cause at that critical period when the Iron Horse was about to be put on the rail — the right horse in the right place — for it was not many years after- wards that that auspicious event took place. Mr. Maclaren not only advocated generally the adoption of railways, but logically demonstrated the wonderful powers and capacities of the steam locomotive, argu- ing, from the experiments on friction made more than half a century before by Vince and Colomb, that by the use of steam-power on railroads a much more rapid and cheaper transit of persons as well as merchandise might be conlideutly anticipated. He leaped far ahead of many of even the most hopeful advocates of the cause, and with almost prophetic foresight wrote " there is scarcely any limit to the rapidity of movement these iron pathways will en- able us to command." And again, — " We have spoken of vehiv^Jes travelling at twenty nules an r ft'. r t 4'' m noH HOKsi l;tii hour ; but we see no reason for thinkiiig that, in the progress of improvement, a much higher velocity might not be found practicable ; and in twenty years hence a shopkeeper or mechanic, on the most ordinary occasion, may probably travel witli a speed that would leave the fleetest courser behind." Won- derful words these ! At a first gluuce we may not deem them so, being so familiar with the ideas which they convey, but our estimate of them will be more just if we reflect that when they were penned rail- ways had scarcely sprung into being, steam locomo- tives had only just been bom, and not only men iit general, but even many learned, scientific and prao- tical men repjarded the statement of all such opinions as being Little short of insanity. Neveiilieless, many deep-thinking men though^ differently, and one contemporary, reviewing this subject in aftei years, said of Mr. Maclaren's papers, that "they prepared the way for the success of railway pro- jectors." We have said that the steam locomotive — the materiaH transformer of the world — our Iron Horse, had just been bom. It was not however bom on the rails, but on the common road, and a tremendous baby-giant it was, tearing up its cradle in sucb furious fashion that men were lerrified by it, aiid tried their best to condemn it to inactivity, just aa a weak and foolish father might lock up his unruly boy and i wisely in But th( their Her a gallant off victoric Of cou] anxious tc this day i originated J from the b brains in I ^Q believe prolific braij birth. The this infant ] conununicatt ittt.ter therei entertained d '^f PMladelp 1782. Willii of Watt, madt ^^on round the sameyeai 'motive in Etj •team -engine Richard Trevet mede and pate; 01, LI'U ONTHl Un. 87 boy and restrain him perforce, instead of training him wisely in the way in which he should go. But the progenitors of the Iron Horse were, like their Herculean child, men of mettle. They fought a gallant fight for their darling's freedom, and camo off victorious ! Of course, many men and many nations were anxious to father this magnificent infant, and to this day it is impossible to say precisely who originated him. He is said by some to have sprung from the brains of Englishmen, others assert that brains in France and Switzerland begat him, and we beHeve that brother Jonathan exercised his proHfic brain on him, before the actual time of his birth. The first name on record ia connexion with this infant Hercules is that of Dr. Kobison, who communicated his ideas to Watt in 1769. The latter thereupon made a model locomotive, but entertained doubts as to its safety. Oliver Evans, of Philadelphia, patented a " steam waggon " in 1782. WHliaiu Murdoch, the friend and assistant of Watt, made a model in 1787 which drew a small waggon round a room in his house in Cornwall In the same year Symington exhibited a model loco- motive in Edinburgh, and in 1795 he worked a iteam -engine on a turnpike-road in Lanarkshiie. Richard Trevethick, who had seen Murdoch's model, {made and patented a locomotive ia 1802. It drew I* 88 THI IRON HORSB Dim hi on a tramway a load of ten tons at the rate of jQvr miles an hour. Trevethick also made a carriage to run on common roads, and altogether did good service in the cause. Blenkinsop, of Middleton Colliery, near Leedf^, made locomotives in 1811 which hauled coals up steep ascents by means of a toothc^ rail, with a toothed propelling wheel working into it. This unnatural infant, however, turned out to be not the true child. It was found that such a powerful ' creature did not require teeth at all, that he could " bite " quite well enough by means of his weight alone, — so the teeth were plucked out and never allowed to grow again. After this, in 1813, came Bnmton of Butterley, with a curious contrivance in the form of legs and feet, which were attached to the rear of his engine and propelled it by a sort of walking motion. It did not walk well, how3ver, and very soon walked off the field of competit^ou altogether. At last, in the fulness of time there came upon the scene the great railway king, George Stephen- son, who, if he cannot be said to have begotten the infant, at all events brought him up and effectually completed his training. George Steplienson was one of cur most cel«- brated engineers, and the " father of the railv^ay system." He may truly be said to have been one "» unt o» TBI ma. of mankind', greatest benefacto™ u taught man, wa« born utTT- '^*,''" ' "^^f- ^««- H^e aa a pit-en^ne 1,"^;^ "^ " "*'' »» an engineer. ^ "* ** "^e «"» fortune worth CoUie'; ZLl 'TrZ"" """ '^'•'^- ""e of four miiea an W «nd V ' "" "' '"• (Wat sueoesa. In ]825 « ^'^8»"'«'l «« a »a« uaed on tJie Stocicton° atl'nl r '^* """* '^'' of which Stephenaon had been '"«'"" '^'''"'^• But the sreat ,.~, • '"^® engineer. -•«<'^'»teV.rd:;r:rj»--Hioh :ns-«-p-paHt,,d;;ro^:~ M^S:a;rb';r'''«^-''-terandrw fto best „>ode of workL^l '' "^""^^ ""d -d «ngi»ee« h ^^fe ^2 ''"' ''^ "^"t"- '^-h^-.eiine.houirb:.t;;^»,<^-'^^ 0' by Icomotivea ' Jt „.., T ^ "'' ^^Sines : '^e latter ahonld be used l?"^**'^ '^•"''**'^ ">»' /»■' offered forth, best i„ " '"^"^'^ "^^^O" [riesewei*- ^"' "^^^ conditio^,. ''^' «>« <='•--, should «nit „o amoWe-that 90 TBI IROir H0181 % W: the engine should be on springs — that it should not weigh more than six tons, or four-and-a-half tons if it had only four wheels — that it should be able to draw a load of twenty tons at the rate of t«n mile<< an hour, with a pressure of fifty pounds to the square inch in the boiler, aiid should not cost more than £500. The Iron Horse was now at last about to assimif its right position. It was no longer an infant, but a powerful striyiling — though still far from its fiiU growth ; as far as si^c tons is from sixty ! Four iron steeds were entered to oompete for the prize. It was in October 1829 that tliis celebrated trial came o£f, and great was the interest manifested on the occasion, for not only did the public enter- tain doubts as t/> the capabilities of locomotives, but very few even of the engini'crs of the country would adndt the possibility of a locomotive engine attain- ing a speed greater than ten miles an hour ! First came the "Novelty" of Braithwait« and Ericson; then the " Sanspareil " of Hawk worth ; the " Per- severance ** of Burstall ; and, lastly, the " Rocket " of Stephenson. Of the first three we sliall merely say that the " Novelty," being weak in the wheels, broke down; the "Sanspareil** burst one of her cylinders ; and the " Perseverance " turned out to be too heavy to comply with the conditions of the trial The' train oi wna lig lift(*d at away it : fifteen, ai an hour .' the prize and final] the imi'oi ^ay in th( his hoihr, and thus pr ^ tlie wate; *'^te steac I increasing t bastion; for kithout muc ^ attained, ^e differt jtiose now in p day in U T°^e of our gre F« Kensingto K e^ishrined N, and of th p system, ' ^ wonderful i The " Hook-Af » « J -- lighted, and the ««!?"' '"""' *« S^" 'w«y It w«,.t with its lo«,i ^,'^"'""'" ?"*««"«, and ««-. -d a m„i„. J:; ;;---«« «..eed of -d final,, mamedto te r T "'"' '■"'">■ "y ■•" the iut«,ductioB of f 'P"'""""''' «"cc.,, 1^ ''Oiler, through which tl « '"'~'" *"''*» '"t" »^»'-sp™,em!dav^tal:: T.' "*"' P-»»<»- •"'"-ater. Another poLT::^!""'"-"*""^ , -«» steam to pass ti.^„ghThe '^. ^"-">e '"" ,'»oreasing the draught an/. ^'"^y- *'"■» ^""i-; for heat is the iil ;;' r'^""" '"" "-«- :rLr"^--^--o;:r:rdr pS^r:ett;::--'-ea„d K day in Tx,ndon, by Z f! ^T"' """^ ^ «««" h »' our great raUwavT " "'"' "'""'*» to vi«it h-ington^il^^'^i^'-'Jgotheuceto h»- enshrined-a m«!;^' • , ** "-Rocket- i, K»^ofthe^;:i7:i''^-pwswis- ksyaten. r^^ though the L!!"^*^' ™"- k -wonderful how completeLrr "^ ^ f^Mtlie Eoeket ■• was, aU I* I* f »t THK IBON HOBJUI things considered. The modem improvements made on locomotives consist chiefly in clothing the boiler with wood, felt, and other non-conductors to in- crease the life-giving heat; in heating the feed- water, coupling the driving-wheels, working the cylinders horizo.atally, economizing steam by cut- ting off the supply at any part of the stroke tliat may be required, and economizing fuel by using raw coal instead of coke, and consuming the smoke, besides many other minor contrivances, but all the great principles afifecting the locomotive were ap- plied by George Stephenson, and illustrated in the " Rocket." It is no wonder that the first Iron Horse was clumsy in appearance and somewhat grotesque, owing to the complicatio i of rods, cranks, and other machinery, which wa.'^ all exposed to view. It re- quired years of experience to enable our engineers to construct the grand, massive, simple chargers which now run off with our monster trains a.^ il they were feathers. When the iron horse was first made, men were naturally in hast« to ascertain liis power and paces. He was trotted out, so to spenk, in his skeleton, with his heart and lungs and muscles exposed to view in complex hideosity Now-a-days he never appears without his skin we groomed and made gay with paint and polished b and steel Wei] at near! can novi the rate speed, passenge; hour. T That of s from fortj From t chaster an eiiig one guinea. Even at the beginning of the present century four miles an hour was deemed a very fail rate of travelling for a stage coach. With Macadju increaaec coaches tions at t ten miles there wa^ coaches w. can iieve^ uito each some sense ^faey touch train at twc 1,^(1 ual star on him now wvU-appoinj 'ift bend o\ ^^^ Kuard. ( ^od reekinv. ^d pulled u the glorious Noubtthepas h^your nose pou ever get | "express," tht poffientum, w pa. but in ord 1*'^ cannot f< With the improven,ent of road. j,. .. , Macadum in 1816 lw.„. • ^ *« 'an"»i-un,e«, '-. at twenty or even t^y 2.1'T' ™" "' " ^--ua,startandgentlep„,ri,T:;::T:'''''*« "", "" "- ""spared Jth th 'sp^ j^' ""'' '^'^' •^"-appointed maU coach „7 n ""'"e "^ tte ''»'--'ofa.ad,::;"u;7j"-p'--i »'' K-tM, c«ckin» whin fl ? "'""*^ '^"^« »^ -ian« ^oan-lcl AlTdastr *'°"«'^' /""P-^ed up, whu, ,, „ear ' <* «*o to.,. "» glorious craah and Z T ^^' "^^ «" ^""tt the parsing of I J!™ "' """^^ ' ^o »^^--eia!oiL7;:.,tr^r'''''"' I'wpress,- the r«/ tn,fl, "^ '"«"«' °f "n ffun cannot for « »„„. » ""^ *"^val of a mo««t oon.p.re with the d«h m 96 tWL JLMON B0K81 ''mi' II the animal spirit, the enthusiasm, the romance of the mail coach of days gone hy. About the time that the day of slow speed was drawing to a close (1837) licenses were granted to 3026 stage coaches, of which 1507 went to and from London, besides 103 mail coaches. And it has been estimated that the number of passengers carried in the year about fchat time was two millions. In re- gard to the merchandise traffic of the kingdom, we cannot give statistics, but we ask the reader to bear in mind that it wan all conducted by means of heavy waggons and slow-going canal barges. Now, let us contrast this state of things with the condition and influence of railways up to the present time. As we have said, the iron horse began his career in 1830 on the Liverpool and Manchester line — long since become part of the London and North-Western Railway — at that time thirty-one miles long. Eight years later, Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham were completely connected with London by railway. Then, as success attended the scheme, new lines were undertaken and opened at a still more rapid rate until, in 1843 — despite the depression caused for a time by over-speculating- there were nearly 2000 miles of railway open for traffic, j In 1850 there were above 6000 nules open; in 1860, above 10,000. In 1864 the railways of the kingdom employed upwards of 7200 locomotives, 23,470 passenge waggons. sengers a a distanci -the ea In 1866 forty mill date (1871 in the I7i amongst al number of Jailer comj Wesiern, th An the : ^here abou< ^^OTds, that 1 fonned on ( I their best da; I millions I* It is alnios J change in th, [this country i,c [ago none tiav Many rwdew li f'« to know that, [M.-^iitting down '"'""ent.andworkin rPtiBg Sunday- lie 0« UW o» THB um passenger carriages, and 212 tnn j -aggons. r„ tut orve ' , - ""^ "^^"^ -«^- and g«,ds tr. r;3ot-,r" ""■^°" p""- aa.«at.onMenet,:itr;:rr- ■iate (1871) above 14,000 m^J J' ""« P^^"' in the United Kingdom Si T^'"'^ "' "^^ amongst about 430 compan ts b^"** *' '^'^'^'^ ■'""'t'er of these have bert " """'•"•^'"We la^er con,pa„i,, such ^ 1 T'^r**' "•'" "'-' Wes.en, the Great Wesl"'!'""'^'"' '"' ^"'^ -All the lines cami^f? i« «« but the comparatively rich, and G 98 THE IRON HOBfll fchat only to an extent erjual to about two-thirds of the present population of Tx)ndon. Now-a-day8 the poorest artisan can, and does, afford to travel, and the number of journeys performed each year on all our British railways is equal to more than the entire population of Europe ! which, in Stewart's "Modem Geography," is set down at 285 millions. From this of course it follows, that, as many thousands of men, women, and children never travel at all, many others must have undertaken numerous journeys in that yetu*. The facilities afforded by railways are altogether innumerable. If so disposed you may sup one night in the south of England and the next night in the north of Scotland. Thousands of families dwell in the country, while the heads thereof go to their business in town by rail every morning and retuni home every evening. Huntsmen, booted and spurred, are whirled off, horses and all, to distant fields, whence, after " crorsing country " all day, they return to the railway and are whirled back to town in time for dinner. Navvy s and artisans are conveyed to their work at a penny a mile, and monster train? carry thousands of excursionists to scenes of rural delight that our fathers never dreamed of in theii | wildest flights of fancy. One of the most reriiarkable and interesting fact«| in connexion with all this is, that although in ooAches have been beaten off the field there are I our laiiwa^ to r>»)tflr in but, for I mtm coi ourfri/jjjen as cheap co] '^om would seivice of tl and the gro ^ays in one These are nectcfl with enlarged upc •^ders desire and instructi^ ^^^hy of per • ^e vrould ref OB um OH THt an, "tnaUy more horses empWed in ,y,- than the™ we» in 1837 ^m """*^ "»'' mo™ bu^e.s than they eZrL"""^ "^ ^°^ Wgher profits too. In 186511 " "^ ""^"^ ^aiiway amounted to between T!!"' "' "^'''""'^ ■"iffion head of all kinds ^ '^'^ °' ««*«" in the same year bv oZ ■. '""'^""'Ption of coal. minerak carried bvrail IT „ ^' ^^ °*«f The benefit deriv^ h" .^"""^ ^ *'"»™°«»- '« -«-r into details but t n, r""""^""* ^P«-=« ^- ^or railways 'th'e'; 1^^ '^^^^^^^^^ ivstm could not have exis J 'd f '" ^'"^ '"'fr-.eat deliveries of 1 Z ' ""^/^ ""-"-o. "^o, «» cheap comm,mication Uh ,7 '"^''^ *" ^^^ Jom would have 11 "" P""'' "^ ">« ^ng- . oave been impossible Ti,» -T^ 3emee of the Post-Office is over eo 000 , """^'^ •"1 ae gross sum paid by Z Z n^ ' " ''^' -ays in one year .asfsro.Soo ^"^ *" '^"- These are but a few of f T>n « -f'^ With our ra:^!;' ~tr ?"""""- e-Jarged upon, would fiU a bS ^^' "" "^^ ''aders desii« more therel ^ ''°''™''- ^^ <>>" »d instructive rrk";! ^ T'""' '"''^''^« worthy of peruaal . '"''•'^'' ^'^<"' "» weU f/i» 100 THE IRON HOBSl Before doiing tliis perhaps too statistical chapter, we shall say a few words as to the construction of a railway. No one who has not looked pretty closely into the subject can form any adequate conception of the difficulties that beset an engineer-in chief in the formation of a Une of railway. We will suppose that all tliR Parliamentary battles have been fought, opposition overcome, the heavy expenses connected therewith paid, and the work begun. The engineer has walked again and again over thp country through which the railway is to be carried and selected the best route, his assistants having meanwhile taken for him " flying levels " and " cross levels." Too frequently prejudice, ignorance, and selfishness interpose to prevent the best route being taken, and immense sums that might have been saved are spent in constructing the line on the neit best route. As soon as the course of a line is fixed accurate surveys are made by the assistnnt engineers, copies of which are placed, accordiii , to Act of Parliament, with the various clerks of the peace of the counties through which the line is to pass, with the Commissioners of Railways and others, besides which there has to be prepared for each parish its proportion, and for each landholder s and Telegraphs ; " Roncy'u *' Rambles on RailwayB," ivhich bristles with fignres and swarms with anocdote ; " Stokers and Poken»," by Sir Fraucif* Head, a capital and rery full work, thoogli somewhat old ; W, B. Adasu' "Baadiiand Rails, " andBreraner'a " Ind'istri«w of iSSkntJajri ' «ectioi em ban As I ParliuL plan aj which gradieni tletemii viaducts b'liikmei: "amber ( latter ca down of ( as liuiy be iiivoJves V tity of uxi " trial sliai strata to b( of uU the portioned ^y contract portioued- eagineer js '^sistauts/ «ach, aiid th of masonry, to each of w, "^hese ina OB LITK ON TH£ UNK. 101 section showing the greatest depth of cutting oi embankment in any of his fields. As soon as all this has been done, and the Act of Parliament authorizing the line obtained, an accurate plan and section of the whole line is made, from which the engineer asceitains and lays down its gradients, in other words its ascents and descents, determines the number and size of the bridges and viaducts to be made, calculates the quantity of em- bankments required to fill up hollows, and the uaaiber of cuttings to level obsti notions, in which latter calculations he estimates that the cutting down of elevations will bo made subservient, as far as may be, to the elevation of depressions. All tliis iuvolves very nice and exact calculation as to quan- tity of material, masonry, etc., and the sinking of " trial shafts " to ascertain the nature of the various strata to be excavated or tuuneUed. Then the cost of all the works Kia to bo estimated in detail, ap- portioned into lengths and advertised for execution by contract. To each section of the line thus ap- portioned — forty or fifty miles — an experienced engineer is appointed, having under him " sub- assistants," who superintend from ten to fifteen miles each, and these agsdn are assisted by " inspectors " of masonry, mining, eaith-work and permanent way, to each of whom a district is assigned. These manacring and guiding men having been in*' lr.v lot Ifll IBON H0B8X appointed, the physical workers are then called into action, in the form of bands of navvies. Aa the steam and mechanism of the locomotive are nselesa except in regulated combination, so brain and muscle can achieve nothing \.'i'i>hout wise and harmonious union. If boys and men would reflect more deeply on this great truth, pride, boasting, and the false separation of classes would be less rifa We say fality because there is a separation of classes which is natural and unavoidable. No one ever complains of thjoi. If ill-advised or angry navvies were to re- fuse to work, what could directors and engineers do ? If, on the other hand, ill-advised or angry directors and engineers refused to pay, what could navvies do ? Antagonism is an unhealthy condition of things. There is far too much of it between employers and employed in this world. " Agree with tliine adver sary quickly " is a conmiand which applies to bodies of men quite as much as to individuals, and the word is " agree," not coerce or force. If we cannot agree, let us agree to differ ; or, if that won't do in our peculiar circumstances, then let us agree to separate. Fighting, save in self-defence, is only fit for foola But to return. When bone and muscle have been for the time welded to brain, then the work of con- struction goes on "fall swing." Difficulties and obstructions are overcome in a way that appeal^ to ^ the un But the more e^ against ■ sight coi The ] Western timnel wj about 30C with two It was a ground in advertised contracton tlie offer accepted. and all wei ^^as suddei extended 4( shafts had i '' more trem r^iaders may that to solic effect on hi prostrated, a '' ^nd justly r< reprieve came ''^ be a quest] mm OB lUE ON THJ LINIB. j^j -. ^^V^r^,^::' -^ -^--^ great., ae^t which BO LoZt ru '^^"^"" °^ '^ '-gbt could have JaU ' '"°^ "'^"'^ »' ^o- ""■nel was proposed itJT '"""^ ^«" that «■■* two g.eat ventitt ,1 „ f T-'"^ ^"'^''-' it ^"^^ a gigantic work Th7 "" '"""'«'«'•• 8-nd in tl uau; way ^ hTl" "*""'*•' *« advertised for ..,.„dej' ^""t ""*• -" '»'- contractors also examined th 1117' ""T""" '!■« offer of one of then, to workT, "T*"''' ^"^ «=epted. Forthwith thf * •'^'"'■•""' '^w «"^ aU went we^ ilXTotr '^ ^"^^' « suddenly discovered tha a S ' ""''' '' extended 400 yards int. f.. T '^'" quicksand 'i-ftB had iusfpte^tif.' r"'' """'' '»'« '™' -oretrer^enriTLlt r:'^^- "^ - -lers may at fi™t tholgl; IZ^^^l '^ ""' ftat to solidify a ouickfrL ^^ ' "'^^ "^"^^^d , *ct on hTwLCeTt ,:r h'"''""^"^- ^« ,P-«t-ted. and althougf he It' "" ™"'""y >"d justly relieved hif. ^^ 'T^"' g^^^-'y «pWeve came t«o late, for Td^I "^r"' ''^ h ^« a, uestio. Whether or „otl;::i-;- f »t W 104 TBI IBON HOBaa be abandoned. Many advised that it sLould. At this juncture Mi*. Robert Stephenson, son of the gieat George, came forward and undertook the work. He placed his chief dependence on the steum-engiue to keep the water down while the work was in pro- gress. At first he was successful, but one day, whUe the men were busy laying their bricks in cement, one of them drove into the roof, and a deluge of water burst in on them, and although they tried to con- tinue their work on a rati the water prevailed and at last diove them out They escaped with diflBculty up one of the air-shafts. The water having put an effectual stop to the work, the directors felt disposed to give it up, but Stephenson begged for a fortnight more. It was granted. By means of thirtc ^n steam- engines, the amazing quantity of 1800 gallons of water per minute was pumped out of the quicksand night and day for eight mouths. With the aid of 1 250 men and 200 horses the work was finally completed, having occupied altogether thirty months from the laying of the first brick. Two very singular accidents occurred during the coui'se of the construction of this tunneL On one occasion a man who had been working in it waa being hauled up one of the shafts, when his coat caught in an angular crevice of the partition, that separated the pumps from the passage for the men, and became so firmly jammed that he was com- pelied in the until h him bi piece oj office a occasioE way do^ a huge surface, been mai uately tl he had b( wurse he flhout for their advi oi the CO] vistid thei vhich the t^aniud hoi many weeJ covered. ^Vhat we ^^'lit glimj and dangers tion of a mi Of course ^cording to OB um OH TM UM. Pelied to iet go the wpe, and ™ Uft f ^ . piece of cloth was loL . . ^ coat Thia surface, wont^i^hUhlf^^,,^'''""''' ^'" ^""^ "^e been made of ptr andlilt t''"""' " '^ ■"'«' -tely then. ZlZt ^ *' '""*°'^ ^o-*- ^^-adbee..ui:d::i':_:r;h'^ ''''-■ ^'^ ^urse he had n^nr. i ^^ ^"^ ""«"' ^^om of -"'-a^r^trrei'Ttrsr^ ^'-'.the,ve;':^vird%r''""''^''"'- -nied home and pnt to b^ h 7' °"" "'" -aay weeks unable to mov^ but 7 *''" '" covered ' ^^^ ultunateljr re- ^Vhat we have said of the T^iui . ^^t glin.p3e of so Jof 1 ^^^ *'^^^ ^^-«« a 106 TBX lEON H01U9B places the gradients are slight, bridges few, and cut- tings, etc., insignificant ; but in other places the n; verse is emphatically the case, and costly laborious works have to be undertaken. One such work, which occurred at the very open- ing of our railway system in 1828, was the bridging of the Chat Moss, on the Liv«^rpool and Manchester line. George Stephenson, the constructer of the " Kocket," was also the hero of the Chat Moss. This moss was a great swamp or bog, four miles in ex- tent, which was so soft that it could not be walked on with safety, and in some places an ii*on rod laid on the surface would sink by its own weight. Like many other difficulties in tlds world, the solidifica- tion of the Chat Moss was said to be impossible, but the great engineer scarce admitted the proprietj of allowing the word " impossible " to cumber oui dictionaries. He began the work at once by form- ing an embankment twenty feet high, which he carried some distance across the treacherous soil, when the whole affair sank down one day and dis- appeared ! Undismayed, Stephenson began again, and went on steadily depositing thousands on thou- sands of tons of earth, which were greedily swallowed up, until at last a solid foundation was obtained over the greater part of the bog. But therf? was a particularly soft part of it, known by the name of the " flow moss." which was insatisible. Over this OS IJ7I OV THl LlirS. 107 hnrdles interwoven with heath were spread, and on these earth and gravel were laid down. When this road showed a tendency to sink below the level, Stephenson loaded the moss beyond the track to balance it ; when water oozed through, he invented i new kind of drain-pipe formed of old tallow casks, headed into each other, and ballasted to keep them down, and at last the feat wiu! accomplished — the railway was run over the wet q^uakiiig moss on firm dry land. It was in the formation of this, the true beginning of railways, that the British " navvy ** was called into being. To perform the laborious work, Stephen- son employed the men called '• inland navigators," in other words, the canal excavators. This body of strong " navigators " or " navvies " formed the nu- cleus, which gathered recmits from all parts of the kingdom. As the work of railway making, which thenceforward grew fast and furious, was unusually severe, only men who were unusually powerful were siiited for the navvy ranks, so that they became a distinct class of gigantic men, whose capacity for bread and beef was in accordance Math their mus- cular development and power to toil Splendid teUows they were, and are ; somewhat rugged and untamed, no doubt, with a tendency to fight occa- sionally, and a great deal of genuine kindness and aimplicity. That they are capable oi being imbued 108 THE IBOM HOKSE with refined feeling, noble sentiment, and love to God, has been shown by the publications of Miss Marsh, which detail that lady's interesting and earnest labours to bring the unbelievers among thest men t/O our Saviour. Another celebrated piece of railway engineering is the Brita7inia Bridge over the Menai Straits, which separates Caernarvonshire from the island of Anglesey. Tliis was the first bridge ever built on the tubular principle. The importance of crossing the strait was very great, as it lay in the direct route to Holyhead and Ireland. Telford the engineer dar- ingly resolved to span the strait with a suspension bridge 100 feet above the water. He began it in 1818, and on the last day of January 1826 the Lon- don mail coach passed over the estuary. The bndge remains to this day a vast and beautiful monument of engineering skill But when railways began to play, something more ponderous and powerful became necessary. A bridge with arches was talked of, but this was considered likely to be obstructive to the navigation of the strait, therefore another plan was demanded. At this juncture j Eobert Stephenson came forward with a planj Founding his opinion on the known fact that boUof columns are stronger than solid ones ; that holloT» beams are better than solid beams, he leaped to thf] bold conclusion that & hollow iiou beam, or tube OB Line ON THi Lnrs. 109 fiould be niftde large enough to allow a train to pass through it ! As usual there sprang up a host of oold-waterers, but, thanks to British enterprise, which can dare anything, there were found enough of men willing to promote the scheme. It was no sooner restdved on than begun. Massive abutments of Btone were raised on each shore to the height of 100 feet above high-water. The width of the strait between these abutments is nearly 500 yards. Mid- way across is the Britannia Rock, just visible at half tide. The engineer resolved to found one of hifl towers on that rock. It was done; but, the distance being too great for a single span of tube, two other towers were added The centre towel rises 35 feet higher than the abutments, thus giving to the tube a very slight arch, which, however, is barely perceptible. The tubes were rectongular, with double top and bottom made of plates of wrought- iron, from three- eighths to three-quarters of an inch thick, and vary- ing in length according to their position — the whole when put together forming a single tube about 500 yards long. The two centre ones were the larjjest and most difficult to manage, each having to be built on shore, floated off on barges, and lifted by hydraulic power a height of about 100 feet. Some idea of what this implied may be gathered from the fol- bwinij fact Each tube weighed 1800 tons — tha I . I ■ {■ ■ m 1 »1 II* 110 TBI mow W'fVBM weight of a goodly- sized ocean fsteamer ! A perfect army of men worked at the building of the tnbes ; cutting, punching, fitting, riveting, etc., and as the place became the temporary abode of so many arti ficers and labourers, with their wives and children, a village sprang up around them, with shops, a school, and a surgery. Two fire-engines and large tanks of water were kept in constant readiness in case of fire, and for many months rivet-making macliines, punching machines, sliearing machines, etc., were in fuU work. There were two mil- lion rivets used altogether, and the quantity of three-quarter-inch iron rod used in making them measured 126 miles. The total weight of iron used was nearly 12,000 tons. The bridge was strengthened by eighty-three miles of angle iron. For many months the outlay in wages alone was £0000 a week, and the cost for the whole of the works more than £600,000. A curious fact con- nected with this enormous mass of iron is, that arrangements had to be made to permit of shrinkage and expansion. The tubes were placed on a series of rollers and iron balls, and it was afterwards found that in the hottest part of summer they were twelve inches longer than in winter — a difference which, if not provided for, would have caused the destruction of the towers by a constant and irre- ligtible pull and thrust ! The Menai Bridge ww begun : I860. Space slight si railways point to at Newc Saltash, great hei^ kingdom magnifice] Eastern sj Entertaini of timneli Kingdom. The Me »nd singuh ^ regarde( under the s This stu- t^' relieve tl frequent bh ago in the : ^ rendere the increase '^8 and goo( ^iidon in a It became ob OB LIWII OIT THK Llinj. ,jj Space would fail us w slight sketeb of the ^^T "* *° *"*"'P* «'«" » «aways have caUed S W 'T """" *"' point to euch achievements asTht v . , ""^ '""''"'? at Newcastle-on-Tyne W ! ^'^"'''^'"'"'^» ^t^^H, ove. ti.i'z::''^^:-::-'' -^^ ^' great height, length «n^ i ® viaducts of magmficent a« to remind one of r T """' ^' Eastern splendour described 1 1 ""™^ "^ KingdoM. * ""* "^^ "> the United I'lie MetropoUtan JRailwav i« fl.. , •"-J singular of the.e tnZVl^! T'' ""P"^' ^ regarded as a giaantrt T " ""'"'^'^ '<' ™f er the streets of Col ""*='' ""^"^ 'ais stupendous work was i,„^.^ . - ->-e the fnffie i„ the ZeuTuZ " ""^^ fr^quont block., that used f. °°- "^^^ .^"'-hernainthLlSiro'rrr^^'^'- W rendered relief absoluljv *f«'™PoIiB, 113 THK ntOV HOB0K ance must be opened up. After much deliberation as to the best method, it was finally resolved that an underground railway should be made, encircling the Metropolis, so that travellers arriving from all points of the compass might find a ready and sujB&cient means of conveyance into the central parts of the city. There was opposition to the scheme, of course ; but, thiough the persevering energy of the solicitor to the undertaking and others, the work- was at length begun, and the line opened for traffic in January 1863. Its extraordinary success soon proved tlie wisdom of its promoters. At first it was thought that the chief revenues would be derived from the conveyance of goods from the west to the eastern districts of London, but its enormous passenger traffic eventually became thp chief cause of itvS great prosperity. In the very first year of its opening the number of passengers who travelled by ii between Farriugdon Street and Bishop's Koad, Paddington, amoimted to nearly nine and a half millions of individuals, which is more than three times the entire population of London— also, let us add, more than three times the entire population of Scotland ! The number of trains which are constantly fol- lowing each other in quick succession (at times every two or three minutes) on this magnificent railway ha» rendered a most perfect system of si^- nallin superi aU pi( one wl and alJ men, the Me easily b under s shaken, andwatc tobemai tion was ingenious reflecting a method, admit of i of the woi still, refle( gineer-in-c ^^g the lir At first : could not as were he those fears, ^ess, and a ^ of the line competent i nailing necesjtarv one who travels by it thrffK ""^ *° "^"^ easUy be beUeyed. seei^/thatit IZ, r,^ " """^ "Oder streeto whose Z,h!« '""^ '^ >« fonned shaken, and amol Z^^^^"^ '*" '^-"idaWy to bema.„toed intact JX^"'* '^^'^ ^«°" ""^ '— going oa t:f:*L''2""'""^'™<'- "^eniously lighted fron. the a,^ ,^!^!" T "»' of the works are a fiinn.,!. • / ^ ^^ ^^^^e '^ ^efleetin,;:::^:^^;;;;^^ gineer-in-chief B^.nH^ ;. '^^^^' *^® ««" %;he^e.peXXCi^-;-^-... « were hero fonnei ^11^-^' "r" '^''^ *-fea..aken.an;othLTr?" '"'''' V and a vezy thoroLh I"; ?' ^'"' ^'"«ut tlie nature of our book forbids it. Wo quit the mb- jeot regretfully ; referring the reader, who may desire to know mor«, to au able notice of the Metropolitan Railway in " The Shops ^ Ooinpanies of London*" edited by Henry Mayhew. > •1 Lm on Tin? cnriL ia referenoe to fo i •P^ '"'•y that thJrjf''T- ""' ''"^« ""ly - 'orthy of note „ ^,7, ?"" " ^<»-« K-»ahnnrofwr:r:::r- H 132 THK TBOW H0MI» tide his sire to inquire considerately into his state of body, and to give him, as he expressed it, the nooa of the line. ** You see daddy,** he said, " the doctor tdls me you *re to be kep* quiet an* not allowed to talk, so in course you 've got nothin' to do but lie still an' Usten while I give 'ee the noos. So 'ere goes. An* don't you sit too near baby, mother, else you *11 wake 'im up, an' we 'U have a yell as 11 put talkin' out o' the question. Well then — " " Bob," said Loo, interrupting her brother as she sat down opposite and began to mend one of baby's pinafores — which by the way was already so mended and patched as to have lost much of its original fonri and appearance — " Bob, Mr. Able has been here, and—" "Who's Mr. Able?" demanded Bob. " One of the directors, — don't you know ? " " How should I know ? " retorted Bob ; " you don't sropose that the d'rectors is all my partikler friends, do you ? There 's only two or three of 'era as has the h aer of my acquaintance." " Well," resumed Loo with a laugh, " yoii ought to consider Mr. Able one of your particular friends at all events, for he has been here this evening] making kind inquiries after father, aud telling him i that he has got you appointed to the works th8t| you've been so loner hankering — " OK LI7S ON TEK UHriL 133 " What ! " intemipted Bob in great excitement, " yon don't mean that, Loo ? " « Yes, I do." "To the grv^at Clatterby Works, where the big hammer is ? '* " Well, I suppose it is to these works," said Loo. " Ay, Bob, to the Clatterby Works, lad ; so you *re a made man if you only behave yourself and do your dooty," said John Marrot in reply to his son's look of inquiry. In the strength of his satisfaction the boy rose, and, taking Loo round the neck, kissed her pretty mouth heartily, after which he bestowed the same favour on his mother and little Gertie, and looked as if he meant to do it to baby too, but he thought better of it ! " Why, mother," he said, resuming his seat at the bedside, "these are the works where they've got the big hammers — so big, mother ; oh ! you 've no notion how big they are, and heavy. Why, one of 'em is full five tons in weight — think o' that ! equal to five carts of coals, mother, all rolled into one." " Nonsense ! " said Mrs. Marrot " But it 's truey" said Bob, earnestly. "Nonsense!" repeated Mrs. Marrot; "w'y, what would be the use of a hammer as no one could lift ? " " Steam lifts it, mother," said Bob, ** as easy — yes, aa easy as you lift the rollin' pin." 124 TKE IBOH H0R8B The Tmbelieving woman still shook her head, emiled, and said " Nonsense ' " *' Moreover," continued Bob, waxing enthusiastic on his favourite topic, " I 'in told, for I haven't seen *em yet, that they 've got a pair o' scissors there as can cut cold iron as easy as you can cut paper— they could cut through," said Bob, pausing and looking round, " they could cut through the poker and tongs and shovel all at one go as easy as if they was straws." " Gammon ! ** said Mrs. Marrot. " Isn't it a fact, daddy ?" cried Bob. " Quite true, Molly, my dear. 1 must take you over to see the works some day and convince you," said John with a faint amile. " But what 's the news you were goin* to give us, Bob ? " he added. " The noos ? — ah ; that good noos drove it aU out o* ray 'fad. Veil, as I wos fi^oin* to say, there 's a great tx)-do do%7U at the shed, 'cause it *s said that an awful lot 0* thefts has bin goin' on of lat'"«nydidyouaay;"s,,ea«fca •■"1^, repeated the overseer '"' 'Eve,y week r- asked M„, Mamt. I'-; bul, "Serher^rlwrw'^" """' ''°"'«'^- I'f wheel, ever^ ye^:.^ "^ ^"^ °» ^» «0«0 pairs ;W'y.whatA,youmakeof'emaU»- ^' ^*'''^'*'"»"out9otastthatit 14H THIS IRON nOMSIk keeps U8 working at that rate to meet our necessi- ties. But that," he continued, "is only a smaU ])art of what we do. We turn out of the works 156 first-class carriages besides many seconds and thirds, and about 1560 trucks every year; besides three engines, new and complete, every fortnight." " Three noo engines every fortnight ! " echoed Mrs. Marrot ; " how many 's tliat m the year, Bob ? " " Seventy-eight," replied Bob, promptly. Bob wns a swift mental calculator, and rather proud of it. " Where ever do they all go to ? " murmured Mrs Man-ot. " Wliy," replied WiU Garvie " they go to all the stations on the line, of course ; seme of 'em go to Bmaah at once in cases of accidents, and all of 'em goes to destruction, more or less, in about fifteen or twenty years. We reckon that to be the life vl a locomotive. See, there 's a drivin' axle, such as you saw forged by the big hammer, being tumfi now and cut to shape and size by the same sort ol machine that you saw cuttin' the tyxes." They passed on, after looking at the axle for a few miniites, until they came to a prrt of the build- ing vhere rails were being forged. This abo, although not done by hammer, waa a striking pro- cess. The place wiia ao iiot, owiog to the quantity of uncooled metal on the floor, that it waa no*! posiiibie to remain long ; they therefore took a. rapiii| they laste^ "steel C05 about £7 t^o years i ^fi have t "-here ther. "Now, I •^larrot, do streaming ; "^'^erstand ''oae along. Oft IXn OH THX UMl. Ut Burvey. In one place several men were in the act of conveying to the steam -haromer a mass of shapeless white-hot iron, which had jiist been plncked from a furnace with a pair of grippers, Tliey pnt it below the hammer for a few minutes, which soon reduced it to a clumsy bar ; then they carried it to a pair of iron rollers driven by steam. The ern^ of the bar being presmted to these it was gripped, dragged in between them, and passed out at the other side flat and very ranch lengthened as well as thinned. Having been fiirther reduced by thia process, it was finally passed through a pair of rollers which gave it shape and sent it out a complete rail ready to be laid down on the line. Here CArvie took occasion to explain that steel rails, although very expensive, were now being ex tenaively used in preference to iion rails, because they lasted much longer. ' For instance," he said "steel costs about £12 a ton and iron only costs about £7 ; but then, d *ye see, ?v«el rails will last two years and more, whereas iron rails get wore out, and have to be renewed every six weeks in places «here there 's much traffic," ' Now, I can't stand no more o* this," fmid Mrs, Marrot, down whose face the perspiration was streaming ; " I 'm a'most roasted alive, an' don't understand your explanations one bit, Willum, ao coma along." 150 TUB IROV HOK»X " Oh, motlier, do bold on a moment," pleaded Bob whose mechanical soul was in a species of paradise " You 'd better come, Bob," interposed Garvie, "else we won't have time to eee the departmenr where the engines are fitted.* This was sufficient for Bob, who willingly fol- lowed The fitting shed at that time contained several engines in various stages of advancement. In one place men wcre engaged in fitting together the iron framework or foundation of a locomotive, with screws, and bolto and nuts, and rivets. Others were employed near them, on an engine more advanced, in putting on the wheels and placing the boilers and fixe- boxes, while another gang were busy covering the boiler of a third engine with a coating of wood and felt, literally for the pur})ose of keeping it warm, or preveniinfr its heat from escap- ing. Farther on, three beautiful new engines, that had just been made and stood ready for action, wore receiving a few finishing touches from the paiuter^ Fresh, spotless, and glittering, these were to maie their d^ut on the morrow, and commence their com- paratively brief career of furious activity — gay thing? doomed emphatically to a fast life ! Beyond theje young creatures lay a number of aged and crippled engines, all more or less disabled and sent tljon^ for repair ; one to have a burst steam-pipe removed anii OB LIFE ON TFK LINS. 161 replaced, another to have a wheel, or a fire-box or a s'linder changed ; and one, that looked as if it had recently " run a-inuck " against all the other engines OD the line, stood sulkily grim in a comer, evidently await ingits sentence of condemnation, — tFie usual fate of such engiues heing to be torn, bored, battered, chiselled, clipt, and otherwise cut to pieces and cast into the fiimaces. While gazing round this apartment Mrs. Marrot's eyes suddenly became transfixed. " Wot's the matter now V demanded Bob, in some alarm, "J do believe — w'y — there 's a locomotive in the air !" aaid Mrs. Marrot in an under tone, " So it is !" exclaimed Bob. And, reader, so it weh. In that shed they had a crane which rested oo a framework overhead, and ran on wheels over the entire ^op. It was capable of lifting above fifty tons' weight, and as a lai to locomotive, ponderous though it be, is not much over twenty tons, of coarse this giant ci-ane made short .vork of such- When the men have occasion to remove a wheel from the iron horse, not being able to make it lift up its leg, so to fipeak, to have it taken off, they bring it imder the crane, swing it up as a little boy might swing a toy -cart, and ope- »atp on it at their leisure ! Mrs. MaiTot felt an unpleasant sensation on be- 163 THE ntON HOR0S holding this. As the wife of an engine-driver, sh*! had long felt the deepest respect, almost amount ing to reverence, for locomotives, in regard to the weight, speed, and irresistible power of which she had always entertained the most exalt(id ideas. To see one of the race — and that, too, of the largest size — treated in thi'* humiliating fashion was too much for her, she declared that she had seen enough of the " works," and wouldn't on any account remain another ininute I "But you won't go without seeiii' the carriage and truck department, surely V* said Bob. " Well 1 11 just take a look to please yoic," said the amiable woman. Accordingly, to the truck and van department they went, and there Bob, whose mind was sharp as a needle, saw a good many pieces of raechanism, which formerly he had only seen in a transition state, now applied to their ultimate uses. The chiselled, sawn, and drilled planks seen in the first department, were here being fitted and bolted together in the form of truckp, while the uses of many strange pieces of iron, which had puzzled him in the blacksmiths' department, became obvious when fitted to their appropriate woodwork. Here, also, he saw the internal machinery of railway car- riages laid bare, especially the position and shape of the springs that give elasticity to the buffers, which, 01 LIFl ON TFi: LTKF. 153 he observed, were just the same in shape aa ordinary carriage springs, placed so that the ends of the buffer- rods pressed against theuL Bat ail this afforded no gratification to Mrs. Marrot, whose sensitive mind dwelt uneasily on the humiliated locoynotive, until she suddenly came on i row of new first-cloHS carriagtc), v?here a number of people wore employed stuffing cushions. " Well, I declare," she exclaimed, " if here ain't cusiiion -stuffing /^oing on ! I expect we shall come to cuat-and-shirt- making for porters "nd guards,. neit I" " No, we haven't got quite that l«>ngth yet," laughed Will Garvie ; " but if you look along you'll see gilding, and glazing, and painting going on at that first-class carriage. Still farther along, in the direction we 're going, is the infirmary." "The infirmary, Willum !" "Ay, the place where old and damaged trucks ind carriages are sent for repair. They're all in a bad way, you see, — much in need o' the doctor's sarvices." This was true. Looking at some of these unfor- himaies, with crushed-in planks, twisted buffers and kenei-al dismemberment, it seemed a wonder that they had been able to perform their last journey, or crawl to the hospital Some of the trucks especially might have been almost said to look 154 TKE IKON HOfiSK diseasnd^ they were ao dirty., while at the comerc where address cards were wont to be aflbced, thej appeared to have broken out in a sort of small-pox irruption of iron tackets. At last Mrs. Marrot left the " works," declaring that her braJn was " whirling worser than was the wheels and machinery they had just left," while Bob asseverated stoutly that hiB appetite for the stupendous had only been whetted In this frame of mind the former went home to nurse her hus- band, and the latter was handed over to his future master, the locomotive superintendent of the line. Header, it is worth your while to visit such works, | to learn what can be done by the men whom you j are accustomed to see only while trooping home a: I meal hours, with dirty garments and begiirQeii| hands and faces — -to see the grandeur as well a^ tlic delicacy of their operations, while thus labouring I amongst din and duet and lire, to provide you mill safe and luxurious locomotion. We cannot, ijideed introduce you to tha particular " works" we bavjj described ; but if you would see something similai;| hie thee to the works of our great arterial railwayjl — to those of the London and North- West em, ail Crewe ; the Great Western, at Swindon ; the Souti; Eastern, at Ashford ; the Great Northern, at Don- caster ; the North British, at Cowlairs ; the Oal«-| donian, at Glasgow, or any of the many othors th OE UWK ON TIDE UKJL 166 jlaring as the while for the ! framB 3T hus- 1 i\xim ) line, h works, i lom yon I home a aa tk I |.aboariiig| \/ou witt [1 indeed we. havjj Inr siniikl railvayM isi cm, '^1 at Dosj ;lie Oaifl exist kliroughont the kingdom, for in each and all you will see, with more or less modification, exactly the same amazing sights that were witnessed by worthy Mrs. Mairot and her hopeful son Bob, on that neTer-to-be-forgotten day, when they visited the pre-eminently great Clatterby " works " of the ^rrand [National Trunk Railway. Not*. — The foregoing description tvi fonnded on yisitg paid to the locomcitive works of the Great Western, at Swindon, and those of the North British, near Glasgow — to the General Manager* and 8uj>erintcnd»inta of both whii li railways wo are iadebted for much valuable infonnation.— K. M. K 15€ THi IBON Boman W*i CHAPTER IX. OOHCKBNnfO DOVKSnO SOONOMT AJO) DimCULTUn— SDKnUftW AXD KXFLAKATIONB. How to " make the two ends meet,* is a questioi. that has engaged the attention and taxed the brains of hundreds and thousands of human beings from time immemorial, and which will doubtless afford them free scope for exercise to the end of time. This condition of things would appear to arise from a misconception on the part of those who are thus exercised as to the necessities of life.. Thev seem to imagine, as a rule, that if their income should happen to be, say three hundred poimds a year, it is absolutely impossible by any eflfort of ingenuity for them to live on less than two hundred and ninety- nine pounds nineteen shillings and elevenpence three farthings. They therefore attempt to regulate their expenditure accordingly, and rather plume themselves than otherwise on the fact that they are firmly resolved to save and lay bye the fa] of COU] ends u the pre would law of e.^pen8( men of they hi iiuagina to mak conceivi to the a to cover i)Ut anyj calculati with the There is but they until in ( This is si Wems of this re cause it is ciation of little Mrs. UJK Un ON THE LIKX. 1»7 the farthing. They fail in this attempt as a matter of course, and hence the diflica?ty of making the two ends meet. If these unfortunates had been bred to the profession of engineering or " contracting," they would have known that it is what we may style a law of human nature to under- estimate probable expenses. So thoroughly is this understood by the men of the professions above referred to, that, after they have formed an estimate, — set down every unaginable expense, and racked their brains in order to make sure that they have provided for every conceivable and inconceivable item, they coolly add to tlie amount a pretty large sum as a ** margin " to cover unexpected and unthought-of contingencies. ] )Ut anything of this soi t never seems to enter into the calculations of the people wlio are so much tormented with those obstinate ** two ends " that won't meet There ia one sure and easy mode of escape for them, but they invariably hold that mode to be ridiculous, until in dire extremity they are forced to adopt it. This is simply to make one's calculations for living coiisiderably within one's income ! We make no apology for going into the minutiae of this remarkable phase of human existence, be- cause it is necessary, in order to the correct appre- ciation of the circumstances and feelings of good little Mrs. Tipps, when, several weeks after the acci- 4uil de0crib(»d in a previous chapter, the sat down us TBX moH HOBII in her little parlour to reconsider the subject of hei annual expenditure. Netta sat beside her looking somewhat pale, for she had not quite recovered from the effects of her recent illness. " My darling," said Mrs. Tipps, " how can yoa charge me with having made an error somewhere i Have I not got it all down here on black and wlute, as your dear father used to say ? This is the identi- cal paper on which I made my calculations last year, and I have gone over them all and found them |)er fectly correct. Look there." Mrs. Tipps held up in triumph, as if it were an incontestable evidence of the rectitude of her calcu- lations, a sheet of note-paper so blotted and bespat- tered with figures, that it would have depressed the heart even of an accountant, because, besides the strong probability that it was intrinsically wrong, It was altogether illegible. " Dear mamma," remonstrated Netta, with a twinkle of her eye, " I do not call in question the correctness of your calculations, but I suggest thai there may perhaps be an error of some sort some- where. At all events the result would seem to in- dicate — to imply — that — that everything was not quite right, you know." " Quite true, darling," replied Mrs. Tipps, who was a cAudid Ihou^^ obtoie soul ; " the remit i^ 0& U¥K ON TfUC U»%, 159 ron^;. rith ■ )n the it tlial I soiiie- Ito ill- not uiLsatisfactory, eminently so; yet I cannot charge uiyself with carele>^8 omiaaionB. See — hei e it is ; on one 8id<; are my receipts. Your dear father always impressed it so earnestly on me that i sliould keep liie receipts of money on one side of the accounts, lad the payments on the other. T never could re- aember, by the way, on which side to put the receiptH, and on >«'hich the payments, until he hit on the idea of making me contradict myself, and i then I should be sure to keep riglit. He used to say (liuvv well 1 remember it), * Now, darling, this is the way : Whenever you receive a sum of money to Uter in your cash-book, always say to yourself, Wliut side shall I put it on ? If your mind suggests Ion the right, at once say No — because that would be |*Toug — right being unvfig in this case ; ' and he did \w to laugh so over that little pleasantry." Mrs. Tipps' gravity deepened as she recalled these ^nUifcstirig lessons in book-keeping. Yes," she continued, with a sigh, " and then he voulci go on to say, that * if it was \vTonf> to go to lliy right, of course it must be right to go the other ny! At first I used to be a ^^ood deal puzzled, bd said, ' But suppose my mind, when I receive a |um of money, should suggest putting it on the left, ni 1 to contradict myself tlien V ' Oh no !' he *ould say, with another laugh, ' in that case you Fill remember that your mind is to be U/t alone to 160 THB IBON HOBSJI earry out its suggefltion.' I got to understand it at last, after several years of training, but T never could quite approve of it, for it causes so niach waste of paper. Just look here !" she said, holding up a little account-book, " here are ail the right pagej quite filled up, whiln all the left pages are blank. It takes only four lines to enter my receipts, becaust | you know I receive my money only once a quarter Well, that brings me back to the point Here art| all the receipts on one side; my whole income, de ducting income-tax — which, by the way, T runnotl help regarding as a very unjust tax - amoiuits to| two hundred and fifty pounds seventeen shill and twopence. Then here you have my paper of call culations — everything set down — rent, taxes, watal rates, food, clothing, coals, gas, caudles, 8un(lriff| (sundries, my darling, including such small articla as soap, starch, etc.) ; nothing omitted, even cat's food provided for, the whole amounting to hundred and forty five pounds. You see I was anxious to keep witliin my income, that I resohd to leave five pounds seventeen sliillings and two] pence for oontingencieB. But how does the actually stand ?" Here poor Mrs. Tipps poiiiti indignantly to her account-book, and to a pile) papers that lay before her, as if they were the cause of all her troubles. " How does it stand 'i whole two hundred and fifty pounds seventeen ■inp. ■.ponl^H.iUy the twopence left ,„h to tradoamei, amo,,„ting to Z .^ 7 '"""'"'' unpaid <" g«> my pouuds, vemauung " ^^ ■>»▼« we noa' so easily • h„f . '^'""^^ «^^' «^'ni« »e I thatsotil^: pT ?"" '"^^ ^'''^'- indeed I win nnf » . ■•">ea;wi^r;''"'"'*'"'^"^'PP»- f'* her," aaid Nette '' ^° '"*" ""^ '""'J«" ' 'Jon't be foolish, dear." kill; *'""' f °° "'«> '»• ">■""„«. Tell ™, ""g. JO be aui-e there ih y„« n ^-'lere is my gold watoh, -'**"'*»*fci(is«j!r 162 THX IRON HORSl I bnt that would not fetch more than a few pounds , and my wedding-ring, which I would sooner die Uian part with." Notta glanced, as she spoke, at an unusually su- perb diamond rijig, of Eastern manufacture, which adorned her own delicate hand. It waa her father's last gift to her a few days before he died. "What are you thinking of, darling?" inquired Mrs. Tipps. " Of many things," replied Netta slowly. " It is not easy to tell you exactly what — " Here she was saved the necessity of further oi- planation by the entrance of Joseph Tipps, who, after kissing his mother and sister heartily, threw Lis hat and gloves into a comer, and, nibbin;.'; Ids hands together as he sat down, inquired if Edwir Gurwood had been there. " No, we have neither seen nor heard of him,'' iaid Netta. " Then you shall have him to luncheon in half-afl- hour, or so," said Joseph, consulting his watch. ' I got leave of absence to-day, and intend to spend part of my holiday in introducing him to Captain Lee, who has promised to get him a situation in the head office. You 've no idea what a fine hearty follow he is," continued Tipps enthusiastically, " so %ill of humour and good sense. But what have you b««n discusaing ? -^^ut t^oount^, surely ' ^^1l7• 01 LIFI ON THE LIMl. 163 mother, what 'b the use of boring your brains with such things i Let me have 'em, I '11 go over them for you. What d' you want done ? The additiona checked, eh ? " On learning that it was not the accounts so much kW the discrepancy between the estimate and the actual expenditure that puzzled his mother, Tipps deijse ' her book, and, turning over the leaves, said, " Here, let me see, I '11 soon find it out — ah, well, rent, yes ; taxes, h'm ; wine to Mrs. Natly, you put that, in your estimate, under the head of food, I .appose ? " ' N-no, 1 think not." "Under physic, then?" '• No, not under that. I have no head for that." ' What ! no head for physic ? If you 'd said you had no stomach for it I could have undorrtood you ; but — well — what did you put it under ; sundries, eh?" " I 'm afraid, Joseph, that 1 have not taken note of that in my extract — your dear father used to caU the thing he did with his cash-book at the end of the year an extract — I think 1 've omitted that." " Just 80," said Tipps, jotting down with a pencil on the back of a letter. " 1 11 soon account to you for the di^repancy. Hero are six bottles of wine to Mrs. Natly, the railway porter's wife, at three-and* six— one pound one — not pi"ovidad for in your esti ^5S53B 164 THI IBOII HORSI mate. Any more physic, I wonder ? H'm, eiibscdp- tion for coals to the poor, half-a-guinea- — no head for charities in your estimate, I suppose ? " " Of coiirse,** pleaded Mrs. Tipps, " in making an estimate, I was thinking only of my own expensee. you know — not of charities and such-like things , but when poor people come, you know, what is one to do?" " Wc '11 not discuss that just now, mother. Hallo ' ten guineas doctor's fee ! ' Of course you have no' that in the estimate, seeing that you did not kno'A Netta wag going to be HI. What 'a this? — 'five pounds for twenty wax dolls-- -naked — (to be dresser. by—)'" " Ideally, Joseph, the book is too private to 1^ rea'^ aloud," said Mrs. Tipps, snatching it out of her son hand. ** These dolls were for a bazaar in aid of tJie funds of a blind av«Ylum, and I dressed them all myself last winter." " Well, well, mother," said Tipps, laughing, " ' don't want to pry into such secrets ; but here, yoii see, we have seventeen pounds odd of the discrepancy discovered already, and I've no doubt that the re maindor could soon be fislu'd up." " Yes," sighed Mrs. Tipps. sadly, " I see it nov As the poet truly says, — * Evil is wrought by want of thought, as well as want of heart.' 1 liave b^en asnist- ing the poor at the expense of my tmdes-peopi';- ' OK LCrX ON THE UHK. 16fi "Mother,** exclaimed Tipps, indignantly, "you have been doing nothing of the sort Don't imagine that I could for a moment insinuate such a thing. You have only made a little mistake in your calcu- lations, and aJ] that you have got tx> do is to put down a larger sum for contiTigencies next time. What nonsense you t^lk about your trades -people! Every one of them shtdl be paid to the last farthing — " Here Tipps was interrupted by the entrunce of Edwin Gurwood, who at once began with much interest to inquire into the health of Mrs. Tipps, and hoped that she had not suffered in any way from her recent accident. Mrs. Tipps replied she was thankful to say that elie had not suffered in any way, beyond being a little shaken and dreadfully alarmed, " But railway's have suffered," said Tipps, laugh- ing, " for mother is so strongly set against them uow r>hat she would not enter one for a thousand iiounds." " They have suffered in worse ways than that," vciid Gurwood, "if sdl that 1 hear be true, for that iccident has produced a number of berious compen- sation cases." IltreujH»n Gurwood and hid friend plunged into ui Huimated conversation about railway acciuonts aul theii consequences, to the intense interest and Qorwr of Mrs. Tipps, 166 TBI IKON H0181 Meanwhile Netta left the room and went to hex old nurse's apartment " Nurse," she said, hurriedly, " when did you say you proposed paying your brother in London a visit — about this time, was it not ? ** " Yes, dear," said old Mrs. Durby, taking off her tortoise-shell spectacles and laying down her work, " I thought of going next week, if it is quite con- venient." " It is quite convenient, nurse," continued Netta, in a somewhat flurried manner ; " it would be still more convenient if you could go to-morrow or next day." "Deary me— what's wrong?" inquired Mm Durby, in some surpriise. " Listen, I have not time to explain much," said Netta, earnestly, sitting down beside her faithfd nuiae and putting her hand on her shoulder, "We have got into difficulties, nurse — temporary difii- culties, I hopa^ — but they must be got over some how. l^ow, I want you to take this diamond ring to London with you-— pawn it for as much as you can get, and bring me the money." " Me pawn it, my dear ! 1 never pawned a thiug in ray life, and don't know how to go about it." ** But your brother knows how t,o do il," 3i:g gesteu Netta *' Now, you won't refuse me this iiavour, dear nuxse? I know it is an unpleasant OB UFI ON THE LUSHL busin'^ss, but what else can be done? Tho ring ia my own ; besides, I hope to be able to redeem it Eoon. I know no more about pawning than your- self, but I do know that a considerable time must elapse before the ring shall be lost to me. And, you know, our bills must be paid," Grood Mrs. Durby did not require much persua- sion. She consented to set off as soon as possible, ii' she should obtain permission from Mrs. Tipps, who was aware that she had intended to visit her brother about that time. She received the precious ring, which, for security, was put into a pill-box j this was introduced into an empty match-box, which Netta wrapped in a sheet of note-paper and put Mrs. Durby's name on it For further security Mrs. Durby enlarged the parcel by thrust- ing the match-box into an old sUpper, the heel of which she doubled over the toe, and then wrapped the whole in several sheets of brown paper until the parcel assimied somewhat the shape and size of her own head. It was ako fastened with strong cordo, but Mrs. Durby's powers of making a parcel were so poor that she left several uncouth comers and ragged ends of paper sticking out here and there. She wiot^ on it in pencil the simple name —Durby. Meanwhile Joseph and his friend, haviiig finished limcheon, prepared to set out oa their > ^t to Captain 1«8 THK IRON HOMK Lee. As they quitted the house, Tipps ran back to the door and called his sister out of the parlour. " I say, Netta, what about this fifty pounds that mother was talking of ? " he said. " Do you mean to say that you are really short of that sum, and ld debt?" " We are, but I see a way out of the difficulty. Don't distress yourself, Joe ; we shaU have every- thing squared up, as you call it, in a few days." " Are you quite sure of that ? " asked Tipps, with a doubting look. " You know I have got an uncom- monly cheap lodging, and a remarkably economical landlady, who manages so splendidly that I feed on a mere trifle a week. Seventy- five pounds a year, you know, is more than 1 know what to do with, I can live on thirty -five or so, and the other forty n " We don't require it, Joe," said Netta, laughing " There, go away, you are giving me cold by keep- ing nie in the passage, and your friend is gettin; impatient." She pushed him ont, nodded, and shut the door. Tipps hastened after his friend, apologized forfiie delay, and, stepping out smartly, they were s-jod Ublieicd into Captain Lee's drawing-room. The captain was writing. Emma was seated near the window sewing. "Hft! Tipps, my fine fellow glad to see you: OK LIfl OK TBI UKIL 169 kto that into .d in ;ulty. with icom- miical Bed on \ year, > with, r forty ighing. keep- jttini Idooi. Ifor the The hat th? you; irhy, I was just thinking of you," said the captain, extending his hand. " I have called,** began Tippe, bowing to Emma and shaking the captain's hand, " to introduce my — my — eh ! — ah, my — what's the matter?" There was some reason for these exclamations, for Captain Lee stood gazing in mute amazement at young Gurwood, while the latter returned the com- pliment ¥Kth his eyebrows raised to the roots of his hair. The similarity of their expressions did not, however, last long, for Edwin became gradually confused, while the captain grew red and choleric- looking. "So," said the latter at length, in a very stern yoice, " this is your friend, Mr. Tipps ? " " Sir," exclaimed Edwin, flushing crimson, " you ought not to condemn any one unheard." " / do not oondenm you, sir," retorted the captain. ' By word, no, but by look and tone and gesture you do." " Captain Lee," exclaimed Tipps, who had stood perfectly aghast with amazement at this scene, • what do you mean ? — surely." ■' I mean," sedd the captain, *' that this youth was taken up by one of our own detectives as a thief, ^me weeks ago, and was found travelling in a finV olattt carriage without a ticket" 170 THX IRON HOBSl : 1 ifi! Young Giirwood, who had by this time recovered his self-possession, turned to his friend and said, — " Expltdn this matter, Tipps, you know all about it. The only point thai can pujude you is, that 1 did not know the name of Captain Lee when 1 travelled with iiim, and therefore did not connect him with the gentleman to whom you said you meant to introduce me." Tipps drew u long breath. " Oh," said he, " I see it all now. Why, Captain Lee, my friend is perfectly innocent. It was quite a mistake, 1 assure you ; and the best proof of it is that he is a personal friend of our police superin- tendent, who was on the spot at the time the acci- dent occurred, but we were all thrown into such confusion at the time that I don't wonder things were not cleared up." Tipps hereupon went into a detailed account of the matter as far as he knew it, at first to the sur- prise and then to the aumsement of Captain Lee, Fortimately for Gurwood, who would have found it difficult to explain the circumflt«nce of bis travelling without a ticket, the captain was as prompt to ac- knowledge his erroneous impression as he had been to condemn. Instead of listening to Tipps, ht stopped him by suddenly graaping Gurwood's hand, and thanking him heartily for the prompt and able assistance he had rendered in rescuing his daughter OK UWE ON THX LINK. ITl irom her perilous position on the day of the aocl> dent Of course Edwin would not admit that " rescue" was the proper term to apply to hia action, and re- fusod to admit that Miss Lee was in the slightest degree indebt/ed to him, at the same time assuring her and her father that it had afforded him the highest possible pleasure to have been of the sligbteat service to them. The end of it was that they all became extremely good friends, and the captain in particular became tj[iiite jocular in refer- ence to mistakes in general and stealing in parti- cular, until Tipps, pulling out his watch, declared that procrastination was the thief of time, and that as he happened to have business to transact with the police suporiiit«ndent in reference to the very accident which had caused them ail so much trou bla, he must imwillingly bid them adieu. " Stay.. Tipps," exclaimed the captain, rising, " I shall jwjcompany you to the station, and introduce our friend Gurwood to the scene of liis future labours, where," continued the captsdn, turning with a hearty air and patronizing smile to Edwin, " I hope you will lay the foundation of a career which \y\i\ end in a manager's or .secretary's situation, or some important post of that sort Good-bye, Emmai I '11 not be back till dinne-^-tLmft." Fiinmii bow«d to the young men, and mid good Ife 173 THE IBOM UORHB bye to her father with a smile so ineffably captivat ing, that Edwin resolved then and there to lay the foundation of a career which would end in a wif^ with nut-brown hair and large lustrous eyes. Poor Edwin ! He was not the first man whm wayward spirit had been chained, hie impulses directed to good ends and aims, and his destiny fixed, by the smile of an innocent, loving, pretty girl. AAaurodiy, also, he was not the last ! OK UFI ON THX UNI. 173 CHAPTEK X mULBP PRAOTiai. Stamdihg with his back to the fireplace, hia legs slightly apart, his hands in his pockets, and his eyes fixed on the ceiling, Mr. Sharp, Police Superin- tendent of the Grand National Trunk Kailway, conmiimed with himsolf and dived into the future. Mr. Sharp's powers of diving were almost mira- culous. He had an unnsually keen eye for the pa^t ind the present, but in regard to the future his lowers were all but prophetic. He possessed a rare i capacity for following up clues ; investigating eases; detecting falsehoods, not only of the lip but of the eye and complexion ; and, in a word, was able to extract golden information out of the most uupro- mifiing circumstances. He was also all but ubiquit- ous. Now tracking a {suspicion to its source on his own line in one of the Midland counties ; anon com paiiiig notes with a brother superintendent at the h«rruinus of the Great Western, or Great Northern, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) !.0 l.i IIM !!!!!M IIM 1^ 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 ^ 6" - ^ p b. A ,%^ c> /a cr-l c'. e-j c*: ei 9. O / M Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 l\ ;v w^' ^S ^9) 7u 174 nn IRON HOBfll or South- ^lastem in London. Sometimee called away to give eyidence in a county court ; at other times taking a look in at his own home to kiss his wife or dandle his child before dashing off per ex- press to follow up a clue to John O'Groata or the Land's End. Here, and there, and everywhere- calm, self-possessed, and self contained, making notes in trains, writing reports in his office, makiiig discoveries and convictions, and sometimes making prisoners with his own hands by night and day, with no fixed hours for work, or rest, or meals, and no certainty in anjrthing concerning him save in the uncertainty of his movements, Mr. Sharp with his mjnmidons was uue terror of evil doers, and, we may truly add, the safeguard of the public. Little did that ungrateful public know all it owed to the untiring watchfulness and activity of Mr, Sharp and his men. If he and his compeers wak to be dismissed from our lines for .* single week, the descent of a host of thieves and scoundrels to com- i mit widespread plunder would teach the pubhc somewhat deverely how much they owe to the effi cient management of this department of railway | business, and how well, constantly and vigilantly- though unobtrusively — their interests are caied for, But, to return. Mr. Sharp, as we have saidj stood communing with himself and diving into the I future. Appar«ntly his thou^hti) afibrded him somi OB LDK on THI UNIL 171 called ; ol^ei OBs bifl jer ei- or the ^here— making making making jid day, eals, and ve in the with biB and, ^ve tmaj^ament) for his eyes twinkled slightly^ and there was a faintly humoroug twist about the comeis of his month. David Blunt sat at a desk near him, writing diligently. Against the waU over his head hung a row of truncheons. Besides the desk, a bench, two or three wooden chairs, and a chest, there was little famiture in the room. Blunt's busy pen at length ceased to move, and Sharp looked at him. " Well, Blunt," he said, " I see nothing for it but to raake a railway porter of you." "By aU means, sir," said Blunt, with a 6mile» laying down his pen. " Gorton station," continued Sharp, " has become & very nest of thieves. It is not creditable that such a state of things should exist for a week on our line. They have managed things A'^ery cleverly as yet Five or aiz bales of cloth have disappeared in the course of as many days, besides several loaves of sugar and half-a-dozen cheesea I am pretty sure who the culprits are, but can't manage to bring it home to them, so, as I have said, we must convert you into a porter. You have only t-een once engaged on this part of the line — that waa at the accident, when you were so hard on pooi Mr. Gunvood, so that none of the Gorton people ^ know you. I have arrauj^ed matters with our ft it! I '1 Mi ir« TBI fBOV HOm passenger stiperiiiteudeiit It seems that Macdonell, the Btation-master at Qorton, has been complaiim)atit was the watchmui at the itatiua " »•] 1^'" 180 THX IROM H0A8I " I fear there are a great many bad fellows amongst us," said Tipps, shaking his head " You are quite mistaken," replied the superin teudent. " There were a good many bad fellows, but I j9atter myself that there are very few ..ow Ik proportion to the number of men on the Une. We are constantly wiimowing them out, purifying the ore, as it were, so that we are gradually getting rid of all the dross, and leaving nothing but sterling me'>al on the line. Why, Mr. Tipps, you surelj don't expect that railways are to be exempted from black sheep any more than other large companies. Just look at the army and navy, and see what a lot of rascals have to be punished and drummed out of the service every now and then. Same everywhere Why, when I consider that we employ over twenty thousand men and boys, and that these men aud boys are tempted, more alir )8t than any other cla« j of people, by goods lying about constantly in large quantities in the open air, and in all sorts of lonely and out-of-the-way places, my surprise is that our bad men are so few. No doubt we shall always] have one or two prowling about, and may occasion! ally alight on a nest of 'em, but we shall manage toj keep 'em down — to winnow them out faster, perhaps,! than they come in. I am just going about 8oiw| little pieces of business of that sort now," addedl Mr. Sharp, putting on his hat. " Did you wiab ^ "Goo( bowing ^ope I se Mrs. P( ot Lon oir TRX tjkx. 181 longst perin- ellows, e. We ing the .tingrid sterling 1 suiely ted from mpanies, rhat a lot Led out oi erywIieTe. er twenty men au^l )tlieTcla88| yin large of lonely that ouil 11 always occ;iision-l Imanage t«l Ibout 801MI l>^; addei| ^ou wish speak with me ahont anything in particular, Mz. Tipps ?•* " Yes ; I wished to ask you if that fat woman, Mrs. , what 's her name ?" " You mean Mrs. Podge, I suppose?" suggested Sharp ; " she who kicked her heels so vigorously at Laijgiye after the accident" " Ah ! Mrs, Podge — yes. Does she persist in her ridiculous claim for damages V " She does, having been urged to do so by some meddling friend ; for I 'm quito sure that she would never have thought of doing so herself, seeing that she received no damage at all beyond a fright I 'm going to pay her a visit to-day in reference to that very thing." " That 's all right ; then 1 won't detain you loogflr, (}ood-bye, Mr. Sharp," said Tipps, putting on his hat and quitting the office. Not long afterwards Mr. Sharp knocked at the door of a small house in one of the suburbs of Clat- terby, and was ushered into the presence of Mrs. Podge. That amiable lady was seated by the fiie knitting a stocking, " Good afternoon. Mrs. Podge," said Mr. Sharp, bowing and speaking in his blandest toue& " I [hope I see you quite well ?** Mrs. Podge, charmed with the stranger's urbanity, IQS TBI 1JU>H Boan wished him good afternoon, admitted that she wai quite well, and begged him to be Heated. *' Thauk you, Mrs. Podge," said Mr. Shiu^, com plying. " I have taken the liberty of calling in re- gard to a small matter of business — but pardon me," he added, rising and shutting the door, " I inad- vertently left the door open, which is quite inexcus- able in me, considering your delicate state of health. I trust thatr-" " My deUcato state of health !*' exclaimed Mrs. Podge, who was as fat as a prize pig, and rather piqued herself on her good looks and vigour of body. " Yes," continued Mr. Sharp, in a commiserating tone ; " I have understood, that since the accident on the railway your — " ** Oh, aa to that," laughed Mrs. Podge, ** I 'm not much the worse of — but, sir," she said, becoming suddenly grave, " you said you had called on busi ness V " I did. My business is to ask," said Mr. Sharp, with a very earnest glance of his penetrating eyes, " on what ground you claim compensation from the Grand National Trunk Kail way V* Instantly Mrs. Podge's colour changed. She be came languid, and sighed. " Oh, sir — damages — ^yes — my nerves ! I did not hideed suffer much damage in the way of cuts or bruises, though there v-as a good piece of skin to^^ OB LUn ON THX LOnL 183 off my elbow, which I could show you if it were proper to — but my nerves received a terrible shock ! They have not yet recovered. Indeed, your abrupt way of putting it haa quite —thrown a — " As Mrs. Podge exhibited some symptoms of a hysterical nature at this point, Mr. Sharp aaauiL<3d a very severe expression of countenance, aha said, — " Now, Mrs. Podge, do you really think it fair or just to claim damages from a company from whom jou liave absolutely received 720 damage V " But, sir," Raid Mrs. Podge, recovering, '* my Dorves did receive damage." " I do not doubt it, Mrs. Podge, but we cannot oompeuaate you for that. If you had been laid up, money could have repaid you for lost time, or, if your goods had been damaged, it might have com- pensated for that, but money cannot restore shocked nerves. Did you require medical attendance?" " N — no !" said Mrs. Podge, reddening. " A Mend did indeed insist on my seeing a doctor, to whom, at his suggestion, I gave a fee of five shillings, but to sn\ truth I did not require him. " Ha ! was it the same Mend who advised you to claim compensation ?** " Ye — es !" replied Mrs. Podge, a little confused. " Well, Mrs. Podge, from your own admission I rather think that there seems something like a fraudulent attempt to obtain money here. I do not i 184 TBI HON HOMB ■I %. for a moment hint that you are guilty of a fraudulent inUrUion, but you must know, ma'am, that the law takes no notice of intentions— only of facts." " But ?uiv6 1 not a right to expect compensatiun for the shock to my uervous system 7 " pleaded Mrs. Podge, still unwilling to give in. " Certainly uut, ma'am, if the shock did not inter- fere with your ordinary course of life or cauae you pecuniary loss. And does it not seem hard on rail- ways, if you can view the subject candidly., to be so severely punished for accidents which are in many cases absolutely unavoidable ? Perfection is not to be attained in a moment We are rapidly decreasing our risks and increasing our safeguards. We do ooi best for the safety and accommodation of the pubUc, and as direotora and officials ti-avel by our trains aa frequently as do the public, concern for our own lives insures that we work the line in good faith. Why, ma'am, 1 was myself near the train at the time of the accident at I^angrye, and my nerves were con- siderably shaken. Moreover, there was a director with his daughter in the train, both of whom were Meverely shaken, but they do not dream of claiming damages on that account. If you could have shown, Mrs. Podge, that you had suffered loss of any kmd, we should have offired you compensation promptly, but as things stand — ** "Well, well" exclaimed Mrs. Podge, testily, "I '■ i 190 THI IKOV H0B8K clear view of a truck in which several casks of wine were placer? he beheld one of the servants on the line in company with one of his frJends who was not A servant on the line, coolly bore a hole in one of the wine casks and insert a straw, and, by that means, obtain a prolonged and evidently satisfactory draught — which accounted at once for the fact that wine had been leaking in that locality for some time past, and that the said servant had been seen more tlian once in a condition that was deemed suspicious ! Mr. Sharp also reflected complacently — and he had time to reflect, for the driver and fireman were rather long of coming — on another case in wliich the thieves were so wary that for a long time he could make nothing of them, although their depre- dations were confined to a train that passed along the line at a certain hour, but at last were caugh* in consequence of his hitting on a plan of havinj^ fi van speciaDy prepared for himself. He smiled again- -almost laughed when he thought of this van — how it was regularly locked and labelled on a quiet siding; how a plank wa« loosened in th-. bottom of it by which means he got into it and was then shunted out and attached to the train, so that neither guard nor driver nor fireman had anj idea of what was inside ; how he thereafter bored several small icimlet holes in the various sides of th^s vac OB Un OM TI12 Lon. Ifl : wine tn the was in one >y thai factor\ le fact ity for id been deemed ■and he an w(!re 1 which time ht ir depre- id along and kept a sharp look-oat from station to station aa they went along ; how at last he came to the parti- cular place — not a station, but a place where a short pause was made — where the wary thieves were ; how he saw them — two bcout fellows — approach in the gloom of evening and begin their wicked work of cutting tarpaulings and abstracting goods ; how he thereupon lifted his plank and dropped out on the Une, and how he powerfully astonished them by laying his hands on their collars and taking them both in the very act ! At last Mr. Sharp's entertaining reflections were interrupted by the approach of the driver of the engine, who carried a top-coat over his left arm. As he drew near and observed who stood upon his engine, the man gave an involuntary and scarcely perceptible start Thfire must have been something peculiarly savage and ungenerous iii the breast of Mr. Sharp, one would have thought, to induce him to suspect a man whose character was blameless. But he did 8\.dpect that man on the faith of that almost imper- ceptible touch of discomposure, and his suspicion did not dissipate although the man came boldly and respectfully forward. " Ho-ho ! " thought Mr. Sharp, " there is more chaff here to be winnowed than I had bargained £oc.' Eii onl« ramark. howtver^ wa»- Its nut I&OH H0£8X u 4' " Good evftning ; T suppose you start for the station in a few minutes ?" " Yes, sir," said the man, moving towards the rear of the tender. "You'd better get up at once, then," said Mr. Sharp, descending quickly — " what have you got there, my good man ? " " My top-coat, air," said the driver, with a con fused look. " Ah, let us see — eh ! what *s all this ? A sal- mon ! a brace of grouse ! and a pair of rabbile I Well, you seem to have provided a good supper for to-night. There don't appear to be very stringent game-laws where you come from ! " The man was so taken aback that he could not reply. As the fireman came out of the neighbour- ing goods shed at that moment, Mr. Sharp ordered the driver to mount to liis place, and then waiting beside the engine received the fireman with an amiable ** Good -night." This man also had a top-coat over hii» arm. be- trayed the same uneasiness on observing Mr, Sharp, went through precisely the same examination, and was found to have made an identically similar provision for his supper. Almost immediately after him the guard issued from the shed, also burdened witti a top-coat ! Mr Sharp muttered something about " birds of a feather,' OB LDTB ON THB LINE. 193 A sal- rabbits ' ipper for stringent »Tild J»ot eigbbour- and was about to advance to meet the guard when that individual's eyes fell on him. He turned back at once, not in a hurry, but quietly as though he had forgotten something. The superintendent sprang through the open door, but was too late. The guard had managed to drop Ids booty. There- upon Mr. Sharp returned to the engine, ordered the steam to be turned on, and the driver drove him- self and his friends to the station and to condign punishment. Having disposed of this little incidental case, Mr. Sharp — after hearing and commenting upon several matters related to him by the members of his corps, and having ordered David Blunt to await him in the office as he had a job for him that night, — re- turned towards the locality which he had so recently quitted. In doing this he took advantage of another goods train, from which lie dropped at a certain hole-and-corner spot while it was slowly passing the goods shed before mentioned. From this spot he took an observation and saw the pipe of Jim, the night-watchman, glowing in the dark distance like a star of the first magnitude. "Hal" thought Mr. Sharp, " smoking 1 Yon 11 have to clear your eyes of smoke if you hope to catch thieves to-night, my fine fellow ; but I shall try to render you some able assistance." So thinking, he moved quietly about among the ■.>■' i ft 1^ -m 194 TEE IRON H0S8V vans and trucks, stooping and climbing as occasioi) required, and doing it all so noiselessly that, had the night permitted him to be visible at all, he might have been mistaken for a stout sliadow or a ghost. He went about somewhitt like a retriever snuffing the air for gama At last he reached a truck, not very far ft'om the place where Jim paced slowly to and fro, watching, no doubt, for thieves. Little did he think how near he was to a thief at that moment ! The truck beside which Mr. Sharp stood sent forth a delicious odour of American apples. The superintendent of police smelt them. Worse than that — he undid a corner of the thick covering of the truck, raised it and smelt agaiu — he put in *i hand. Evidently his powers of refiistance to tempta- tion were small, for both hands went in — he stooped his head, and then, slowly but surely, his whole body went in under the cover and disappeared Infatuated superintendent ! While he lay there gorging himself, no doubt, with the dainty fruit, honest Jim paced slowly to and fro until, a verv^ dark and quiet hour of the night having arrived, he deemed it time to act, put out his pipe, and moved with stealthy tread towards the apple-truck. There were no thieves about as far as he could see> He was plaoed there for the express purpose of| oatchiuz thieves. Eidiculous waste of time anii OB un OK THK urnt. 195 od sent 3S. The (Tse than reriiig of put in 11 ) tempta- energy — he would make a thief! He would be- come one; he would detect and catch himself ; repay himself with apples for his trouble, and enjoy himself cousumedly ! Noble idea ! No sooner thought than carried into effect. He drew out a large clasp-knife, which opened and locked with a click, and cut a tremendous slash about two feet long in the cover of the truck — passing, in so doing, within an inch of the demoralized superintendent's uoee. Thieves, you see, are not pai-ticular, unless, indeed, we may regard them as particularly indif- ferent to the injuries they inflict on their fellow- men — but, what did we say ? the^'r fellow-men ? — a railway is not a fellow -man. * rely Jim's sin in robl ag a railway must be regarded as a venial one. Honest men do that every day and appear to think nothing of it ! Nobody appears to think anything of it. A railway would seem to be the one great anpardonable outlaw of the land which does ^ood to nobody, and is deemed fair game by everybody who can catch it — napping. But it is not easily caught napping. Neither wa« Mr. Superintendent Shaip. Jim's hand came through the hole in the cover- ing and entered some aoA of receptacle, which must have been broken ope a by somebody, for the hand was quickly withdrawn with three apples in it Again it entered. Mr. Sharp might have kissed it 196 THE lEON HOm easily, but he was a man of considerable self- restraint — at least when others were concerned He thought it advisable that there should be some of the stolen goods Ibund in Jim's pockets ! He did not touch the hand, therefore, while it wa.s drawn back with other three apples in it. You see it was a large hand, and could hold three at a time. A third time it entered and grasped more of the forbidden fruit. " There 's luck in odd numbers," thought Mr, Sharp, as he seized the wrist with both of his iroD hands, and held it fast. The appallL' - yr^ll which Jim uttered was due more to superstitious dread than physical fear, for, on discovering that the voice which accompaniec the grip was that of Mr. Sharp, he struggled power- fully to get free. After the first violent effort was over, Mr. Sharp suddenly slid one hand along Jim's arm, caught him by the collar, and, launching him self through the hole which had been cut so con- veniently large, plunged into Jim's bosom and crushed him to the earth. This was quite sufficient for Jim, who got up| meekly when permitted, and pleaded for mercy. Mr. Sharp told him that mercy was a commodity i]i| which he did not deal, that it was the special per- quisite of judges, from whom he might steal itifj they would not give or sell it to him, and, biddin,'! LIFE ON THE LINE. If7 1 self- jemed. e some j! He it wa.^ ?ou see a time > of the ght Mr. liiB iron was due . fear, for, ompaniec 3d power- effort \vas ong 5m^ hiug bim Lt SO COU- 3S0II1 and] 10 got up I tor mercy. iinodityia| Decial pel- steal it ill id, biddinj him come alonp quietly, led him to thn station and locked him np for the night. Not satisfied with what he had already accom- plished, Mr. Sharp then ret'inied to his oflBce, where he found the faithful filunt awaiting him, to whom he related briefly what he had done. " Now," said he, id conclusion, ** if we can only manage to clear up tnat case of the beer- cask, we shall have done a good stroke of business to-day. Have you found out anything in regard to it ? " The case to which Mr. Sharp referreil was that of a cask of beer which had been stolen from the line at a station not three miles distant from Clatterby. " Yes, sir," said David Blunt, with a satisfied Bniile, "I have found out enough to lead to the detection of the thief." " Indeed, who d* ye think it is ? '* " One of the men at the station, sir. Tliore have been two about it, but the other is a stranger. You see, sir," continued Blunt, with an earnest look, and in a business tone of voice, " when you sent me down to investigate the case I went d'rect to the station-master there and heard all he had to say about it — which wasn't much; — then off I goes to where the truck was standin', from which the cask had bin taken and pottered about there for some time. At last I tried on the Red Indian 198 m IRON HORAB Ill 'a dodge — followed up tracks and signs, till at last I came npon a mark as if somethin' had bin rolled along the bank, and soon traced it to a gap broken through A hedge into a field T followed it up iu the field, and in a short time came on the cask itself. Of course I made a careful examination of the locality, and found very diRtinct foot-printa, particularly one of *em on a piece of clay as sharp as if it had been struck in wax. While thus en- gaged I found i shoe — " " Ha ! " exclaimed Mr. Sharp. " And here it is," said Blunt, taking the shoe from under his chair and laying it on the table. The superintendent took it up, examined it, and then replaced it on the table with a nod, saying, " Proceed." " Well, sir, of course T looked well for the other shoe, but didu't find it ; so T came away with what 1 had got, takin' care to place a lump of a stone o^er the foot-print in the clay, so as to guard but not touch it, — for it wasn't the print of this shoe, sir though somewhat like it.** "Ha !" exclaimed Mr. Sharp again. After revolving the matter in his mind for some minutes, and consulting with his satellite, Mr Sharp resolved to go down at once to the place and watch the beer-cask, " It ia not very late yet," he said, " and these OS Lnm ON THE Ltmc 199 last I rolled >Tokeii up in 3 cask tion o( ■printa, I sharp tiu3 en- [le shoe ble. [ it, and Baying, le other whatl )ne o^eT Ibut not loe. 811 'or some ■ ite, Mi. 1 lace and ■ id these 1 thirsty boys will l>e sore to want a drop of beer to their supper to-niyht What makes you so sure that Bill Jones is the thief?" *' Because," answered Blunt, " I obsenred that he was the only man at the station that had on a pair of new shoes !" "WeU, come along," said Sharp, smiling grimly, " we slmll find out before long." Tliey soon reached the scene of the robbery, and were able to examine the place by the light of the moon, which had just managed to pierce the thick veil of clouds that had covered it during the earlier part of that night Then they retired to a shady cavern, or hole, or hdUow at the foot of the em- bankment, near to the gap in the hedge, and there they prepared to pass the night, with a heap of mingled clods and stones for their couoh, and an overhanging bank of nettles for their canopy. It was a long weary watch that began. There these patient men sat, hour after hour, gazing at the moon and stars tUl they almost fell asleep, and then entering into animated, though softly uttered, con- versation until they roused themselves up. It was Btrange converse too, about struggles and fights with criminals and the detection of crima But it was not all on such subjects. No. they forsook the profeffional path occasioneily and strayed, as plea- MffiUy as other men do, into the flowery lanes of 200 THE mON HOBSS social life — talking of frieuds, and wives, and children, and home, with as much pathos and ten- derness as if their errand that night had been to succour some comrade in distress, instead of to watch like wolves, and pounce on unawares, and half throttle if need be, and bear off to punishment, an erring fellow-mortal But no fellow-mortal came that night to be thus pounced on, throttled, and borne off. When it be- came obvious that there was no use in remaining longer, Mr. Sharp and his satellite returned to the office, and the former bade the latter go home for the night The satellite, thus set free, went home and set immediately — in his bed. The luminary himseli postponed his setting for a time, put the thiefs shoe in his pocket, and went straight to the resi dence of BiU Jones, which he reached shortly after the grey dawn had appeared. Here he found Bill in bed; but being peremptory in his demand for admisMon, Bill arose and let him in, "You look rather pale this morning, Bill?** " Bin at work late, sir," said Bill uneasily, observ- ing that the superintendent was casting an earnest glance all round his room. Jones was a bachelor, so there wasn't much of any kind to look at in the room. " You Ve been treating yourself to a new pair of OK LI7I ON THB LINK. SOI shoefl, T see, Jones, what have you done with the old ones?" " I — they *re worn out, sir — I ** — " Yes, I see — ah ! here is one of them,** said Mr. Sharp, drawing an old shoe out of a comer ; " you don't require to look for the other, J'\e got it here," he added, drawing its fellow from his pocket. Jones stood aghast. "Look here, Jones," said Mr. Sharp, gazing sternly into the culprit's face, " you needn't trouble yourself to deny the theft. I haven't yet looked at the sole of this shoe, but I 'U engage to tell how many tackets are in it. We have discovered a little iump of clay down near the station, with a perfect impression of a sole having fifteen tackets therein, — three being wanting on the right side, two on the left, and one at the toe — now, let us see," he said, turning it up, " am I not a good prophet, eh ?" — Bill gave in at once ! He not only made " a clean breast of it," but also gave information that led to the capture of his accomplice before that day's 3un went down, and before Mr. Sharp allowed him- self to go to bed. Thus did our superintendent winnow the chaff from the wheat continually. Now, dear reader, do not say, " From all this it would appear that railway servants must be a bad lot of men !" It would be a thousand pities to fall 30» TBI mON H0B8V ■it % into such an error, when we are labouring to prove to you the very reverse, namely, that the bad ones being continually and well " looked after," none but the good are left. Our aim necessarily involves that we should dilate much on evil, so that the evil unavoidably bulks large in your eyes ; but if we were capable of laying before you all the good that is done, felt, and said by the thousands of our true hearted men-of-the-line, the evil that is mingled with them would shrink into comparative insigoifi cance. The truth is, that in writing these details we desire to reassure ourself as well as to comfort you, timid railway traveller, by asserting and illustrat- ing the unquestionable fact, that if our dangers od fche line are numerous and great, our safeguards v bU points are far mat^ numsioxui and much greater, Oft Un ON THE LINK. lOi prove i ones >ne but ivolves ihe evil t if we od that ar true mingled Dflignifi CHAPTER XII LOO'B QABDKir. The plans of nurses, not less than those of mice and men, are apt to get into disorder. Mrs. Durby having packed up the diamond ring in the careful manner which we have described in a previous chapter, essayed to get ready for her important jour- ney to London on pawning purposes intent, but she found that there were so many little preparations to make, both in regard to her own toilette and to the arrangements of Mrs. Tipps' establishment, in pro- spect of its being left without its first mate for a time that a considerable period elapsed before she got her anchor tripped and herself ready to set sail with the first fair wind. Worthy Mrs. Durby, we may observe, was fond of quoting the late captain's phraseology. She was an affectionate creature, and liked to recall his memory in this somewhat peculiar fashion. In anticipation of this journey, Netta went one 204 THl IRON HOBSX evening, in company with Emma Lee, to pay Mra. John MaiTot a friendly visit, ostensibly for the pur- pose of inquiring after the health of baby Marrot, who, having recently fallen down stairs, swallowed a brass button and eaten an unknown quantity of shoe-blacking, had been somewhat ailing. The real object of the visit, however, was to ask Mrs. Marrot to beg of her husband to te^e a special in- terest in Mrs. Durby on her journey, as that excel- lent nurse had made up her mind to go by the train which he drove, feeling assured that if safety by rail was attainable at all, it must be by having a friend at court — a good and true man at the helm, so to speak. " But la, Miss !" said Mrs. Marrot, sitting on the bed and patting the baby, whose ruling passion, mischief, could not be disguised even in distress, seeing that it gleamed from his glassy eyes and issued in intermittent yeUs from his fevered throat, ** if your nurse is of a naivish temperment, she 'd better not go with my John, 'cause he usually drives the Flyin' Dutchman." '* Indeed !" said Netta, with a puzzled smile ; " and pmy what is the Flyin* Dutchman V* A yell and a glare from baby interrupted the reply. At the same instant the 7.45 p.m. express flew past with a roar, which was intensified by the whistle into a shriek as it iieared the station. The OB LIFE ON THE USHL 206 house trembled as usual Netta, not unnaturally, shuddered. " Don't be alarmed, Miss, it 's only the express." " Do expresses oft,en pass your cottage in that way ?" asked Netta, with a touch of pity " Bless you, yes, Miss ; they 're always passin' day ind night continooly ; but we don't think nothink of it We 've got used to i*^ now." " Does it not disturb you at night ?" asked Emma Lee in some surprise. " No, Miss, it don't — not in the leaat. No doubt it sometimes do influence our dreams, if I may say 80. As my son Bob says — he 's a humorous boy is my iBob, Miss — he says, yays he, the trains can't awaken its, but they do awakes noo trains of ideas, especially w'en they stops right opposite the winder an' blows ofif steam, or whistles like mad for five minutes at a time. I sometimes think that Bob is right, an* that 's w'y baby have took to yellin' an' mischief with such a 'igh 'and. They do say that a man is knowd by the company he keeps, and I 'm sure it's no wonder that baby should screech an' smash as he do, considerin' the example set 'im day an' night by them ingines." Here another yell from babj gave, as it were, assent to these opinions. " But, as I was sayin'," continued Mrs. Marrot, 'the Flyin' Dutchman is the name that my 'uaband'a S06 Tm noir Hoiun f I train gooB by, 'cause it is the fastest train in the kingdom — so they say. It goes at the rate of over sixty miles an hour, an' ain't just quite the train for people aa is narvish -though my usband do say it ain't more dangerous than other trains — not s' much so, indeed, wich I believe myself, for there ain't nothink 'appeued to my John aU the eight years he have drove it." " Is sixty miles an hour very mach faster than the rate of ordinary trains ?" asked Emma. " W'y, yes, Miss. CVnary trains they run be- tween twenty and forty miles an hour, though some- times in goin' down inclines they git up to til'ty; but my 'usbanu averages sixty miles an hour, an' on some parts o' the line 'e gits up the speed to sixty-five an* siventy. For my own part I 'm quite hignoran* of these things. To my mind aU the ingines seem to go bangin' an' rushin' an' yeUin' about pretty much in the same furious way; but I've often 'card my 'usband explain it all, an' he knows all about it, Miss, just as if it wor A, B, G." Having discussed such matters a little longer, and entered with genuine sympathy into the phy sical and mental condition of baby, Netta finally arranged that her old nurse should go by the Flying Dutchman, seeing that she would be unable to dis- tinguish the difference of speed between one train tad another, while her mind would be at test if sIm OE Un ON THE UHIB. ao7 In the )f over ain foT > say it j' mucli « ain't ears he «r than run he- rb some- to til'ty; IX, an' on jixty-five tiignoran* knew herself to be under the care of a man in whom she could trust. " Well, Miss, I dessay it won't much matter," said Mrs. Marrot, endeavouring to soothe the baby, in whom the button or the blacking appeai*ed to be creating dire havoc ; " but of coui-se my 'usband can't attend to 'er 'isself, not bein* allowed to attend to nothink but 'is ingine. But hell put 'er in charge of the guard, who is a very 'andsome man, and uncommon polite to ladies. Stay, I '11 speak to WUlum Garvie about it now," said Mrs. Marrot, rising ; " he 's in the gardiug be'ind." " Pray don't call him in," said Netta, rising quickly; " we will go down to him. I should like much to Bee your garden" " You '11 find my Loo there, too," said Mrs. Marrot with a motherly smile, as she opened the door to let her visitors out " You '11 excuse me not goin' hout I dursn't leave that baby for a minute. He'd be over the — there he — " The sentence was cut short by a yell, followed by a heavy bump, and the door shut with a bang, which sent Emma and her friend round the comer of the house in a highly amused frame of mind. John Marrot's garden was a small one — so small that the break- van of his own " Flyin' Dutchman ** could have contained it easily —but it was not too Il ' SOS TEE IBOll H0B81 i i til 8 «: ri 1'^ small to present a luxuriance, fertility, and brilliancd of colour that was absolutely magnificent I Sur- rounded as that garden was by " ballast " from the embankment, broken wheels and rail, bricks and stones, and other miscellaneous refuse and d^is of the line, it could only be compared to an oasis in the desert, or a bright gem on a rugged warrior's breast. This garden owed its origin to Lucy Marrot's love for flowers, and it owed much of its magnificence to Will Garvie's love for Lucy; for that amiable fireman spent much of his small wage in purchasing seed and other things for the improvement of that garden, and spent the very few hours of his life, not claimed by the inexorable iron horse, in assisting to cultivate the same. We use the word 'assisting' advisedly, because Loo would not hear of his taking thia sort of work out of her hands. She was far too fond of it to permit that, but she had no objection whatever to hifl assistance. There never was, so Will and Loo thought, anything like the love which these two bore to each other. Extremes meet, undoubtedly, Their love was so intensely matter of fact and earnest that it rose high above the region of romance, in which lower region so many of our race do delight to coo and sigh. There was no nonsense about it Will Garvio, who was naturally bold — no wonder. i OB LOT OH TBS LIKS. S09 Uliance Sur- " from icks and Ubris of oasis iu warrior's Marrot's [uificeuce amiable LLTchaaiiig it of that is life, not agisting to y, because rt of work Ld of it to [hatever to and Loo these t\?o idoubtedly. considering his meteor-like style of life — saw all the flowers in thfi garden as well as any other man, and admired them more than most men, but he said gravely that he wouldn't give the end of a crac>ked boiler-tnbe for the whole garden if she were not in the midst of it. At which Loo laughed heartily, and blushed with pleasure, and made no other reply. It was quite delightful to observe the earnestness with which these two devoted themselves to the training of honeysuckle and jessamine over a trellis- work porch in that preposterously small garden, In which there was such a wealth of sweet peas, and roses, and marigolds, and mignonette, and scarlet geraniums, and delicately-coloured heliotropes, that it seemed as though they were making love in the midst of a glowing furnace. Gertie was there too, like a small female cupid nestling among the flowers. " A miniature paradise," whispered Emma, with twinkling eyes, as they approached the unconsdouft pair. " Yes, with Adam and Eve training the flowers," responded Netta quite earnestly. Adam making love in the fustian costume of the fireman of the " Flying Dutchman " was an idea which must have struck Emma in some fashion, for she found it difficult to command her feature! 110 TZnS IRON HOBSI I i when introduced to the inhabitants of that little Eden by her friend. " I have called to tell Mrs. Marrot," said Netta, " that my old nurse, Mrs. Durby, is going to London soon, and that I wished your father to take a sort of charge of hei, more for the sake of making her feel at ease than anything else/* " I *m quite sure he will be delighted to do that," said Loo ; " won't he, Will ? " " Why, yes," replied the fireman, " your father is not the man to see a woman in distress and stand by. Hell give her in charge of the guard, for you see, ma'am, he's not allowed to leave his engine." Will addressed the latter part of his remarks to Ketta. " That is just what Mrs. Marrot said, and that will do equally welL Would you like to travel on the railway, Gertie ? " said Netta, observing that the child was gazing up in her face with large earnest eyes, " No," answered Gertie, with decision. " No ; why not ? " " Because it takes father too o3;en away, and once it nearly killed him," said Gertie. " Ah, that was the time that my own dear mother received such a shock, I suppose ? " * No, ma'am," said Will Grarvie, ** Gertie is think- in' of another time, when Jack Marrot was diivin' OB UgE ON TRB LINB. SU Utile tTetta, ondon sort of er feel that." itber is I stand for you Bngine." arks to td that iVel on [that the earnest id once mother think- driviD* an excursion train — not three years gone by, and be ran into a lot of empty trucks that had broke loose from a train in advance. They turned the engine off the rails, and it ran down an embank- ment into a ploughed field, where it turned right oyer on the top of Jack. Fortunately he fell be- tween the funnel and the steam-dome, which was the means of savin' his life ; but he got a bad shake, and was off duty some six or eight weeks. The fireman escaped without a scratch, and, as the coupling of the leading carriage broke, the train didn't leave the metals, and no serious damage %/aa done to any one else. I think our Gertie,'' con- tinued Will, la3ring his big strong hand gently on the child's head, " seems to have taken an ill-will to railways since then." " I 'm not surprised to hear it," obserred Emma Lee, as she bent down and kissed Gertie's forehead. "I have once been in a railway accident myself^ and I share your dislike ; but I fear that we couldn't get on well without them now, so you and I must be content to tolerate them, Gertie. ' " I s'pose so," was Gertie's quiet response, delivered, much to the amusement of her audience, with the gravity and the air of a grown woman. " Well, good-«v9ning, Grertie, good -evening," said Netta. taming to Gkrvie; "then I may tell my V'.\ w ill I m «: tt a 112 nu iftoir HORSE nnrse that the etigine-drivfiT of the express wfB take care of her." " Yes, ma'ain, you may ; for the matter o* that the fireman of the express will keep an eye on her too," said the gallant William, touching his cap as the two friends left that bright oasis in the desert and returned to Eden ViUa. Ok Ubt. UN TUJCLINR. SIS CHAPTKK XIIL fMATI or RAILWAY UTKBATURB, BLKITPY PUETKBa, CHOWDBD PLAr FORMS, rOOI.ISH PAHSKNOKRS, DAUK PLOTTKRB, faVRIvT HKAWU, AND UTHKR M/.TTKBS. John Makeot was remarkably fond of his iron horse. No dragoon or hussar that we ever read of paid half so much attention to his charger. He not only rubbed it down, and fed and watered it at stated intervals, but. when not otherwise engaged, or when awaiting the signal to start a train, he was 3Uie to be found with a piece of waste rubbing off a speck of dust here or a drop of superfluous oil there, or giving an extra polish to the bright brasses, or a finishing touch to a handle or lever in quite a tender way. It was evidently a k.bour of love ! On the day which Mrs. Durby had fixed for her journey to London, John and his firemar. went to the shed as usual one hour before the time of start- ing, being required to do so by the " Jiules and Regidations " of the company, for the purpose of •verhauling the iron horse. 3U THS mON HOBfil And, by the way, a wonderful and suggettiva volume was this book of "Bules and Eegulations for the guidance of the ofl&cers and servants of the Grand National Trunk Railway.'* It was a printed volume of above two hundred pages, containing minute directions in regard to every department and every detail of the service. It was " printed for private circulation ;" but we venture to say that if the public saw it, their respect for railway ser- vants and railway difficulties and management would be greatly increased, the more so that one of the first " rules " enjoin-^su was, that ea^ servant should be held responsible for having a knowledge of all the rules — ^those relating to other departments as well as tfO his own. And it may not be out of place, certainly it will not be uninteresting, t« mentioD here that one of the rules, rendered pro minent by laige black capitals, enjoined that " Thk Public Safety must be the I'ikst and Chief Cabe of every ofl&cer and servant of the company." We have reason to believe that all the railways in the kingdom give this rule eqaal prominence in spiiit —probably also in type. In this Uttle volume it was likewise interesting to note, that civility to the public was strictly enjoined ; and sure we are that every railway traveller will agree with us in the opinion that railway agents, guards, and poi-ters, all in short, with whom the pubUc come in contact OB LIFE ON THS LINIL S16 obey this rule heartily, in the spirit and in the letter. The particular rules in the book which affected our engine-driver were uncommonly stringent, and very properly so, seeing that the lives of so many persons depended on the constancy of his coolness, courage, and vigilanca John Marrot, like all the engine- drivers on the line, was a picked man. In virtue of his superior character and abilities he received wages to the extent of £2, lOs. per week. Among other things, he was enjoined by his " rules and regulations," very strictly, to give a loud whistle before starting, to start his train slowly and with- out a jerk, and to take his orders to start only from the guard; also, to approach stations or stopping places cautiously and with the train well under control, and to be guided in the matter of shutting o& steam by such considerations as the number of vehicles in the train and the state of the weather and rails, so as to avoid violent application of the brakes. Moreover, he was bound to do his best to keep to his exact time, and to account for any loss thereof by entering the cause of delay on his report ticket He was also earnestly enjomed to use every effort which might conduce to the safety of the public, and was authorized to refuse to proceed with any carriage or waggon which, from hot axles or othorwiae, was in his opinion unfit to run. These wM 116 THE ESON H0R8I are but a few specimens culled from a multitude of rules bearing on tbe minutest details of his duty as to driving, shunting, signalling, junction and level crossing, etc., with all of which he had to become not merely acquainted, but so intimately familiar that his mind could grasp them collectively, rela- tively, or individually at any moment, so as to act instantaneously, yet coolly, while going like a giant bomb-shell through the air — with human lives in the balance to add weight to his responsi- bilities. If any man in the world needed a cool clear head and a quick steady hand, with ample nightly as well as Sabbath rest, that man was John Marrot the engine-driver. When we think of the constant pressure of responsibility that lay on him, and the numbers in the kingdom of the class to which he belonged, it seems to us almost a standing miracle that railways are so safe and accidents so very rare. While our enghie-driver was harnessing his iron steed, another of the railway servants, having eaten his dinner, felt himself rather sleepy, ard resolved to have a short nap. It was oui friend Sam Natly the porter who came to this unwise as well as unfair resolutioa Yet, although we are bound to condemn Sam, we are entitled to palliate his offence and constrained to pity him, for his period of duty OK im ON THI LINl. »1T during the past week had been fifteen hours a da>. " Shameful 1 " exclaims some philanthropist. True, but who is to take home the shame ? Not the officers of the company, who cannot do more than their best with the materials laid to their bauds ; not the directors, who cannot create profits beyond the capacity of their line — although justice requires us to admit that they might reduce expenses by squabbling less with other companies and ceasing unfair, because ruinous as well as ungenerous, com- petition. Clearly the bulk of the shame lies with the shareholders who encourage opposition for the sake of increasing their own dividends at the ex- pense of their neighbours, and who insist on economy in directions which render the line inefficient — ^to the endangering of their own lives as well as those of the public. Economy in the matter of railway servants — in otu^r words, their reduction in num- bers — necessitates ir urease of working hours, which, beyond a certain j^.oint, implies inefficiency and danger. But the general public are not free fix)m a modicum of this shame, and have to thank them- selves if they are maimed and killed, because they descend on luilways for compensation with a ruthless baud ; (shame to Government, here, for allowing it!) and still further, impoverish their Kuready over-taxed coffers. Compensation lor injury m Sll THI nOV H0S8I is juBt, but compensation as it is and has been claimed and awarded is ridiculously unfair, as well as outrageously unwise. Fortunately Sam Natl/s wicked resolve to in- dulge in UP dutiful slumber did not result in evil on this occasion, although it did result in something rather surprising. It might have been far otherwise had Sam been a pointsman ! In order to enjoy fully the half-hour which he meant to snatch from duty, Sam entered a first-class carriage which stood on a siding, and, creeping under a seat, laid himself out at full length, pillow- ing his head on his arm. Tired men don't require feather-beds. He was sound asleep in two minutes, It so happened that, three-quarters of an hour after wards, an extra first-class carriage was wanted to add to the train which John Marrot was to " horse" on its arrival at Clatterby. The carriage in which Sam lay was selected for the purpose, drawn out and attached to the train. Tired men are not easily awakened. Sam knew nothing of this change in his sleeping apartment. Meanwhile Clatterby station became alive witb travellers. The train drew up to the platform Some passengers got out, others got in. The en- gine which brought it there being in need of rest coal, and water, moved off to the shed. John Marrot, with his lieutenant. Will Garvie, moved to OB LUn ON Tin LDTIL lit the front OB hii iron horse, looking as calm and sedate in his conscionfi power as his hxane looked heavy and unyieldJMig in ita stolidity. Never did two creatures more thoroughly beUe themselves by their looks. The latent power of the iron horse could have shot it forth Uke an arrow from a bow, or have blown the whole station to atoms. The smouldering fires in John's manly breast could have raised him from a begrimed somewhat sluggish driver to a brilliant hero ! Some of the characters who have already been inti-oduced at Clatterby station were there on this occasiOiLi also. Mr. Sharp was there, looking medi- tative as usual, and sauntering as though he had nothing particular to do. Our tall superlative fop with the sleepy eyes and long whiskers wai also there with his friend of the checked trousers. Mr. Shaip felt a strong desire to pommel these fops, be- cause he had found them very difficult to deal with in regard to compensation, the fop with the checked trousers having claimed and tinally obtained an un- reasonably large sum for the triHing injury done to his eye on the occasion of the accident at Langrye station. Mr. Sharp could not, however, gratify his desire. On the contrary, when the checked trousers remarked in passing that it was " vewy disagweeable weather," he felt constraijaed to admit, civilly enough, thui It was. 220 THl mom HOMl n Hie two fops had a friend with them who wta not a fop, but a plain, practical-looking man, with a forbidding countenance and a large, tall, powerful foinie. These three retired a little apart from the bnstle of the station, and whispered together in earnest tones. Their names were the reverse of romantic, for the fop with the checked trousers was addressed as Smith, he with the long whiskers as Jenkins, and the large man as Thomson. *' Are you sure he is to go by this train ? " asked Thomson, somewhat gruffly. " Quite sure. There can be no mistake about it,** replied Jenkins, from whose speech, strange to say, the lisp and drawl had suddenly disappeared. '* And how are you sure of knowing him, if, a'' you say, you have never seen him?" asked Thomson. " By the bag, of course," answered Smith, whose drawl had also disappeared imaccountably ; " we have got a minute description of the money-bag which he has had made peculiarly commonplace and shabby on purpose, It is black leather but very strong, with an unusually thick flat handle." " He 's very late," observed Thomson, moving uneasily, and glancing at the clock as the moment of depaiture drew near. Mr. Sharp observed the consulting party and sauntered idly towards them, but they were about as sharp as himself, in practice if not in name. Ihe 5Jil OR UFR ON THl LDHL SSI lisps and drawls returned as if by magic, aiid th«i turf became the subject of interest about which they were consulting. Just then u shriek was heard to issue from a female throat, and a stout elderly woman was ob- served in the act of dashing wildly across the line in the midst of moving engines, trucks and vans. Even in these unwonted circumstances no one who knew her could have mistaken Mrs. Durby'a ponderous person for a moment She had come upon the station at the wrong side, and, in defiance of all printed regulations to the contrary — none of which she could read, being wshort-sighted — she had made a bold venture to gain her desired position by the most direct route. This involved crossing a part of the line where there were several sidings a; id branch lines, on which a good deal of pushing of trucks and carriages to and fro — that is " shunting " - was going on. Like a reckless warrior, who by a bold and sudden push sometimes gains single-handed the centre of an enemy's position before he is discovered and assailed on every side, straight forward Mrs. Durby ran into the very midst of a brisk traffic before any one discovered her. Suddenly a passenger train came up with the usual caution in such circum- stances, nevertheless at a smart rattling pace, for * usual caution " does not take into account or pro- & ? i m i THI IBOM H0B81 vide for the apparition of stout elderly femaleB on the line. The driver of the passenger engine fla^ her, shut off steam, shouted, applied the brakes and whistled furiously. We have already hinted that the weather was not fine. Mrs. Durby'a umbrella being up, hid the approaching train. As for screaming steam- whistles, the worthy woman had come to regard intermittent whistling as a normal condition of railways, which, like the crying of cross babies, meant little or no- thing, and had only to be endured. She paid no attention io the alarm. In despair the driver re- versed his engine ; fire flew from the wheels, and the engine was brought to a stand, but not until the buffers were within three feet of the nurse's shoulder. At that moment she became aware of her danger, uttered a shriek, as we have said, that would have done credit to the whistle of a small engine, and, bending her head ^ith her umbrella before her, rushed frantically away on another line of rails. She did not observe, poor soul, that a goods train was coming straight down that line towards her, — partly because her mental vision was turned in terror to the rear, and partly because the umbrella obsenred all in advance. In vain the driver of the goods engine repeated tiie warnings and actions of the passenger engine. His had more speed ou and was heavier ; besides, Mis. Duiby ckaigtMi it iftlee on Lne fla"w kkes and was not hid the whistles, jrmittent 8, which, Le or no- paid no Iriver re- leelfl, and until the I shoulder. sr danger, \sA) would engine, [la before sr line of it a goodB towards fcnmedm xunbrella er of the td actions speed ou :gtid it CAOE 'ili. MRS. DUkKV IN' DANCKR. i At til breU swiiij sire sinijli f' blow, have Turne of hii liwink air. 1« eugine how— . mome] ilia she All] I who w; jsympat [Tiimer "Wl l&t that ppoinise Joe?" "All hisei "N-n |>a her p 01 un on THs iJKm 223 at the rate of full five miles an hour, with the um- brella steadily in front, and a brown paper parcel swinging wildly on her arm, as if her sole de- 3ire on earth was to meet that goods engine in single combat and beat out its brains at the first blow. Certain it is that Mrs. Durby's career would have been cut short then and there, if tall Joe Turner, the guard, had not been standing at the taU of his own train and observed her danger. In the Imrinkling of an eye he dropped his slow dignified air. leaped like a panther in front of the goods engine, caught Mrs. Durby with both hands — any how — and hurled her and himself off the line, — not a moment too soon, for the bufier of the engine touched I his shoulder as they fell together to the ground. A lusty cheer was given by those on the platform I who witnessed this bold rescue, and more than one Isympathetic hand grasped the massive fist of Joe |Tiimer m he assisted Mrs. Durby to a carriage. " Why," exclaimed Will Grarvie, hurrying forward at that moment, "it's Mrs. Durby, the woman we promised to take care of! YouH look after her, Joe?" " AU right," said the guard, as Will hurried back Ms engine ; " this way, ma'am. Got your ticket?" " N-no ! " gasped the poor nurse, leaning heavily ^n her protector's arm. " Qm; Dick," cried Joe, haUing a porter, '* run to 'Mr 994 flU IKOV HOMM i i the booking-oifice and got her a ticket for London, first class ; she s got a bad shake, poor thing. No donbi the company will stand the differenoe ; if not well mako it up amonfjst us." Hereupon a benevohint old gent^ "hu drew out his purse and insisted on paying ..ue whole of the fare himaelf, a point which no one seemed ui- clined to dispute, and Mrs. Durby was carefullT placed by Joe in a carriage by herselC Tliere were two gentlemen — also linown to the reader — who arrived just in time to witness this in- cident : the one was Captain Lee, the other Edwin Gurwood. They both carried bags and rugs, and were evidently going by that train. Tlie captain who happened to have a bad cold the time, waij inuffled up to the oyes in a white «d comforter, and had a fur travelling-cap pulled well down on hiij forehead, so that little of him save the point of hiij nose wafl visible. The moment that the two fops caught sight i\ Captain Lee, they whispered to Thomson — " Thatij our man." " Sure ? " demanded Thomson. " Quite," replie^l Smith. " That 's about the m\ and make of the man as deecribed t/O me. Of counil they could not tell wliat sort of travelling gear would appear in, but there 's no mistaking the — (dd, stout leather, with flat handle strap." pass find tod( on a 9haU "C to act thecal 01 UWE Om THK UMS. S25 "All right," >aid ThomBon ; ''but who's the yonng follow with him V " Don't know," replied Smith ; * yet I think I 've seen hlB face before. Stay, Jenkins, wasn't he in the accident at Langrye station ?" " Perhaps he was ; but it 's of no conaequence to us." ** It will be of consequence to us if he goes with the old gentleman," retorted Smith, " for he 's a stout fellow, and wouldn't be easy to manage." " / 'II manage him, no fear," said Thomson, look- ing at the unconscious Edwin with a dark sinister smile. " What if they get into a carriage that 's already nearly full ?" suggested the dubimis Smith "They won't do that replied Jenkins with a laugh. " It seems to be a^ ^inst the laws of human nature to do that. As long as there are empty carriages in a train, so long will men and women pass every carriage that has a soul in it until they find an empty one for themselves. We have nothing to do but follow them, and when they have pitched on a carriage get in after them and fill it up ; so we shall have it aU to ourselves." " Gome along, then ; it 's time to stop talking and to act," said Thomson, testily, as he moved towards the carriages. That even the wisest of men (in his own conceit) S26 THI mON HOBSl Hi may make mistakes now and then is a fact which was beautifully illustrated on this occasion. We may here let the reader into the secret of Jenkins, Smith, and Thomson. They were men who lived by their wits. They had ascertained that a partner of a certain house that dealt in jewellery meant to return to London by that particular train with a quantity of valuables that were worth runniu;; some risk for. On the journey there was one stop- page quite close to London. The run immediately before that was a clear one of seventy -five miles without a halt at full express speed, which would. afford them ample opportunity for their purpose, while the slowing of the train on approaching tU stopping place would give them opportunity and time to leap out and make off with their booty. They had been told that their intended victim wa« a stout resolute man, but that would avail nothing against numbers. Having obtained aU requisite information they had proceeded thus far with their villainous de- sign, apparently with success. But at this point a hitch occurred, though they knew it not. They had not taken suflficiently into account the fact that black leather bags may be both stout and peculiar, and in some degree similar without being identical Hence Smith and Jenkins in their self-confidenoe had settled, as wc hav» aeen, that Captain Lee >^«^ OR LIFB ON THX USE. 39T fact wWch flion. We »f Jenkins, kio lived by , a partnei lery meant train with rth runniuj; is one stop- immediately y-five miles which wouW leir purpose, roaching th« ortunity and . their booty, jd victim was avail nothing rmation they rillainous de- at this point not. They the fact that and peculiar, ing identical elf-confidenoe *t%eir man," whereas their man wai oomfortably seated in another carriage, and by his side the coveted bag, which was similar in some points to that of the captain, hut diiTerent in size and in several small details. Following the wrong scent, ♦^herefore, with wonted pertinacity, the three inen sauntered behind Captain Lee and Edwin, who, true to the " laws " with which Jenkins had credited human nature, passed one carriage after another until they found an empty one. " Here is one, Gurwood," said the captain. He was about to step into it when lie observed Mrs. Durby sitting in the next compartment. ' Hallo ! nurse," he exclaimed, getting in and sit- ting down opposite to her ; " why, surely it wasn't you, was it, that had such a narrow escape ? " " Indeed it was, Capting Lee," replied Mrs. Durby in a half whimper, for albeit a woman of strong character, she was not proof against such rough treatment as she had experienced that day. •' Not hurt, I trust ? " asl ed the Captain sympa- thetically. " Oh dear no, sir ; only shook a bit" " Are you alone ? " asked Edwin, seating himself beside his friend. " Yes, sir ; but la, sir, I don 't think nothink of 'ravellin' alone. I 'm used to it, sir " :!3i^ 228 TEJE mON HORSK Ab she said this the guard's voice was heard desiring passengers to take their seats, and the three men, who had grouped themselves close round the door, thus diverging one or two passengers into the next compartment, entered and sat down. At the same moment Mr. Sharp's earnest coun tenance appeared at the window. He made a few remarks to Captain Lee ana Edwin Gurwood, and took occasion to regard the three adventurers with much attention. They evidently understood him, for they received his glances with bland smiles. It was quite touching to note Mr. Sharp's anxiety to lay hold of these men. He chanced to know nothing about them save in connexion with the Langrye accident, but his long experience in busi- ness had given him a delicate power of perception in judging of character, which was not often at fault He, as it were, smelt the presence of fair game although he could not manage to lay immediate hold of it, just as that celebrated giant did, who, once upon a time, went about his castle giving utterance to well-known words — " Fee, fo, fa, fum, I smell the smell of an Englishman." " Joe," he whispered, as the guard came up to lock the door, "just keep an eye on these three fellows, will you ? I 'd lay my life on it *^i they 're up to mischief to-day." OK LITK ON THE LINS. 331 b conn e a fe^ )od, and BntuieTS derstood 1 bland 8 anxiety to knov with the y inbusi- leption in at fault air ganie diate bold j7bo, once utterance Bmell the Joe looked knowing, and nodded. " Show your tickets, please," he said, touching hia cap to his director and Edwin. The tickets were produced — all right. Mrs. Durby, in getting out hers, although, of course, having got it for her, Joe did not require to see it, dropped her precious brown paper parcel Pick- ing it up again hastily she pressed it to her bosom with such evident anxiety that men much less sharp-witted than our trio would have been led to suspect that it contained something valuable. But they aimed at higher booty just then, and appar- ently did not notice the incident A rapid banging of doors had now set in — a sure precursor of the starting whistle. Before it was quite completed the inevitable late-passenger ap- peared in the distance. This time it was a lady, middle-aged and stout, and short of wind, but with an iron will, as was clearly evinced by the energy with which she raced along the platform, carrying a large bundle of shawls in one arm, and a travelling-bag in the other, which she waved continuously as she shouted, 'Stop! stop! stop the trai-i-i-n! I'm coming ! " The guard, with the whistle already half-way to lu8 Ups, paused and glanced at his watch. There was a fraction of a moment left. He stepped to » caniagt and threw open a door. sso THE ntOK HOXSI i\ .>?! " Make haste, ma'am ; make haste, please," was said in urgent, though respectful tones. The late passenger plunged in — she might, as far as appearances went be said to have taken a header into the carriage — and the door was shut The guard's whistle sounded. The engine-driver's whistle gave prompt reply, and next instant the train moved. No one could conceive of such a thing as a train starting when John Marrot drove ! As the carriages glided by, Mr, Sharp cast a pass- ing glance on the late passenger. He observed that her bundle of shawls moved of its own accord, and for one whole minute after the train had left, he stood motionless, meditating on that curious pheno- menon. He had often heard of table-turning, but never until now had he seen inanimate matter move of its own accord. Can we feel surprised that he was both astonished and perplexe Will that they had done it in thirty-eight and i half minutes. He then " put on 8 spurt," and went Ibr some time at a higher rate of speed. Observing tijat something at the head of the engine required looking after, WUl Garvie went out along the side of it, and while doing this pieoe of work his hair and jacket were blown straight back by the breeze which the engine had created for itself He resembled, in fact, a sailor going out t^; unfurl the jib of a ship during a gale. Oft LITB ON THX LQIX. 3S5 This artificial breeze, sweeping round fhe sides of the screen, caused an eddy which sent up a cloud of coal-dust, but neither John nor his mate appeared to care for thiB. Their eyes were evidently coal- proot Presently they approached a canal over which they rushed, and for one moment, glanced down on the antipodal mode of locomotion — a boat going three miles an hour with its steersman half asleep and smoking at the helm! Next moment they were passing under a bridge ; the next over a town, and then rushed through a station, and it was in- teresting to note as they did so that the people on the platform shrank back and looked half-teiTified, although they were in iio danger whatever, while those in the train — who might at any moment have been hurled into eternity — looked c€dm and serene, evidently untroubled Oy thoughts of danger; so difficult is it for man to realize his true condition in auch circumstances. Just beyond the station a dog was observed to have strayed on the line, and ran barking before the engine. It was overtaken and passed in a few seconds, and Will looked over the side but saw nothing of it. As no yell was heard, it ifl probable that the poor thing escaped. Soon after that, two navvies were observed walking coolly and slowly on the line in front of the engine. John trowued and laid hiu hand on the whistle, but before SSI Tm XSOH HOKSI I -A it could sound the reckless men had heard the train, looked round with horrified faces, sprang like jump- ing-jacks oflf the line, right and left, and were gone ! Soon after this, on approaching the distant signal of one of the stations, they observed that the arms were extended, indicating that the line was "blocked" — that is, that another train being in advance they must check speed or perhaps stop. This was a species of insult to the " Flying Dutchman," whose way ought to liave been kept perfectly clear, for even a check of speed would inevitably cause the loss of several minutes. With an indignant grumble John Marrot cut off steam, but immediately the signals were lowered and he was allowed to go on. Again, i& a few minutes, another signal checked him. " They *ve let a train on before us,** growled John, sternly, " and p'raps we may be checked all the way to London — but some one shall hear of thiS; an' have to account for it.*' John was wrong to some extent. While he yet spoke the signal to go on was given, and a few minutes later the " Flying Dutchman " flashed past the obstructing train which had been shunted on to a siding, and from its windows hundreds of pas- sengers were gazing at the express which passed them like a meteor — perhaps they were congratulatiug themselvee, as well they might, for, but for the OB im OM TBI Lnn. S97 ocked" ce they , was a ' wboBe Lear, for luae the grumble itely the to go on. checked "block sjrstem," their danger would have been tre- mendous ; almost equal to that of a man endeavouring to nm away from a cannon-shot This may be some- what better understood when we explain that the " Flying Dntchuian " could not have been stopped in a shorter space than one mile and a hal£ At length the iron horse came suddenly on an obstruction which filled its driver with deep aiudety and alarm. Daily had John driven that train, but never before had he met with a similar danger. At a level crossing, less than a mile in advance of him, he observed a horse and a loaded cart standing right across the line. Either the horse was a run- away, or the driver had left it for a little and it had strayed. Whatever the cause of its being there John's alert mind saw at once that a collision was inevitable. He shut off steam, and was about to whistle for the guard to apply the brakes, while Will Garvie, who also saw the danger, was already turn- ing on the brakes of the tender. John reflected that it would be impossible to come to a stand within the space that lay between him and the cart, and that a partial concussion would be almost certain to throw his engine off the rails. Less than a minute remained to him. ** Let her go, mate,** he shouted quickly. Will Garvie obeyed at once. John put on full itetm, the " Flying Dutchman " ieai)ed forward with 938 THI IRON H0BS1 increased velocity. Then foUoved a slight shock, and, next moment, the cart and horse were smashed to atoms — all but annihilated ! It was a great risk that had been mn ; but of two evils John Manot had chosen the less and came off in triumph with only a slight damage to his buffers, Let us now quit the engine for a little, and, re- tracing our steps in regard to time, visit some of the carriages behind it. When the " late passenger" recovered her breath and equanimity, and found herself fairly on her journey, she unfolded her bundle of shawls and disclosed a fat glossy lap-dog, which seemed to en- joy its return to fresh air and daylight, and acknow- ledged, with sundry wags of its tail and blinks of its eyes the complimentary assurance that it wa? the "dearest, sweetest, p'ittiest 'ittle darling that ever was born," and that " it wouldn't be allowed to pay a nasty fare to a mean railway company that let all kinds of ugly parrots and oats and babies travel free ! " A timid little lady, the only other occuj-art of the carriage, ventured to suggest that th<' lv>g travel- , ling free was against the rul^^ of ^'- mrinuy, "I am quite aware of • ite pas- senger somewhat sharph jhoose Uj make unjust and opproat c rule^ x don't mean to gnbmit to them. Just think o a parrot, a ho^ OB LIVB OH THX LOfB. 139 it of two eame of! B buffers. , and, re- me of the ,er breath [y on her lawla and led to en- ^d acknow- [ blinks of hat it WW [arling that allowed to Lp iny thill I and babies fthrieklng creature that eveiy one acknowledges to be a nuisance, being allowed to travel free, or a baby, which is enough to drive one distracted when it 8 my sweet little pet that annoys nobody must be vMd for, forsooth ! * "It does indeed seem unreaaonable," responded tho timid little old hvly ; " but don't you think that the company has a perfect right to make what- ever rules it pleases, and that we are bouud to obey them when we make use of their line ? " "No, I don't !* said the late passenger tartly. The timid little lady thought it advisable to change the subject, and did so by remarking that the dog was a very pretty creature. Upon which the late passenger thawed at once, admitted that it was a very pretty creature, and asserted in addition that it was a " perfect darling." Their conversation became miscellaneouB and general after this point, and not worth reporting, therefore we shall get out at tho window and pass along the foot-boards to the carriage occupied by Mrs. Durby and her friends. Immediately after the train had started, as before described, Captain Lee entered into an animated conversation with the nurse as to the health of the Tipps family. Edvsdn, who was much interested in Aeni, Ustened and put in a word now and then, but 240 TRI IBOV HOBffl * ■S. H' ueither he nor the captain, after the firot glance, paid any attention to the other occupants of the caniage. Meanwhile Thomson, Jenkins & Co. spent & short time in taking a quiet observation of the state of affairs. The former had placed himself opposite to Edwin and eyed him over critically as a wrestler might eye his opponent ; Jenkins had seated him- self opposite the captain, who had been apportioned to him in the coming conflict, and Smith, who, although a stout enough fellow, was the smallest of the three, kept his eye on the coveted bag, and held himself in readiness to act as might be advisable The scoundrels were not long in taking action. As soon as they were quite clear of the suburbs of Clatterby, Jenkins suddenly hit Captain Lee a tremendouo blow on the head, which was meant to £ell him at once ; but the captain's head was harder than he had expected it to be ; he instantly grappled with Jenkins. Edwin's amazement did not prevent his prompt action ; but at the moment he sprang to the rescue, he received a blow from Thomson, who leaped on him, and seized him by the throat with a vice-like gripe. At the same moment Smith also sprang upon him. Thomson soon found that he had miscalculated young Gurwood's strength. Strong though hu grasp was, Edwin's was stronger. Almost as quicl: Ml OB LTFK ON THE IJNB. 241 glance, of the spent a the state opposite wrestlei bed bim- portione'i ith, who, mallest of , and held advisable, ition. le suburbs tain Lee a J meant to was harder ly grapple^i Lot prevent le sprang t^ ►mson, wbo Iroat with a Smith also &s thought he threw his left arm round Thomson's waist, grasped his hair with his right hand, and abnost broke his back. There is no question that he would have overcome him in a few seconds if Smith had not hampered him. As it was, he disengaged his right arm for a moment, and, hitting a familiar and oft-tried blow straight out from the shoulder planted his knuckles just above the bridge of Smith's nose. He fell as if he had been shot, but the momentary relief thus afforded to Thomson enabled that scoundrel to get into a better position for continuing the struggle. Meanwhile Jenldns, although bravely and stoutly opposed by the veteran Lee, quickly rendered his adversary insensible, and at once sprang upon Edwin, and turned the scale in favour of his comrade, who at the moment was struggling in the youth's grasp with savage though unwailing ferocity. At the same time Smith, who had only been stunned, recovered, and seizing Edwin by the legs endeavoured to throw him down, so that it went haid with our young hero after that, despite his activity, strength and courage. During this scene, which was enacted in a very few minutes, poor Mrs. Durby sat drawn up into the remotest comer of the carriage, her face trans- fixed with horror, and a terrific yell bursting occa- sionally from her white lips. But neither the sound of her cries nor the noifle of the deadly struggle 243 THE mON HOBfil could overtop the clatter of the express train. Those in the next compartment did indeed hear a little of it, but they were powerless to render assistance, and there was at that time no means of communicatiDg with the guard or driver. Poor Edwin thought of Captain Lee, who lay bleeding on the floor, and of Emma, and the power of thought was so potential that, in his great wrath he almost lifted the three men in the air ; but they clung to him like leeches, and it is certain that they would have finally over- come him, had he not in one of his frantic struggles thnist his foot below one of the seats and kicked the still slumbering Sam Natly on the nose ! That over- wrought but erring porter immediately ftwoke to the consciousness of being oppressed with a sense of guilt, and of being in a very Btrange and awkward position. Quickly perceiving, however, by the wild motion of the feet, and an occasional scream from Mrs. Durby, that something serious was goin^' on, he peeped out, saw at a glance how matters stood, got to his feet in a moment, and dealt Jenkins such a blow on the back of the head that he dropped like a stone. To deal Smith two similar blows, with like result, was the work of two seconds. Thus 1 freed, Edwin rose like a giant, crushed Thomson j down into a seat, and twisted his neckcloth until his eyes began to glaze and his lips to turn blue. L - Natly was a man of cool self-poBsessioiL I OB IiDTK ON THB LOTI. 34S I, Those a little of bance, and lunicating thought of 3or, and of ) potential I the three tke leeches, nally ovei- ic struggles and kicked Me! immediately pressed with strange and , however, by lional scream IS was going how matteiB loalt Jenkins it he dropped | milar blowSi ionds. Thus! Led ThoinsoD Bkcloth until I •n blue. Seeing that Edwin was more than a match for hii adversary, he left hiiu and proceeded to attend to the captain, who shewed symptoms of revival ; but happening to glance again at Edwin, and observing the condition of Thomson, Sam turned and put his hand on the youth's arm. " I think, sir," he said quietly, " it would be as well to leave enough of him to be hanged. Besides, it might be raither awkward, sir, to do Jack Ketch's dooty without the beneht of judge, jurj', witnesses, or clergy." Edwin released his hold at once, and Thomson raised himself in the seat, clenching bis teeth and fists as he did so. He was one of those savage {•reaturos who, when roused, appear to go mad, and become utterly regardless of conaequences. While Sam was engaged in extemporizing handcuffs for Jenkins and Smith out of a necktie and a pocket handkerchief, Thomson sat perfectly still, but breathed very hard. He was only resting a little to recover strength, for in a moment, without a Bound or w£tming of any kind, he hit Edwin with all his force on the temple. Fortunately the youth saw the coming blow in time to partially give way to it, and in another moment the staruggle waa renewed, but terminated almost as quickly, for Edwin gave Thomson a blow that stunned him and kept him quiet for the next quarter of an hoot. U m e t44 THI nOM H0B81 i During this period Edwin examined Captain Lee's hurts, whicli turned out to be less severe thaii might have been expected. He also assisted Sara to secure Thomson's wrists with a handkerchief, and then devoted some time to soothing the agitated spirits of poor Mrs. Durby, whose luckless shins had not escaped quite scatheless during the m^l^e. "Oh, sii," sobbed Mrs. Durby, glancing with horror at the dishevelled and blood-stained pri- soners, " I always thought railways was bad things, but 1 never, no I never, imagined they was afl bad as this." "But, my good woman," said Edwin, unable to restrain a smile, " railways are not all, nor always, as bftd as this. We very seldom hear of such a villainous deed as has been attemjited to-day; thauks to the energy and efficiency of their police establishments." " Quite true, Gurward, quite true," said Captain Lee, glancing sternly at the prisoners, and stanch- ing a cut in his forehead with a handkerchief as he 8})oke ; ** our police arrangements are improving.' daily, as scoundrels shall find to their cost." Jenkins and Smith did not raise their eyes, and Thome ^ continued to frown steadily out at the window without moving a muscle " I *m sure I don't know nothink about your p'hce, an' wiiAt'a more, i don't onit^' said Mtb. Duib) 01 uvx OH TiTE Lrnc 240 3Lin Lee'a jre than ted Sam Lkercbief, J agitated shins had l^e. ling witL lined pri ad things, ras as bad unable to lor always, of such ed to-day; their police lid Captain uid stancli- kerchief as improving St" lir eyes, and out at tk your p'hce, Durbj ' all that I know is that railways is dreadful things, and if I was the Queen, which I 'm not, I 'd have 'em all put down by Acts of Parlingment, so I would. But never, never, never, — as long a^ I'm able to mauidge my own — all !" Mrs. Durby terminated here with one of her own appalling shrieks, for it was at this precise moment that John Marrot happened, as already described, to have occasion to knock a cart and horae to atoms. The shock, as we have said, was very slight, never- theless it was sufficient to overturn the poor nui'se's nervous system, which had abeady been wrought up to a high pitch of tension, " That 'a somethdn' gone, sir," said Sara, touching hia cap to Captain Lee. " What is it, Edwin ? " inquired the captain as the youth let down the window and looked o\it. " I can see nothing,*' said Edwin, " except that the ' .:i.rd and fireman are both looking back as if they wanted to see something on the line. We are be- ginning to alow, however, being not far from the station now." About a mile and three-quarters from the station, in the suburbs of London, where the tickets wei« to be collected, John Marrot stopped the pulse of hia uon horse, for so terrific was his speed that he was able to run the greater part of that distance by TiBans of the momentum akeadv a<;quired. By da- ,pi:;(>' IM tm TROlf HOBAI grees the mighty engine began to "slow.** Trees and houses instead of rushing madly past began to ran nastily by and then to glide behind at a rate that was more in keeping with the dignity of their nature. From sixty miles an hour the train passed by a rapid transition to ordinary express speed, then to ordinary speed, then to twenty miles an hour. Then Thomson felt that his opportunity had come. He suddenly wrenched his wrists from theii fastening, leaped head foremost out of the window, fell on the embanlanent in a heap, and rolled to the bottom, where he lay extended on his back as if dead. Thus much Mrs. Durby saw in one horrified glance and then fainted dead away, in which con- dition she remained, to the great anxiety and distress of Captain Lee, untU the " Flying Dutchman," after doing seventy -eight miles in one hour and a halt, glided as softly up to the platform of the station in the great Metropolis as if it were a modest yoimg train which had yet to win its spurs, instead of be- ing a trit'd veteran which had done its best for many years past to annihilate space and time. But, after all, it resembled all other tried veterans in this respect. Generally speaking, engine-drivers are little-- far too little — thought of after a journey is over. Mankind is not prone to be wise or discriminating OB LIfK ON THI UJm U1 In giving credit to whom credit is due. We " re- member " waiters after having eaten a good dinner, but who, in any sense of the word, " remembers " the cook ? So in like manner we think of railway porters and guards at the end of our journeys, and talk of their civility mayhap, but who thinks or talks of the driver and fireman as they lean on the rails of their iron horse, wet and weary perchance — smoke and dust and soot-begrimed for certain — and calmly watch the departure of the multitudes whom they have, by the exercise of consummate coolness, skill, and courage, brought through dangers and hairbreadth escapes that they neither knew noi dreamed of? On this particular occasion, however, the tables were turned for once. The gentlemen in the traiu hurried to the guard to ask what had caused the lilight shock which they had felt Joe Turner had been called aside for a moment by a clerk, so they went direct to John Marrot himseK, who modestly related what had happened in a half apologetio tone, for he did not feel quite sure that he had done the best in the circumstances. His admiring audi- ence had no doubt on the point, however. " Tou 're a brick, John I" exclaimed an enthusiastic oommercial traveller. "That's true," said another. "If we had more uen Uke him, there would be fewer accidents.'* 248 THK lEON H0BS1 * Let 's give him something," whispered a thiid. The suggestion was eagerly acted on. A sub- scription was made on the spot, and in three minutes the sum of about ten pounds was thrust into John's huge dirty hand by the enthusiastic commercial traveller. But John firmly refused to take it " What 's to be done with it, then ? " demanded the traveller, "/can't keep it, you know, and I'm not going to sit down here and spend half-an-hour in re- turning the money. If you don't take it, John, I must fling it under the engine or into the furnace." "Wall," said the driver, after a moment's con aideration, while he closed his hand on the money and thrust it into his breeches pocket, " I '11 take it. It wUl help to replace the cart wki smashed, if I can find the owner." While this was going on near the engine, the robbers were being removed from their carriage to receive the due reward of their deeds. Three tall and strong-boned men had been on the platform for some time awaiting the arrival of the " Flying Dutchman." Swift though Jolm Marrot's iron horse was, a swifter messenger had passed on the line be- fore him. The electric spark— and a fast, volatile, free-and-easy, yet faithful spark it is — had been conmiissioned to do a little service that day. Half- an-hour after the train had left Clatterby a detec- tive, whoUy unconnected with our friend Sharp. OB LIFB on TBI UBTE. 949 third. A 8ub- rainutes K) John's mnercial it inded the I'm not our in re- ,t, John, I furnace." ant's con- )he money 11 take it. ad, if T can 'ngine, the carriage to Three tall atform for " Bying 8 iron horse ,he line b«- ast, volatile, —had been day. Half- by a detec- iend Sharp. le had called and sent a message to London to hare Thomson, Jenkins, and Smitli apprehended, in con- sequence of their connexion with a case of fraud \vhich had been traced to them. The three t-n> OF unit We need scarcely say that Edwin Gurwood took a good deal of trouble to tind poor Mrs. Durby's lost [>arceL Had he known what its contents were he might perhaps have done more. As she positively asserted that she had carried it into the cab with her and had not loft it in the train, immediate appli- cation was not made at the station for it, but Edwin drove her in a cab to Scotland Yard, and there in- troduced her to the police ofl&cials whose duty it is to take charge of articles left in ^Ahs. Here she was asked to describe the appearance of her parcel, which she did, by saying that it was a roundish one in brown paper, fastened with a piece of string, and having the name of Durby written on it in pencil, without any address. Not feeling quite sure however of \he fidelity of the n»irse's memory, Edwin thdn went to the statioii uMi laadft inquiries th«rid, but on appIieatMm to th« iga^BSB29BH^ S6€ THlIBOir HOlflS 'is lost-lnggage office no such parcel had been deposited there. The reader may perhaps be siirprised at this, as it is well known that every train is searched by the porters on its arrival at a tcrminos, and all for- gotten articles are conveyed at once to the lost- luggii^e office. In the ordinary course of things Mrs. Durby's parcel would have been found and restored to her on application, but it happened that a careless porter searched the "Flying Dutchman" that day, and had failed t/O observe the parcel which lay in a dark comer under the seat. When the carriage therefore was shunted the parcel was left to repose in it all night as well as all next day, which happened to be Sunday. The parcel had a longish excursion on its own accoimt after that. The carriage in which it lat happened to be a "through one," and belonged to another company, to whose line it was accordingly forwarded on the following Monday. It reached a remote station in the west of England that night, and there the parcel was discovered It lay all night there, and next day was forwarded to the lost lug- gage office of that line. Here it was examined ; the I various pieces of paper were unrolled one by oe and the doubled-up slipper was discovered; thu was examined, and the little parcel foimd ; the name of Durby having been notid and commente as to make the line level, and. v^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 25 ^ m M 12.2 1.8 1-4 IIIIII.6 V] <^ /}. 'c^l *^^>^ % '/a / >^ Photographic Sciences Corporation ^1.^ ri>^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ' 9 '^ I I see TBI IBOK H0R81 generally, to keep in thorough repair the " permanent way." Again, each of the four divisions had an in- spector of signals and an inspector of buildings, the former being responsible for the perfect working order of all signals, and the latter, who had a few masons, joiners, slaters, blacksmiths, and others under him, having charge of all the stations, sheds, and other buildings on the line. Every month each division engineer sent in to the head of&ce a statement of material used, and of work done ; also a requisition for material required for future use. From all this it can easily be understood that Edwin had a fair opportunity of binding scope for his talents ; and he had indeed already begim to attract D.»tice as an able, energetic fellow, when CaptaiB Lee, as we have said, procured for him an appoint- ment in the Clearing- House. On the occasion of the change being made, he invited his young friend to spend a few days at his residence in Clatterby, and thereafter, as we have seen, they travelled to- gether to London. It need scarcely be said that Edwin did not ne gleet this golden opportunity to trj to win the heart of Emma. Whether he had succeeded or not tie could not tell, but he unquestionably received a strong additional impulse in his good resolveft— to achieve for himself a position and n wife I *' Giirwood," said Captain Lee, after Mrs. Durbj OR LIFl OV THl LOnC. 267 had taken her departure, " I want jon to aid me in a little diflSculty T have abont our mutual friend, Mrs. Tipps. She is ridiculously determined not to accept of assistance from me, and I find from that excellent nurse that they are actually up to the lips in poverty — in fact, on the point of going down. I think from what she said, or, rather from what she didn't say, but hinted, that her errand to London Qad something to do with their poverty, but I can't make it out. Now, I have made up my mind to help them whether they will or no, and the question I wish to lay before you is, — how is the thing to be done? Come, you have hod some experience of engineering, and ought to be able to cope with dif- ^culties." " True," replied Edwin, with a smile, " but to bend a woman's will surpasses any man's powers of engineering!" " Come, sir," said the captain, " that is a most ungallant speech from one so young. You deserve to die an old bachelor. However, I ask you not to exercise your skiU in bending a woman's will, but in bridging over this difficulty — this Chat Moss, to speak professionaUy." '" Could yon not procure for my friend, Joseph Tipps, a more lucrative appointment ?* said Edwin eagerly, as the idea flashed upon him. The captain shook his head. 198 THE nON HOU» % t I " Won't do, sir ; I have thought of that ; but, in the first place, I have not such an appointment to give him at present; in the second place, if I had, he could not draw his salary in advance, and money is wcnted immediately ; and, in the third place, he woidd not, if he had it, be able to spare enough out of any ordinary clerk's salary, because the debts due by Mrs. Tipps amount to fifty pounda — so Mrs. Durby said.'* * It is indeed pei*plexing," said Edwin. " Would it not be a good plan to send them a cheque anony- mously ?" Again the captain shook his head. ** Wouldn't do. The old lady would guess who sent it at once. Come, I will leave it to you to devise a plan. Never could form a plan all my life, and have no time just now, as I 'm going off to the meeting in ten minutes. I constitute you my agent in this matter, Gurwood. You know all the circum- stances of the case, and also about my bet of five hundred pounds with the late Captain Tipps. Your fee, if you succeed, shall be my unending gratitude. There, I give you carte-blanche to do as you please- only see that you don't fail* Saying this, the captain put on his hat and went oat( leaving Edwin much amused and not a little perplexed. He was not the man, however, to let difficulties stand in his way unassailed. He gavi OK \m OM THK LQTK. 269 the subject half-an-hour^s conaideration, after which he formed a plan and immediately went out to put it into execution. Meanwhile Captain Lee went to the head offices of the Grand National Trunk Railway, and entered the large room, where the directors and shareholders of the Company were already assembled in con- siderable numbers to hold a half-yearly general meeting. It was quite a treat to see the cordial way in which the captain was received by such of his brother directors as sat near him, and, when he htd wiped his bald head and put on his spectacles, and calmly looked round the hall, his bland visage ap- peared to act the part of a reflector, for, wherever Ms eyes were turned, there sunshine appeared to glow. In fact several of the highly sympathetic people present — of whom there are always a few m every mixed meeting — unconsciously smiled and nodded s^j his eye passed over their locality, even although they were personal strangers to him. Very various are the feelings which actuate the directors and shareholder of different railways at these half-yearly gathering's. Doubtless some direc- tors go to the place of mefiting with the feelings of men who go to execution and the shareholders go with the feelings of executioners, if not worse ; while other directors and shareholders unq^uestion- 270 THl IRON HORSI lit ^ a fe«-f Hi-.-. ably go to hold something like a feast of reason and a flow of soul. The half-yearly meeting we write of was imbMid with the latter spirit. Wisdom and conscientious care had steered the ship and swayed the councils of the Grand National Trunk Kail way, so that things were in what the captain called a highly flourishing condition. One consequence was, that the directors wore no defensive armour, and the shareholders came to the ground without offensive weapons. Sir Cummit Strong having taken the chair, the secretary read the advertisement convening the meeting. The chairman, who was a taU, broad -browed, and large-mouthed man, just such an one as might be expected to become a railway king, then rose, and, after making a few preliminary observations in re- ference to the report, which was Lssumed to have been read, moved " that the said report and state- ment of accounts be received and adopted." " He-ar, he-ar!" exclaimed a big vulgar man, with an oily fat face and a strong voice, who was a confirmed toady. " 1 am quite sure," the chairman continued, " that I have the sympathy of all in this meeting when I say that the half-year which has just come to a has been one of almost unmixed success — " ** He-ar« he-«r ! " from the toady. OK LIf S ON THI UXi, 271 ason and s imbued jcientious I councils tiat things lourishing 3 directors Iders came chair, the rening the ffowed, and fl might be 1 rose, and, ions in ^^ aed to have and state- M nilgar man, who was a .Tied,"that ting when I e toa * And* continued the chairman, with pointed emphasis, and a ghince at the toady, which was meant to indicate that he had put in ]m oar too soon, but which tlie toady constnied into a look of gratitude — " and of very great satisfaction to those whom you have appointed to the conducting of your affairs." " He ar, hear!" Captain Lee, who sat immediately behind the toady and felt his fingers and toes tingling, lost a good deal of what followed in consequence of falling into a speculative reverie as to what might be the legal consequences if he were to put his own hat on ihe toady's head and crush it down over his eyes and mouth, " Gentlemen," continued the chairman, " there are three points on which we have reason to congratu- late ourselves to-day, namely, the safety, the effi- ciency, and the economy with which our railway has been worked. As regards the first, I find that ten millions of journeys have been performed on our line during the half-year with hardly a detention, with very few late trains, at high speeds, and with only one accident, which was a comparatively slight one, and was unattended with loss of life or serious damage to any one." " He -ar, he-ar !" from the toady. At this point a wa,g in the distance got up and Vi THE IBOy HOKSI I* * I I suggested, in a veiy weak voice, that if the toady would say " he-ar, he-ar" less frequently, perhaps they would "hear" much better — a suggestion which was received with a burst of laughter and a round of applause. It effectually quelled the toady and rendered him innocuoi > for a considerable time. " Now," resumed the chairman, " some people appear to think that it is an easy thing to work a railway in safety, but I can assure you that such is not the case. Intelligence, care, foresight, and the strictest discipline, are necessary to secure this result; and, remember, we have not the advantage of any- thing so powerful as military discipline to help us. We have nothing to appeal to save the hopes and fears of our staff; and we feel it to be our great difficulty, as it is our principal duty, to be most careful in the selection of the thousands of men who, in their various positions and vocations, have to be emplo^'^ed in the conduct of your enterprise. " I know well," continued Sir Cummit Strong, " how men shudder when statistics are mentioned in their ears ! Nevertheless, I shall venture to give you a few statistics that will, I am quite sure, prove interestijag — all the more so that the figures which I quote apply to several other railways — and, there fore, will serve to give those of you who may chance to be unlearned on railway matters, some idea of the vait influence i^ich ndlwaj^s have on our land. OK UFE OM Tins LINB. 273 t,he toady , perhapa ion which [ a round ioady and 8 time, oae people to work a bat such is it, and the this result; ige of any- to help us. hopes and B our great to be most ►f men who, have to be " Wp- run on this railway (I use round numbers) about 700 trains a day. In addition to which wo have spare engines and empty trains, which perhaps ought to be added to the number given. Now, just consider for a moment the operations which have to be performed daily in the ordinary working and running of your passenger traffic. These 700 trains stop about 5000 times in tlie twenty-four hours, and of course they start the same number of times. The empty trains and engines liave also to stop and start. We have on the line upwards of 1000 signals, including the telegraphic signals and auxiliarius. Those signals have to be raised and lowered 10,000 times in the twenty -four hours. There are on aar line 1 700 pairs of points, which have to be opened and shut, to be cleaned, oiled, and attended to above 5000 times in the day. In addition to all this there are the operations of shunting, carriage -examining, greasing, and other things in connexion with trains which involve operations amounting to nearly 8000 in number. So that — apart from repairs to the line and to vehicles — there are above 30,000 individual operations which have to be performed every twenty- four hours in the conduct of this enormous passenger traffic. " All this information I have obtained from onr able and excellent passenger-superintendent, than whom there is not a more important officer in the ^■■■p 974 THE IKON HOKSl ^i. Oompatiy'B service, unless indeed" (here the chair< man turned with a smile and a slight bow to the gentlemen who sat on his right hand) " I may except the general manager and secretary. " Well, now, gentlemen, I put it to you, is it sur- prising that the 6000 men who have to perform these 30,000 operations in the day — amounting to the vast total of tern millions of operations in the year — is it surprisimg, 1 say, that these 6000 imu should now and them fall into some error of judg- ment, or make somo mistake, or even be guilty of some negligence? la it not, on the contrary, most surprising that accidsnts are not far more numerous; and does it not seem almost miraculous that, where duties are so severe, the demands made by the public so great — speed, punctuality, nujnberless trains by day and night — there should be only one accident to report this half-year, while last half-year there were no accidents at all ? And does it not seem hard that the public should insist that we shall be absolutely infallible, and, when the slightest mistake occurs, should haul us into court and punish us with de mands for compensation for accidents which no human ingenuity or foresight could prevent ? "Before leaving this subject allow me to direct our attention to the fogs which occurred this half- year. There were thirty days in which during « part, if dot the whole, of the twentgr-four hooni v6 OK UWE ON THE LINl. J76 ouiiting to ons in the 6000 uitiii or of judg- be guilty oi itrary, most ) numeroua ; that, where y the public ^8 trains by accident to there were (III hard that absolutely ;ake occurs, s with de which no ent? .e to direct ,d this half- |h during » hours*' had out OUT fog- signal men; that is to say, an additional ; taff of 300 men, each with his flag and detonating signals, placed within sight, or within sound of one another, to assist the ordinary signal- men in the safe conduct of the trafiBc. During these fogs the omnibuses had to be withdrawn from the roads, the steamers A to be moored on the river, and the traffic on the streets was almost at a stand- still, neverthelena we earned through the fog, in and out of London, above one million six hundred thou- ■tand passengers without accident I " The " hear, hear " which burst from the audience at this point might have satisfied even the toady himself ! "And yet," continued the chairman, with em- pliaais, *' if a single mishap had occurred owing to the mistake of any of our half-blinded men, we should probably have been let in for compensation to the extent perhaps of £20,000 ! Is this fair ' If it be so, then one may be tempted to ask why does not the same ' sauce ' suit shipowners, many of whom are no- torious for sending to sea uaseaworthy craft, and who consign above one thousand human beings to an un- timely grave wery year without being punished in any way or being asked for a farthing of compen" sation? 176 THF. IKON HORfll I whe other two subjects. Well, then, as to efficiency Our canying ten millions of passengers in safety and comfort is one proof of that — and, I may remark in passing, that our receipts for the conveyance of these ten millions ai^ ivrnta to nearly half a millioD of money. Another jroof of our efficiency lies in the fact that all the comporisation we have had to pay for loss or detention of luggage has been only £100. Then as to goods. For merchandise carried we have received about £150,000, and the total compensation for the half-year amounts to only about £660. Surely I may say with truth that such facts speak to the regularity and efficiency of your service. " If the public only knew the anxiety and care with which its interests are looked after both by night and by day by our excellent passenger and goods managers they would perhaps present each of these gentloTiion with a testimonial piece of plate, and would for evermore lay aside that wicked and ungrateful idea that railway companies are 'fair game,' to be plundered by every one who receivee, or fancies he has received, the slightest possible amount of damage temg remedied as faft as experience and the progress OB LTTK ON THI UINK. 377 sfiiciency in safely ly remarli 'eyanoe o! a miUion cy lies in ,ve bad to been only lise carried ^ the total ts to only truth that fficiency of ty and care ter both by ssenger and lent each of Ice of plate, wicked and |es are 'fail rho receives, ^est possible Railway than otbei [may be, and [d which are the progi^ of human knowledge will admit, but I hold, gentle- men, that the management of railway companies is above the average management of many other companies. We have much more work — more dangerous work — to do than other companies, and we do it with much less proportional loss to life, limb, and property." "Hear, he-ar!" burst from the toady in spite of his recent rebuke ; but as it was drowned in a round of hearty applause no one was the wiser or the worse of his note of approval. " When I think," continued the chairman, " of the condition this country was in before the days of railways— which probably most of those present remember — the ingratitude of the public seems to me utterly unaccountable. I can only imderstand it on the supposition that they have somehow ob- tained filse notions as to the great value of railways and the great blessing they are to the community. "Why, our goods- manager informs me that there Is a certain noble lord, whom of course I may not name in public, who has a farm at a considerable distance out of town. He has a fancy that the milk and cream produced on his own farm is better than Metropolitan milk and cream — (laughter). He therefore resolves to have fresh milk and cream sent in from his farm every morning, and asks U3 to cwry it for him. We agree ; but he further inslstj •£*■ fli m-' 1 S7S THX IKON HOBSl thai the milk and cream shall be delivered at hij residence punctually at nine A.M. To this we also agree, because the thing can be done ; yet it U sharp practice, for it is only by the train arriving at its time, punctually to a minute, and by our horse and van being in readiness to start the instant it is loaded, that the thing can be accomplished. Now, gentlemen, it is owing to the extreme care and vigorous superintendence of our goods — I had I almost said our good — manager that that noble lord has never miss?d his milk or cream one morning during the last six months. And the same punctu- ality attends the milk-delivery of ' Brown, Jones, and Robinson :* for railways, as a rule, are no respecter of person V Should not this, I ask, infuse a little of the milk of human kindness into the public heart in reference to railways ? " Then, consider other advantages. In days not long gone by a few coaches carried a few hundreds of the more daring among our population over the land at a high cost and at the truly awful rate of ten miles an hour. In some cases the break-neck speed of twelve was attained. Most people preferred to remain at home rather than encounter the fatigues, risks, and expense of travelling. What are th\ facts now ? Above three hundred millions of separ- ate journeys are undertaken by rail in the United j Kingdom in one year. < )ur Bportamen can break OB LIFS ON THE LINS. S7f 5red at hii lis -^e also • yet it is arriving at f OTir horse astant it is bed. Nov, e care and ids— I tiad it noble lord )ne morning ame punctu- B, Jones, and QO respecter? use a little of iiblic heart in fast in London on the 11th of August, sup the same night in Scotland, and be out on the moors on tlio morning of the 12th. On any afternoon any lady in England may be charmed with Sir Walter Scott*^ * Lady of the Lake,' and, if so minded, she may be a lady on the veritable lake itself before next evening 1 Our navvies now travel for next to nothing in luxurious ease at thirty miles an hour, and our very beggars scorn to walk when they can travel at one penny a mile. But all this is nothing compared with our enormous increase of goods traffic through- out the kingdom. I have not time, nor is this the place, to enlarge on such a subject, but a pretty good commentary on it exists in the simple fact that on your line alone, which is not, as you know, the largos / of the railways of this land, the receipts for goods, minerals, and live-stock carried amounted to £500,000 in the last half-year, as you will see from the report " There is one point to which I would now direct your attention — namely, the great facilities which we give to residential and season-ticket holders. I think it a wise and just course to afford the public 8uch facilities, because it tends to produce a per- manent source of traffic by tempting men, who would otherwise be content to live within walking or 'bus distance of their offices, to go down into the country and buOd viUas there, and if you extend v!r"~'"'^"api 280 THB IBON H0R8X li." ie«--i m if' that sort of arrangement largely, yon cause villages at last to grow into toTms, and towns to spread out with population and with manufactures, I regard our course of action ir* regard to season tickets, therefore, as a sowing of the seed of permanent and induring income. The receipts from this source Rlone, I am happy to say, amounts to £84,000." Captain Lee's spirit had, at the bare mention of season tickets, gone careering down the line to Clatterby, in the beautiful suburbs of which he had the most charming little villa imaginable, but he was abruptly recalled by a " he-ar, he-ar,** from ftie toady, who was gradually becoming himself again, and a round of applause from the audience, in which, having an amiable tendency to foUow suit, he joined. After this the chairmai\ expatiated at some length on the economical working of the line and on various other subjects of great importance to the share- holders, but of little interest to the general reader; we will therefore pass them all by and terminate our report of this meeting with the chairman's con- cluding remark, which was, that, out of the free revenue, after deduction of the dividends payable on guaranteed and preference stocks and other fixed charges, the directors recommended the payment of a di^/idend on the ordinary stock of six and a half per cent OS LIFE ON THB USH 381 je villagoa apread out I regard on tickets, lanent and shis source 4,000." montion of ;he line to bich he had ble, but he le-ar," from ing himself tie audience, 3 follow suit, It need scarcely be said that this latter statement was received with hearty applause and with an irrepressible " he-ar, he-ar ! " from the toady, which was not only tolerated by the meeting, but echoed by the wag in the distance, who, though his words that day had been few, had done the shareholders good service nevertheless, inasmuch as he had quelled, to some extent, the propensities o^ a self- sufficient " bore." Lest the reader should regard us as a statistical \)OTQ, we shall bring this chapter to a doss. r I. ft ft 282 THI HON HOBBI If/"' CHAPTER XVIL OKBTIK IB MTBTBRIOaaLT CARED FOR— SAM NATLT Dm>R UNDIl DDVIOULTIES IN CONNEXION WITH THE BLOCK STSTKM. One day, not long after the half-yearly meeting described in the last chapter, Mrs. Marrot — being at the time engaged with the baby — received a visit from an elderly gentleman, who introduced himself as a lawyer, and said that he had been sent by a client to make a proposal to her — " of course," he said, with a bland smile, " I do not refer to a matri monial proposal" Mrs. Marrot felt and looked surprised, but waited for more in silence. " To come to the point at once," continued the elderly gentleman, " my cHen'.;, who is rather eccen- tric, has taken a great fancy, it seems, to your little daughter Gertrude — Gertie he caUs her — and is desirous of giving her a good education, if you have no objection." Mrs. Marrot being under the impression that this would involve Gertie's being taken away from OB LIFE ON THl LINK. 38S her and being put to a boarding-school, at once looked her objections so plainly, that her visitor hastened to explain that his client did not wish Gertie to quit her parents' house, but merely to go for a few hours each day to the residence of a teacher in the neighbourhood — a governess — whom he should provide. This altered the case so much that Mrs. Marrot expressed herself quite ready to allow Gertie to undergo that amount of education, and hoped it would do her good, though, for her part, she did not believe in education herself, seeing that she had got on in life perfectly well without it. She also ex- pressed some curiosity to know who was so good as to take such an interest in her child. "That, my good woman, I cannot tell, for two reasons ; first, because my client has enjoined me to give no information whatever about him; and, secondly, because I do not myself know his name, his business with me having been transacted through a young friend of mine, who is also a friend of his. All 1 can say is that his intentions towards your child are purely philanthropic, and the teacher whom he shall select will not be appointed unless you ap- prove. That teacher, I may tell you, is Miss Tipps." " What ! Miss Netta teach my Grertie ?" exclaimed Mrs. Marrot in great surprise — " never !" " ^J g'>od womaw," said the lawyer with a per- 284 THE IBOK HOBSK %■ plexed look, "what is your objection to Miu Tipps?" " Objection ? I 've no objection to Miss Netta, but she will have some objection to me and Gertie." " I thought," said the lawyer, " that Miss Tipps had already taught your child to some extent gratuitously." " So she has, God bless her ; but that was in the Sunday-school, where she teaches a number of poor people's children for the sake of our dear Lord — but that is a very dififerent thing from giving or'naiy schoolin' to my Gertie." ** That may be," rejoined the lawyer ; " but you are aware that Miss Tipps already teaches in order to increase her mother's small income, and sho wiU probably be glad to get another pupil. We mean to pay her well for the service, and I suppose that if she has no objection you will have none." " Cer'nly not ! " replied Mrs. Marrot with much emphasis. Whenever Mrs. Marrot said anything with un- usual emphasis, baby Marrot entertained the un- alterable conviction that he was beiiig scolded ; no sooner, therefore, did he observe the well-known look, and hear the familiar tones, than he opened wide his mouth and howled with injured feeling. At the same moment a train rushed past like an average earthquake, and in the midst of this the man of lav OB LIFE ON THI LINl. 386 rose, and saying that he would commimicate with Mrs. Marrot soon, took his leave. Next evening Mrs. Tipps was seated at tea with Netta, planning with anxious care how to make the two ends meet, but, apparently, without much success. " It is dreadful, Netta," said Mrs. Tipps ; " I was never before brought to this condition." " It is very dreadful," responded Netta, " but that renders it all the more imperative that we should take some decided step towards the payment of our debts." "Yes, the liquidation of our debts," said Mrs. Tipps, nodding slowly; " that was the term your dear father was wont to use." " You know, mamma, at the worst we can sell our furniture — or part of it — and pay them off", and then, with a system of rigid economy — " A postman's knock cut short the sentence, and in a few seconds Mrs. Durby — careworn and subdued — presented a letter to her mistress and retired. " My — my dear !" exclaimed Mrs. Tipps, ** th — this is positively miraculous. Here is a cheque for fifty pounds, and — but read for yoursel£" Netta seized the letter and read it aloud. It ran thus : — '*Clarkndon Hotxi., London. "Dkjlr MiDA^M^—There is a little girl living in •^m 286 fHI IBON HOBflK jour neighbourhood in whose father I have a deep in- terest I am particularly anxious to give this child, Gertrude Marrot by name, a good plain educatioa Understanding that your daughter has had consider- able experience in teaching the young, and is, or has been, engaged in tuition, I venture to propose that she should undertake the training of this child, who will attend at your daughter's i-esidence for that purpose at any hours you may deem most suitable. In the belief that your daughter will have no ob- jection to accept of this trust, I enclose a cheque for £50 — the first year's salary — in advance. I am, dear madam, your very obedient servant, " Samuel Tough." Although the above can scarcely be considered a brilliant achievement of Edwin Gurwood, it never- theless accomplished its purpose ; for the letter was in all respects so very unlike Captain Lee that neither Mrs. Tipps nor her daughter suspected him for an instant. On the contrary, they took it in good faith. Netta wrote a reply by return of post agreeing to the proposal, and on the day following began her pleasant task, to the inexpressible delight of Gertie, who would joyfully, on any terms what- ever, have been Netta's slave — not to mention pupil A considerable time after this happy arrangement had h«en made, Mrs. Durby, in a moment of confi OR Ufl ON THE LDnL S87 a deep in- this child, education. I consider- i is, or has opose that child, wlio 36 for that st suitable. iave no ob- e a cheque nee. I am, L Tough.** dential weakness, related to little Qertie the circum- stances attending the loss of the diamond ring. Gertie, on returning home, communicated the matter to Loo, and gave it as her opinion that it was a pity Buch a valuable ring had been lost "Couldn't father find out about it somehow?" ahe asked with a hopeful look — hopefid because she believed her father capable of doing anything he chose to set his mind to. "Perhaps he could, but he won't be home to- night," replied Loo, thoughtfully. " I think Sam Natly could tell us how to find it Suppose I go and ask him," said Gertie. Loo laughed, and said she thought Sam couldn't help them much. The child was, however, a resolute little thing, and, having taken up the idea, deter- mined to go and see Sam forthwith, as he was on duty not far from John Marrot's cottage. Sam had recently been advanced from the posi- tion of a porter to the responsible oflBce of a signal- man. The great sin he had committed in going to sleep in a first-class carriage, when unable to keep I his eyes open, had been forgiven, partly because it was his first offence, partly because of the good and I opportune service he had rendered on the day of tlie attempted robbery, and partly on account of his bdng one of the steadiest and most intelligent men m the liuo. Sam's wife, under the care of Mrik 388 THJC IRON nORSB $■: Tippa and Mrs. Durby, had made a marvelloui recovery, and Sam's gratitude knew uo bounde, Mrs. Tipps happened to refer to him one day when conversing with Captain Lee, and the latter was much pleased to discover that the mait in whom ]\Ir& Tipps felt so much interest was the same man whc had come to his help in the hour of his extremity, He therefore made inquiry about him of the station- master at Clatterby. That gentleman said that Sam was a first-rate man, a stout, hard-working, modest fellow, besides being remarkably intelligent and clear-headed and cool, especially in the midst of danger, as had been exemplified more than once in cases of accident at the station, in addition to which | Sam was a confirmed abstainer from strong drink All these facts were remembered, and when the block system of signalling was introduced on that] part of the line Sam was made a signalman. The scene of his new labours was an elevated] box at the side of the line, not far from Gertie's j home. As this box was rather curious we shall describe it. It was a huge square sentry-box, with] three of its sides composed of windows ; these com- manded a view of the line in all directions. On I the fourth side of the box hung a time-piece and U framed copy of signal regulations. There was s| diminutive stove in one comer and a chest inj another. In front of the box facing the clock wenl OB IJFK OR THIC LINK. 189 aarvelloui o boundB, i day when latter was whom ^Ira. e man who , extremity, the station- id that Sam :ing, modest illigent and he midst of bhan once in ;ion to which jtrong drmk, d when the ced on that an. an elevated rem Gertie'? us we shall ry-box, v?itli these COB- ections. On -piece andi [here was & a chest in' ^e clock weti two telegraphic instruments and a row of eight or ten long iron levers, which very much resembled a row of musketfl in a rack. These levers were for- midable instruments in aspect, and in fact, for they not f»nly cost Sam a pretty strong effort to mo\e them, but they moved points and aignalfl, on the correct and jirompt movements of which depended the safety of the line and the lives of human beings. Jiist before little Gertie reached the station, Sam happened to be en^'aged in attempting to take hip dinner. We use the word attempting advisedly, because our signalman had not the ghost of a chance to sit down, as ordinary mortals do, and take his dinner with any degree of certainty. He took it, as it were, disjointedly in the midst of jdarms. That the reader may understand why, we must observe that the *' block-system " of signalling, which had recently been introduced on part of the line, necessi- tated constant attention, and a series of acts which gave the signalman no rest during certain periods of watch for more than two minutes at a time, if so ilong. The block system is the method of protecting |trains by " blocking " the line ; that is, forbidding he advance of trains until the line is clear, thus iscuring an interval of space between trains, instead if the older and more common method of an interval UifM. The chief objection to the latter system is T I kk 390 THI IBOR HOBbI this, that one accident is apt to cause another. Sup- pose a train despatched from a station ; an interval of say quarter of an hour allowed and then another sent off. If the first train should break down there is sonke chance of the second train overtaking and running into it With the block system this ij impossible. For instance, a train starts from any station, say A, and has to run past stations B and C The instant it starts the signalman at A rings telegraph bell to attract B's attention, at the same time he indicates on another telegraphic instrument j " Train on line," locks his instruments in that posi- tion, and puts up the "stop" signal, or, blockil the line. B replies, acknowledging the signal, &m telegraphs to C to be ready. The moment the train passes B's station he telegraphs to C " Train on line,' and blocks that part of the line with the semaphon " Stop " as A had done, he also telegraphs back to A " line clear," whereupon A lets a second traiu on ill one is ready. Very soon C sends " Line clear " to B, whereupon B is prepared to let on that second traifll when it comes up, and so on ad infinitum. 1m signals, right and left, are invariably repeated, m that there is no chance of mistake through tb«^ failure of the telegraph instruments, because if aiijl of these should fail, the want of a reply would d once induce a telegram through the "speaking" ^ ?tTument. with which each station is furnished, 01 UFI OH THK UtfS. 191 iher. Suv- an interval ^en anothei down thew rtaking and item this is t8 from any ons B and C. it A rings at the same ic iustrumeni in that posi- ia3, or, blockjj he signal, ad iiient the traiL| Train on line," the aemaphowl .phabacktoAl ond traiu onil ae clear" to B,| at second traiil fifinitwm. Ibl Ly repeated, n through tbil [because if <^!| reply would A 'speaking" n furnished, " which Ib similar to the telegraph instruments used tt moflt railway stations, and the line would remain "blocked" until a satisfactory answer set it free. The working of the semaphore signals, which are familiar to most people as tall posts with projecting moveable arms, is accomplished by the mechanical action of the " levers " before mentioned. There are two " distant " signals and one " home " signal to be worked by each man. Besides these there are levers for working the various "points" around the station which lead to sidings, and when these levers are in action, i.e. placed for the shunting of a goods train, they self- lock the levers that " block" the line, so that while this operation of shunting (which just means shoving a train to one side out of the way) is going on, the signalman could not make the mistake of letting a traiu pass the distant signal — the thing is rendered impossible. From this it will be seen that the signalman has entii-e control of the line, and if we consider that sbuuting of waggons, carriages, and trains is a pretty constant and lively operation at some stations, we can easily conceive that the office of signalman can only be filled by a very able and trustworthy man. As we have said, just before Gertie's arrival Sam Natly chanced to be attempting to dine. The telegraph needles pointed to " Line clear " on both tides of him. Dinner consisted of a sort of Irish i! 392 rwL txoif eoMK stew cooked in a little square iron pan that 4t1«d into the small stove. Being a placid, good-humouied man, not easily thro^vn off his balance either men- tally or physically, Sam smiled slightly to himself as he put the first bit of meat into liis mouth. He thought of his wife, wished that she was there to assist in the eating of it, and shut his lips on the savoury morseL A piece of potato was arrested by the sharp telegraph bell one beat — of warning, The potato followed the meat as he was in the act of rising. Sam touched his telegraphic bell in reply to his signal- friend on the right, and " Train on line* was marked by a telegraphic needle pointing to these words. As the train was yet a great way off, at least as to distance, he sat down again and disposed of bit number two. Number three followed, and he had made some approach to engulfing number four when a shrill whistle struck his ear. Up he sprang, glanced at the time-piece, wiped his mouth, and went to the levers. He touched his bell— a single note of warning to his signal-friend on the left, and received a reply, one beat, meaning "Ready* The train appeared, came up like a rocket, and weni past like a thunderbolt. When Sam saw its redj tail light, and thus knew that aU the train wai there, — that none of the tail carriages or trucks had broken loose and been left behind, — he gave a mighty pull to one of the levers, which turned ujd the anni OB Lmt ON THK LIKK. S9S humovaed Lther men- to himseli Louth. Htj as there to lips on tbe as arrested of warning 8 in the act bell in reply rain on line* iting to these way off, at and disposed jollowed, and fing numbei ear. Up he d his mouth, his bell-a lend on the ,g "Ready." :et, and went saw its red le train wai |or trucks U rave a mighty up the anni ftf his distant signal, and thus blocked the line to all other trains. The needle was now " pegged down" or fixed at "Train on line " so that there could be uo mistake about it, and no trusting to memory. Having accomplished this, he went to a large book which lay open on a desk in a comer, glanced at the time- piece, recorded the passage of the train —a passenger one, and once more sat dovn to dinner. The distance between his station and the next to the left was somewhat greater than that on the right, BO that at least three mouthfuls in succession of the Irish stew were disposed of before the wicked little bell summoned him again. He rose as before with alacrity, rung his bell in reply, and unstopped his needle. The friend on his left at once poiuted it to "line clear," whereupon Sam again went to his levers and lowered the obstructing arms on his right. Having thus a clear line on right and left, he sat down for the third time to dinner, with a clear head and a clear conscience. But he was interrupted sooner than before, indeed he had barely got one mouthful deposited when he was rung up by the friend on his right, with two beats of the bell, to pass a heavy goods train, whicli, with something like the impatience of stout people in crossing dangerous road«, was anxious I V) ^et on and out of the way as foal as possible, ». tt ^ r. % til. i 29i THI IKON HOBSK for it knew that a 'limited mail' was tearing after it at a fearfully unlimited pace. Sam kneiv this too — indeed he knew, and was bound to know, every train that had to pass that station, up and down, during his period of duty. He therefore replied, sat down, had a bite or two, and sprang up when the whiatle of the train was audible. There was longer delay this time, for the goods train had to stop and be shunted at this station. Moreover, another goods train that had quietly but impatiently been biding its time in a siding thought it would try to take advantage of this opportunity, and gave an impatient whistle. Sam opened one of his sliding windows and looked out " Couldn't you let me shunt over a truck t'other side now, Sam ? " asked its driver remonstratively. Sam glanced at his time -piece with an eameet, thoughtful look, and said — " Well, yes ; but look sharp." He had already pulled the lever of the home signal, and now, with two mighty puUs, blocked both up and down liiies with the distant signals. At the same time he pullet, other levers and shifted the "points," so as to let the plethoric goods train just arrived, and the goods train Id^ waiting, perfonn their respective evolutions. It I required nearly all Sam's strength to "pullover" several of those levers, because, besides being somft-l OS LirX ON THE LINIB. S96 8 tearing ;aiii kne-w i to know, ,n, tip and ) tberefore md sprang as audible. the goods :his station. quietly but ling thought opportunity, pened one of what heavy to work even at their best, several of them had got slightly out of order — ^wanted oiling, perhaps. It was quite evident to the meanest capacity that there was room for improvement in this department of the Grand National Trunk Rail- way. In performing this last operation Sam locked all the semaphores, and so rendered his part of the lijie absolutely impregnable. There was so much vigorous action and whistling here, and such puffing and backing and pushing on the part of the engiaes, that a superficial observer might have supposed there was a great deal of movement and confusion to no purpose, but we need scarcely say that such was not the case. Several trucks of goods were tlropped by both trains to be carried on by other trains, and several trucks that had been left by other trains were taken up, and thus in a few minutes a part of the enormous traffic of the line was assorted. Sam had judged his time well. He had got a good piece of work advanced, and both trains well out of the way, just before the beU again intimated the ap- proach of the limited mail He repUed, set the line free, booked the passage of the goods train, and sat down once more to dinner, just as the door of his box opened and the pretty face of Gertie peeped in. We are not sure that such a visit would be per- oiittod in these days of stringent " Bules; " at thai %■:■, tf •li 296 THK IBON HORSX time they may not have been very particular as tc visitors, or perhaps Gertie, being one of themselves, as it were, was privileged Be this as it may, therti ihe was with a laughing face. " May I come in, Sam ? " " May a chemb from the skies come in — yes,' replied Sam, rising and lifting Gertie in his stroug arms until he could print a kiss on her forehead withou*^ stooping. " All well at home, Gertie ? " " Very well, thank you. We expect father home to tea." " I know that," said Sam, sitting down at hit small table and attempting dinner once again. "How do you know that?" asked Gertie in surprise. " 'Cause I 've got to pass him up wi' the express in haK-an-hour," replied Sam, with his mouth full, " and, of course, he don't prefer takin* tea on the Lightenin with his mate Bill Garvie, w'en he 's got a chance o' takin' it wi' his wife and a little angel, like you." "I wish you'd not talk nonsense, Sam," re- monstrated Gertie with a serious look, *' That ain't nonsense," said Sam, stoutly. ** Yes it is," said Gertie ; " you know angels are good." "Well, and ain't you good?" demanded the signalman, filling his mouth with a potato. OS Ltfl OM TRI LINK. 197 jtilar as tc beinselves, niay, there 5 in— yes/' hia strong er forehead iertie?" ather home lown at hii c^ain. d Gertie in ' the express mouth full, ' tea on the ,''eii he's got little angel I Sam," re- [itly. W angelfl»» [manded the BltO. " Mother says I am, and T feel as if I was/* re- plied Gtertie with much simplicity, but you know angels are very very good, and, of oownty I'm not near so good as them." " You are," said Sam, with an obstinate snap at a piece of meat; "you're better than any of 'em. You only want wings to be complete." Gertie laughed, and then remarked that Sam dined late, to which Sam replied that he did, that he preferred it, and that he didn't see why gentle- folk should have that sort of fun all to themselves. " What's that ? " exclaimed Gertie, as Sam dropped his knife and fork, rang his electric beU, and laid hold of a lever. " The limited mail, my dear," said Sam, as the train nished by. " Oh, how it shakes the house ! I wonder it don't fall," exclaimed the child. " It 's made to be well shaken, like a bottle o' bad physic," replied Sam, as he went through the various processes already described, before sitting down to finish his oft-interrupted meaL " Do you always take your dinner in that un- comfortable way?" asked Gertie, sitting down on the chest and looking earnestly into the manly couiitenance of her friend, " Mostly," said Sam, at last finishing off with a diaught of pure water And smacking his lips. % 298 THl noil HOBaK ir * Sometimes it 's all I can do to get it eaten — other times I 'm not so hard pressed, but it 's never got over without interruption, more or less." " Are breakfast and tea as bad ? ** " Not quite,** replied Sam with a laugh ; " about breakfast time the traffic ain't quite so fast and furious, and I takes tea at home." " How long are you here at a time ? " asked the inquisitive Gertie. " Twelve hours, my dear, and no time allowed for meals." " Surely you must be very tired ?" ''Sometimes, but they talk of shortening the hours soon. There 's a want of signalmen just now, that 's how it is. But what good fortune has sent yoi* here this evenin', Gertie ? '* " I want to ask you about a ring, Sam." " A ring ! Wliat ! you ain't goin' to get married already, are you ? " Gertie replied by bursting into a hearty fit of laughter; when she had sufficiently recovered b« gravity, she revealed her troubles to the sympa thizing signahnan. " Well, it is a perplexin* business. What was thi old woman doin' wi' such a ring tied up in such queer way ? " *' I don't know," said Gertie. " Well, it ain't no business of mine, but we m %inl w Kvi OS Lm ox TBI UNI. 399 try to gi* hold of it somehow. I '11 be off dooty at six, and your dad 11 be passin' in a few minutes. After I 'm free, I H go up to the shed and have a palaver with 'im. There he is." As he spoke the bell was rung by his signal- firiend on the left, replied to in the usual way, and in a few minutes the chimney of the Lightning was seen over the top of the embankment that hid a bend of the up-line from view. " Put your head out here at this window, and be ready to wave your hand, Gtertie,** said Sam, placing the child. The " Flying Dutchman " came on in its wonted wild fashion, and for a few seconds Gertie saw hei father's bronied and stem face as he looked straight ahead with his hand on the r^ulator. John Marrot cast one professional glance up, and gave a profes- aet married Bsional wave of his right hand to the signalman. At that instant his whole visage lighted up as if a beam heaity fi^ ^W^ sunshine had suffused it, and his white teeth, recovered h«Bimcovered by a smile, gleamed as he flew past and the sycftp^'Booked back. G«rtie waved frantically with her erchief, which flew from her hand and for some ^Vliat was tlifctance followed the train. In another moment the UP in such ■Flying Dutchman " was a speck in the distance- terrific crash suddenly reduced by distance to a w rumble, but ^^ ^4 " Evenin', Jack,^ said 3am, as ois successor or J — othei ever go^ . «' about fast and asked the allowed foi rtening the ten just now, jiae has Bent i ted". I «!' 300 THl IBOH HOBai comrade on the "night- shift" entered the box " Come along now, Gertie. We '11 go and see your father. He 11 be up at the station in no time, and won't take long to run back to the shed." So saying Sam Natly assisted Gertie down the long iron ladder by which his nest was reached, and walked with her to the engine-shed, which tbey soon reached. They had not waited long before John Marrot's iron horse came panting slowly into its accustomed stable. As there were at least twelve iron horses there in all stages of being-put-to-bedism, and some, like naughty boys, were blowing off their steam with abso lutely appalling noise, it was next to impossible foi Gertie and Sam to make known their difficulty to John. They therefore waited until he had seen his satellites in proper attendance upon his charger, and then left the shed along with him. When the case was made known to John, he at once said, " Why didn't they apply to the Clearin' House, I wonder ? " *' Ah, why not ? " said Samu " Nurse doesn't know about that place, I think," suggested Gertie. " Very likely not ; but if she *d only gone an' seen any one as know'd anything about the Hne, she'd have found it out. However, the parcel's pretty ■ure to be somewhere, so I'll set some inquiries OK LIfl ON Tm LOnL. 801 t-foot Ven I goes up to town to-morrow. Good- night, Sam.* " Good- night, John,** answered the signalman, oa he turned off in the diroction of his own dwelling, while the engine-driver and his little daughter pursued the footpath that led to their cottage. Sam Natly'ti residence was a very small one, for house-rent was high in that neighbourhood. There were only two rooms in it, but these two bore evidence of being tended by a thrifty housewife; ind, truly, when Sam's delicate but partially re- covered wife met him at the door that night, and gave him a hearty kiss of welcome, no one with an atom of good taste could have avoided admitting that she was a remarkably pretty avS well as thrifty httle woman. "You're late to-night, Sam," said little Mrs. Natly. "Yes, I've had to go to the shed to see John Marrot about a diamond ring." " A diamond ring ! " exclaimed his wife. " Yes, a diamond ring." Hereupon Sam related all he knew about the matter, and you may be sure the subject was quite sufficient to furnish ground for a very lively and speculative conversation during the preparation and eonsuniption of as nice a little hot supper as any bird -worked signalman could desiru. J» I 1 SOS THB IBOM H0B8I »ri f;. "Tou^re tired, Sam/' said his little wife anxi- onaly. "Well, I am a bit. it's no wonder, for it'i i pretty hard job to work them levers for twelve hours at a stretch without an interval even for meals, but I 'm gittin' used to it — like the eels to bein* skinned." " It *8 a great shame of the Company," cried Mra Natly with indignation. " Come, come,*' cried Sam, " no treason ! It ain't such a shame as it looks. Tou see the Company have just bin introducin' a noo system of signallin, an' they ha'n't got enough of men who understand the thing to work it, d'ye see; so of course we've got to work double tides, as the Jack- tars say. If they continue to keep us at it Uke that, 1 11 say it 's a shame too, but we muflt give 'em time to git things into workin* order. Besides, they're hard- up just now. There's a deal o* money throw'd away by companies fightin' an' opposin' one another — outtin' their own throats, I calls it — and they 're awful hard used by the public in the way o' com- pensation too. It 's nothin* short o* plunder and | robbery. If the public would claim moderately, and juries would judge fairly, an* directors wonldl fight less, shareholders would git higher dividends the public would be better served, and railw8j| servants would be lesw worked and better paid" tie wife and- der, for it'i i rs for twelve rval even for ke the eels to ly," cried Mra aon ! It ain't the Company Q of signallin', 10 understand ' course we 've :-tar8 say. If *, ITlsayit's n time to git they're hard- loney throw'd i' one another — and they 're B way o' corn- plunder and a moderately, irectors would ler dividend^ and railway! ^r paid" 0« Un OH THl UOf jt "I don't care two straws !Um» j ,. ^a«7 w,-th great firmneT'not^o t. ^"^^ '^' fightins, an' joories S'a . '^"^^ ^°' ^^«« that they VeT2hrVr^'^^^ ^ ^^-- ^ oont;ef:h:teS^^^ 304 TBI HON H0K4B CHAPTER XVIIL •c;. A MDMll WILDLT INTVBRTTPTKD, AND FOLLOWS) VT ST •mumiRUI! RKTRLATIONS. One afternoon Captaiu Lee and Emma called on Mrs. Tipps, and found her engaged in earnest con- versation with Netta The captain, who was always in a boiling- over condition, and never felt quite happy except when in \he act of planning or cann- ing out some scheme for the increase of general happiness, soon discovered that Netta was discussing the detaUs of a little treat which she meant to give to the boys and girls of a Sunday-school which she and her mother superintended. With all his pene- tration he did not, however, find out that the matter which called most for consideration was the financial part of the scheme — in other words, how to accom- plish the end desired with extremely limited means. He g jlved the question for them, however, by assert- j ing that he intended to give aU the scholars of all | the Sunday-schools in the neighbourhood a treat,! and of course meant to include Nett^a's school among OR UrS OM TUB LIMl. 906 ma called on earnest con- 3 was always )r felt (luite ling or caiT)- ,e of general ras discuBsing .eant to give ,ol which she [all his pene- tat the matter the financial ,w to aocom- mi.ted means. rer, by assert- •hclars of all' ood a treat, lBchoolamoii«| the rest — unless, of course, she possessed so much exclusive pride as to refuse to join him. Tliere was no resisting Captain Lee. As well might a red-skin attempt to stop Niagara. When once he had made up Ids mind to " go in " for somethingi du mortal power could stop him. He might indeed he turned. Another object of interest, worthy of pur- suit and judiciously put before him, might perhaps induce him to abandon a previous scheme ; but once his steam was up, as John Marrot used to say, you could not get him to blow it off into the air. He was unlike the iron horse in that respect, although somewhat like him in the vigour of his action. Accordingly the thing was fixed. Invitations were sent out to all the schools and to all who took an interest in them, and the place fixed on was a field at the back of Mrs. Tipps's villa. The day came, and with it the children in their best array. The weather was all that could be winlied — a bright sun and a clear sky, — so that the huge tent, provided in case of rain, was found to be only required to shade the provisions from the sun. Besides the children there were the teachers — many of them little more than children as to years, but with a happy earnestness of countenance and man- ner which told of another element in their breasts that evidently deepened and intensified their joy. There were several visitors and friends of Captain Lee and 6; 106 TBI IKOM H0B81 Mrs. Tipps. Emma was there, of course, the busiest of the busy in miakiiig an-angements for the feast, which consisted chiefly of fruit, buns, and milk. Netta and she managed that department together, Of course little Gertie was there and her sister Loo, from which we may conclude that Will Garvie was there in spirit, not only because that would have been natural, but because he had expressly told Loo the day before that he meant to be present in thai attenuated condition. Bodily, poor fellow, he was on the foot plate of the Lightning, which is as much ai to say that he was everywhere by turns and nowhersl long. Mrs. Marrot was there too, and baby, wii Nanny Stocks as hSz guardian. Miss Stocks's chii employment during the evening appeared to be forget herself in the excess of her delight, and baby's head against all sorts of things and persoi Perhaps it was as well she did so, because it tendi to repress his energy. She acted the part of regula and safety-valve to that small human engine, controlling his actions and permitting him g naturedly to let ofif much of his superfluous s on herself. Inut. ed she was a species of strong b in this respect, receiving and neutralizing man; severe blow from his irrepressible feet and fists, Marrot was also thei-e with his bosom friend To: Dorkin, whose sole occupation in life up to that had been to put screws on nuts; this must 'ec iJa an ei: d 0« tn, ON JBl, ut,M. ,,,. ,^' '"''**' io bun. as th.V u cauae, being a dilige„ Kttirf n "^ '"'^^ **' 'x^ ^.'- Of twelve slilClttrT' T"'' *» Ikvuig got leave of absence fJ "^^^ '"'PP'' N^,-mode,t. am>-ab e fet " '"r"^^' "^ ""■'' Ktehealtb.j',::rg,e:t^'^t"°^'"'' hch made of by Mrs IVnr. ! ^ "^ ^""^ ^'^ H of her since the 2^". """^ •'^'^°'»« ^eiy h '3 little doubt t^i^^^T' '^^- ^'"'-^ ^ -'•"e we« the turmll^ f "''^ """^ ^^e bottle »». »d that, but fHr "" ^"- ^*"^» i^- h ^-dowe by that t"' T ''" """^-^ ""-o h «>- there, bl^nd Lrbl ^"^ ''^ '^«'°' h-'^owasa.Xt^^far'"'^*" k possessed of a Iven,!, "' ^^""^g- »tern couutenan^ 17 ' '*'°"«'^ ■""''^^d f '- spirit and a Lart wvT' ''^^' °"^« » h"'-P^o desires aXjn^r* ff '^'^ N »i contact with hf m ^'"'^^^o^gii few who hel^Wei,ttarr'^"'''°^ee«ends. k^n «>d a young Z^^T"' "" ^''^^'^ b^t each veiy di/ere^^ ^°"''- ^"""o^' >">-. The elL cle^ : "7 '^^^ «-« Kce and manner,^! il^^^^^ "^^^ Her gentlemen. The r„.. ^ """^ Wuch fhe young curate might have SOB THl HON HOME breakfasted on his poker, to judge from the stiffhesj of his back, and appeared to be afraid of sufferinn from cold in the knees and chest, to judge from the length of his surtout and the height of his plaic buttonless vest. When all were assembled on the green and thej viands spread, the elder clergyman gave out a hymn; and thfi curate, who had a capital voice, led off, but he was speedily drowned by the gush of song that rose fiom the children's lips. It was a lively hymn, and they evidently rejoiced to sing it. Then the elder clergyman made the children a short speech. It was amazingly brief, insomuch that it quite took the little ones by surprise — so short was it, indeed I and so much to the point, that we will venture to| set it down here. " Dear children," he said, in a loud voice thatl silenced every chattering tongue, " we have metl here to enjoy ourselves. There is but one of youil Sunday lessons which I will remind you of to-dayj It is this, — * Whether ye eat or drink, or whaisoeve ye do, do all to the glory of God.' Before begiiinin then, let us ask God's blessing." Thereupon he asked a blessing, which was also i brief, that, but for the aU-prevailing name of Jesn wit'i which he closed it, some of those who liea him would scarce have deemed it a prayer at Yet this elderly clergyman was not always brie OB LITR ON THB LIinE. 909 He was not brief, for instance, in his private prayers for himself, his friends, and his flock. Brevity did uot mark his proceedings when engaged in preparing for the Sabbath services. He was not brief when, ill his study, he pleaded with some awakened but unbelieving soul to cast itself unreservedly on the iinished work of our Saviour. He was a man who carried his tact and coramon-sense into his religious duties ; who hated formalism, regarding it as one of the great stumbling-blocks in the progress of Chris- tianity, and who endeavoured at all times to suit his words and actions to the circumstances of the occasioiL The children regarded him with a degree of affec- tion that was all but irrepressible, and which in- duced them, at his earnest request, to sit still for a considerable time while his young brother gave tiiem \"d^ short addiess." He was almost emphatic on the , word short, but the young curate did not appear to uke the hint, or to understand the meaning of that word either in regard to discourses or surtouts. He asserted himself in his surtouts and vests, without of course having a shadow of reason for so doing, save that some other young cuirates asserted them- selves in the same way ; and he asserted himself then Und there in a tone of voice called " sermonizing," to which foolish young men are sometimes addicted, «)d which, by the way, being a false, and therefore Iv 310 THX IKOV HOIUSI irreligious tone, is anothpr great stumbling-block in the way of Christianity. And, curiously enough, this young curate was really an earnest, though mis- taken and intensely bigoted young man. We call him bigoted, not because he held his own opinions, but because he held by liis little formalities with as much apparent fervour as he held by the grand doctrin-^s of his religion, although for the latter h had the authority of the Word, while for the former he had merely the authority of man. His discourse was a good one, and if delivered in a| natural voice and at a suitable time, might havej made a good impression. As it was, it produced pity and regret in his elder brother, exasperatioD in Captain Lee, profound melancholy in Josepli Tipps, great admiration in Miss Stocks and the baby, and unutterable ennui in the children. For- tunately for the success of the day, in the middle of it he took occasion to make some reference,! with allegorical intentions, to the lower aiiimJi,] and pointed to a pig which lay basldng in the sun-i shine at no gi'eat distance, an unconcerned spectatoil of the scene. A rather obtuse, fat-faced boy, wasj suddenly smitten with the belief that this was iii| tended as a joke, and dutifully clapped his hand The effect was electrical — an irresistible cheer H clapping of hands ensued. It was of no use attempt to check it. The more this was tried thj I 'i OK UFK ON THE LINK. Sll ig-block in ly enougb, hough mis- L We call 711 opinions, alitie8 witli >y the grand he latter k aile for the )f man. His livered in a might have^ it produced! exasperatio iy in Josepli| )cks and the I lildren. Toi- n the middle me reference,] 3wer anlni^l in the sun-l tned spectatoil .ced boy, M this was in-" ,ed hiB hdd Lble cheer an^ of no use was tried thi more did the children seem to think they were in- vited to a continuance of their ovation to the young curate, who finally retired amid the hearty though unexpressed congratulations of the company. By good fortune, the arrival of several more friends diverted attention from this incident ; and, immediately after, Captain Lee set the children to engage in various games, among which the favourite was blindman's-buff. One of the new arrivals was Edwin Gurwood, who had come, he said, to introduce a gentleman — Dr. Noble — to Mrs. Tipps. ** Oh the hypocrite !" thought Mrs. Tipps ; " he has come to see Emma Lee, and he knows it." Of course ho knew it, and he knew that Mrs. Tipps knew it, and he knew that Mrs. Tipps knew that he knew it, yet neither he nor Mrs. Tipps showed the slightest symptom of all that knowledge. The latter bowed to Dr. Noble, and was expressing her happiness in making his acquaintance, when a rush of laughing children almost overturned her, and hurled Dr. Noble aside. They were immediately separated in the crowd, and, strange to say, Edwin at once found himself standing beside Emma Lee, who, by some curious coincidence, had just parted from Netta, so that they found themselves compara- I tively alone. What they said to each other in these idrcuiiistances it does not become us to divulge. SIS THI IRON H0B8S **>■: >■ jpy . ^ "I While all parties were enjoying themselves to the fall, including the young curate, whose discom- fiture was softened by the kind attentions of Mrs. Tipps and her daughter, an incident occurred which filled them with surprise and consternation. Dr. Noble was standing at the time near the large tent looking at the games, and Nanny Stocks was not far from him choking the baby with alternate sweet- meats and kisses, to the horror of Joseph Tipps, who fully expected to witness a case of croup or some such infantine disease in a few minutes, when suddenly a tall man with torn clothes, dishevelled hair and bloodshot eyes, sprang forward and con- fronted Dr. Noble. " Ha ! " he exclaimed with a wild laugh, " have I found you at last, mine enemy?" Dr. Noble looked at him with much surprise, hut did not reply. He appeared to be paralysed. ** I have sought you," continued the man, trem- bling with ill-suppressed passion, "over land and sea, and now IVe found you. >u've got the casket — you know you have ; you took it from my I wife the night she died ; you shall give it up now, | or you die!" He spluttered rather than spoke the last words I between his teeth, as he made a spring at the doctor, Edwin Gurwood had seen the man approach, and at once to his amazement recognising the features ofl OS LIVI ON TBI LINK. 319 oiBelves to >se discom- )iifl of Mrs. irred which lation. Br. Lc large tent 5ks was not mate sweet- )sepb Tipps, of croup 01 inutes, when 1, dishevelled ud and con- Migh, "have! [he last woida ^ at the docUit. 1 approach, and [the features of Thomson, his old opponent in the train, he ran towards him, but was not near enough to prevent his first wild attack. Fortunately for Dr. Noble this was thwarted by no less a personage than Joseph Tipps, who, seeing what was intended, sprang promptly forward, and, seizing the man by the legs adroitly threw him down. With a yell that sent a chill of horror to all the young hearts round, the madman, for such he plainly was, leaped up, but before he could renew his attack he was in the powerful grasp of his old enemy, Edwin Gurwood. A terrific struggle ensued, for both men, as we have said before, were unusually powerful ; but on this occasion madness more than counterbalanced Edwin's Buperior strength. For some time they wrestled so tiercely that none of the other gentlemen could interfere with efifect. They dashed down the large tent, and went crashing through the d^is of the feast, until at length Thomson made a sudden twist, freed himself from Edwin's grasp, leaving a shred of his coat in his hands, and, fljdng across the field, leaped at a single bound the wall that encompassed it He was closely followed by Edwin and by a con- stable of the district, who happened to arrive upo* the scene, but the fugitive left them far behind, ana was soon out of sight. This incident put an end to the evening's enjoy- ent, but as the greater part of it had already passed .314 THI ntON H0B8V Ws ":■"" ■ delightfully before Thomson came on the ground to mar the sport, the children returned home much pleased with themselves and eveiybody else, despite the conclnding scene. Meanwhile Mrs. Tipps invited her firiends who I had assembled there to take tea in Eden Yilla, and here Dr. Noble was eagerly questioned as to his knowledgeof his late assailant, but he either could not or would not throw light on the subject Somel of the guests left early and some late, but to Mi&l Tipps's surprise the doctor remained till the last o(| them had said good-night, after which, to her greater surprise, he drew his chair close to the table I and, looking at her and Netta with much earnest | ness, said — "Probably you are surprised, ladies, that I, stranger, have remained so long to-night The trutij 18, 1 had come here to have some conversation private and very important matters, but, finding yoij so lively, and, I must add, so pleasantly engaged, deemed it expedient to defer my conversation unt| you should be more at leisure." He paused as if to collect his thoughts, and ladies glanced at each other uneasily, and in soi surprise, but made no reply. In truth, remember the scene they had just witnessed, they began I suspect that another style of madman had thoi: fit to pay them a visit 01 LDTB OV THl LINl. 315 borne m^cli else, despite friendB 'who Len ViUa, and led as to bis ,e eithei coiiia ubject Soinel ;e, bnt tio Mi&l tall the laatoi] icb, to bet ose to tbe table. mucb earnesil adies, that I, igbt Tte^'^ conversation but, finding yoj iantly engaged,! .nveisation nnti Loughts, and >ily, and in soi lib, remember ^, tbey hegan [roan liad tbor He resumed, however, with every appearance of sanity, — " How the madman who assaulted me this even- ing found me out I know not. I was not aware until this day that he had been tracking me, but judging from what he said, and from what I know about him, I now see that he must have been doing so for some years. Here is the explanation, and, let me add, it intimately concerns yourselves." Mrs. Tipps and Netta became more interested as Dr. Noble proceeded. " You must know," he said, " that when in India some years ago I made several coasting voyages with a certain sea-captain as surgeon of his ship at periods when my health required recruiting. I received from that gentleman every attention and kiadness that the heart of a good man could suggest. On one of these voyages we had a native prince on 1 board. He was voyaging, like myself, for the [benefit of his health, but his case was a bad one. iHe grew rapidly worse, and before the end of the [voyage he died During his illness the captain lursed him as if he had been his own child ; all the lore tenderly that he thought him to be one of those fortunate princes who, owing to political changes, been ruined and had lost all his wealth along ith bis station. It was quite touching, 1 assure fou, madam, to listen to the earnest tones of that I:< : ; 1 l, • 1 ^1 ^ ' B ^ 1 !/■ Sl« TBI ntOV HOB0K captain's voice bb he read passages from the Word of God to the dying prince, and sought to convince him that Jesus Christ, who became poor for our sakes, could bestow spiritual wealth that neither the world, nor life, nor death could take away. The prince spoke very little, but he listened most intently. Just before he died he sent a sailor lad who attended on him for the captain, and, taking a small box from beneath his pillow, gave it to him, saying briefly,— " ' Here, take it, you have been my be^t friend, I shall need it no more/ " After he was dead the box was opened, and found to contain a most superb set of diamonds — a neck- lace, brooch, ear-rings, bracelets, and a ring, besides a quantity of gold pieces, the whole being worth several thousands of pounds. •• As the prince had often said that all his kindred were dead, the captain had no conscientious scniples in retaining the gift. He locked it away in his cabin. When the voyage was finished — at Calcutta — the men were paid off. The captain then be- thought him of placing his treasure in some place of security in the city. He went to his chest and took out the box — it was light — he opened it hastily — the contents were gone ! Nothing was left to him of that splendid gift save the ring, which he had placed on his finger soon after receiving it, and had worn ever siuoa 01 UFi ov THK Lnri. 317 ihe Word convince r for our it neither svay. The it intently. attended 1 box from briefly,— 8t friend, 1 I, and found ts — a neck- ing, besides )eing worth his kindred OTIS scruples Lway in his at Calcutta then be- some place chest and [edithastUy left tohiui Lich he had it, and had " From some circumBtances that recurred to oui memories, we both suspected the young man who had been in attendance on the prince, but although we caused the most diligent search to be made, we failed to find him. My friend and I parted soon after. I was sent up to the hills, and never saw or heard of him again. " Several years after that I happened to be re- siding in Calcutta, and was called one night to see the wife of an Englishman who was thought to be dying. I found her very ill — near her end. She seemed to be anxious to communicate something to me, but appeared to be afraid of her husband. I thought, on looking at him attentively, that I had seen him before, and said bo. He seemed to be annoyed, and denied ever having met with me. I treated the matter lightly, but took occasion to send him out for some physic, and, while he was away, encouraged the woman to unburden her mind. She was not slow to do so. ' Oh, sir,' she said, ' I want to communicate a secret, but dared not while my husband was by. Long ago, before I knew him, my husband stole a box of diamonds from a Captain Tippa — *" " My husband !" exclaimed the widow. " You shaU hear," said Dr. Noble. " * I often heard him teU the story, and boast of it,* continued the sick woman, quietly, ' and I resolved to obtain 918 THl IBON H0A8I possession of tbe box, and have it returned, if possi- ble, to the rightful owner. So I carried out my pur- pose — no matter how — and led him to suppose that the treasure had been stolen ; but 1 have often fancied he did not believe me. This Captain Tipps was a friend of yours, sir. I know it, because my husband has told me. remembers you, although you don't remember hii^ I wish you to return the box to Captain Tipps, sir, if he is yet alive. It lies' — here she drew me dose to her, and whispered in my ear the exact spot, under a tree, where the jewels were hid. "'You 11 be sure to remember the place?* she asked, anxiously. " ' Remember what place V demanded her hus- band, sternly as he returned with the medicine. " No ans was given. The woman fell back on hearing his \^^^q, but, although she lived for nearly an hour, never spoke again. " The man turned on me, and asked again what place she had been speaking of. I said that it was idle to repeat what might prove to be only th ravings of a dying woman. He seize*^ a bludgeon, and, raising it in a threatening manner, said, 'I know you. Dr. Noble ; you shaU tell me what I want to know, else you shall not quit this room alive.* ** ' I know you, too, Thomson,' said I, drawiztg i 01 LDTK OM ^'Hl LDTX. Sit I, if poBsi- itmy pur [)po8e that ben fancied pps was a ly husband b you don't the box to lies'— here jred in my ) the jewels place?' she ,ed her hus- oaedicine. L fell back on ed for nearly I again what d that it was be only th a bludgeon, mer, said, ' 1 1 me what 1 a this room I, diawiiig » Hm&ll sword from a stick which I always carried ' If yon proceed to violence, it rouiaiuB to be seen who shall quit this room alive.' " T opened the door and walked quietly out, leaving himi glaring like a tiger after me. " Going to the place described, I found the dia- monds ; and from that day to this I have not ceased to try to discover my old friend, but have not yet succeeded. Knowing that he might be dead, I have made inquiry of every one possessing your name, Mrs. Tipps, in the hope of discovering his widow or children ; and, although your name is an uncommon one, madam, you would be surprised if you knew how many I have ferreted out in the course of years. Unfortunately, my friend never mentioned his family, or the place of his residence in England, »o I have 1 ad no clue to guide me save one. I have e\ u found two widows of the name of Tipps besides |yoi elf, and one of these said that her husband was a saiiui captain, but her description of him was not that of my friend. The other said her husband had [been a lawyer, so of course he could not be the man if whom I was in search." " But> sir," said Mrs. Tipps, in some perplexity, if you are to depend on description, I fear that you ill never attain your end, for every one knows that lescriptions given of the same person by different le never quite agree." 330 THE IBON H0B8B Sf;--'" I *' That is true, madam ; and the description given to me this evening of your late husband is a case in point; for, although it agrees in many things — k most things — there is some discrepaney. Did yow ^ husband never give you the slightest hint about] a aet of diamonds that he had once lost ?" " Never ; but I can account for that by the fact,! that he never alluded to anything that had at anj time given him paia or displeasure; if he could I avoid it." " There is but the one clue, then, that I spoke o(| namely, the ring that belonged to the set of diamondil Did your husband ever possess — " " The ring !" exclaimed Mrs. Tipps and Nettaiij the same breath. " Yes, he had a diamond ring- They stopped abruptly, and looked at each otha in distress, for they remembered that the ring lia been lost. " Pray, what sort of ring is it ? Describe it me," said Dr. Noble. Netta carefully described it, and, as she did the visitor's countenance brightened. " That 's it ; that 's it exactly ; that miist be it, I remember it well, and it corresponds in all resped with — my dear ladies, let me see the ring witboj delay." "Alas 1 air," said Mrs. Tipps, sadly, •* the nuj| loatr OB LITB ON THE USE, 321 Won given 8 a case in things— ^^ Did youi liint about \yy the Ml b had at anjl if he co\ila| ,at I spoke oil jtofdiamondi] A look of blank dismay clouded poor Dr. Noble's visage as he heard these words, bub he quickly questioned the ladies as to the loss, and became more hopeful on hearing the details. " Come," he said at last, as he rose to take leave, " things don't look quite so bad as they did at first From all 1 have heard I am convinced that my friend's widow and daughter are before me — a sight of the ring would put the question beyond all doubt We must therefore set to work at once and bend all our energies to the one great point of recovering the 1 lost riui}.*' ''.>:k ,3andHettai amend ring- d at each o'M tt the ring b Describe it as she did itm-usibeit,* Ids in allies the ring vriM dly. « the nm i «3 SSI THE mem H0R8B CHAPTER XIX A RUWAWAT LOOOMOnVI. Being, as we have had occasion to remark before, a communicative and confiding little woman, Nett« Tipps told the secret of the ring in strict confidence to her old nurse. Mrs. Durby, in a weak moment, as on a former occasion, related the history of it tc Gertie, who of course told Loo. She naturally men- tioned it to her lover, Will Garvie, and he conveyed the information to John Marrot. Thus far, but no further, the thing went, for John felt that there might be danger in spreading the matter, and laid a strict injunction on all who knew of it to keep silence for a time. While at the station the day following, just after having brought in the " Flying Dutchman," he was accosted by the superintendent of police, who chanced I to be lounging there with, apparently, nothing to do, Never was there e man who was more frequently MU«d on to belie hit tnie character. It was a part ofMr.Sharp'adutytolooklazyat tunes and stupid, 80 as to throw qn,mVi ' °^ ®^®° "A fine day. Johi;;? iTir °^''^'' ^■^'^ engine where John was LnT f"^ "^ '" ""» plating the departurHf hTi " ''^ ^^ "»'"«'»- had been in his hani f .^ T'"^*" ^^"'o ^^o" ;<^i.e wiu o^r;; -'; r: ;rr"^» '''^' the iron horse. ^ ''"' J®""** of John admitted that it was a fi„ j what was the noos. ' ^"y- ■""" '«'^«d "Nothing particular doina n.af Siaq.. "You've heard T, ' °"^- "^"^ *^'- feUow who caused suoh'aeSr "' "" '"^" -P^3.Sund .ooIehiiriXT^^*^'-' ^fl yes, I heard o' that" " attempted robbeiy ? " '''^ ''"^ "^ the "-'es, I've heard o' that t^^ -m. . tim yet, I believer They haven't got "No, not yet ; but X think we <,h,ll v. . '"on." said Mr. Sharp with , T ^^"^ ^"^ '-"i-no..s thr,e:'rrr?r'- "'''" ^ very surprising if we we e ^ f IT "' •^o«t this station to-day or to-mo™; We "'"' »ort of decoy-duck to attmct hiT" . ''«"' Ska-P, chuckling "in the^ . '"'"''' *^'- '"dia doctor, wl^ aJLt h '' I " """' ^' a«ieeM t, h.iug .bout on the con- s; 3Si Tnx IBOH H0K3X 'RSis IKW dition that we keep a sharp eye on him and guard him well from any sudden attack." " You don't mean that i " said the engine-driver in an earnest under-tone. Instead of replying, the superintendent suddenly left him and sauntered leisurely along the platform, with his eyes cast down and softly humming a popular air. The act was so brusque and unlike Mr. Sharp's naturally polite character that John knew at once, as he said, that " something was up," and looked earnestly along the platform, where he saw Thomson himself walking smartly about as if in search of some one. He carried a heavy-headed stick in his hand and looked excited , but not much more so than an anxious or late passenger might be. Mr. Sharp went straight towards the madman- still sauntering with his head down, however ; and John Marrot could see that another man, whom he knew to be a detective, was walking round by the side of the platform, with the evident intention of taking him in rear. The moment Thomson set eyes on the superintendent he recognised him, and ap- parently divined his object in approaching, for he started, clenched his teeth, and grasped his stick. Mr. Sharp instantly abandoned all attempt at con- cealment and ran straight at him. Thomson, pro- bably deeming discretion the better part of valour, Q aiid guard ne-driver in Qt suddenly he platform, humming a Mr. Sharp's lew at once, and looked aw Thomson n search of stick in his ich more so I be. ! madman- (wever ; and in, whom he ound by the intention of ison set eyes im, and ap- hing, for he }d his stick. impt at COD- lomson, pro- rt of valour, OK inrx OK THE UNj. 'n::in,f :r ' - '- «>« - . doubled like a ha "d "" "' '^ """-o to ae raih Here "n^ T'^ "^ '^' P'^'^"™ -»• =in:--r j ^^:s. knocked down •^notT'ltt^^f'^^^''^- »ido of a detached eng "e ;,m^« '« "^-g" =team up .ady to be co' pL t • Jf" '^" "'*'' merely slipped on the ^L I ' '" " "'"^ " -" ™ough to understand why' and T"" """ ''"°^''*" of the ,tean. Next n. J«"f . 7' ""' "'' ^^ "««-, and, again letting 0^^ 1*°' ? "' "^^ ">e line Uke an am,w - ^'"°' "^"^-^ " W everything connected witT he t^ f "f ""'" '"'^ -"^at the point, had b^rrt^T, IT ''" ' wn away engine on tn n. ^ '"^o *6 tne light engine would goon $n TBI IBON H0B81 overtake. A collision in a few minutes would be certain. In peculiar circumstances men are bound to break through all rules and regulations, and act in a peculiar way. Without a moment's hesitation he ran to John Marrot and said in an earnest hurried voice — ** Give chase, John I cross over to the up line, but don't go too far." " All right, sir," said John, laying his hand on the regulator. Even while the superintendent was speaking Will Garvie's swift mind had appreciated the idea. He had leaped down and uncoupled the Lightning from its train. John touched the whistle, let on stean) and off they went, crossed to the up line (which was the wrong line of rails for any engine to run in that direction), and away he went at forty, fifty, seventy miles an hour I John knew well that he was flying towards a passenger train, which was running towards him at probably thirty-five or forty miles an hour. He was aware of its whereabouts at that time, for he consulted his watch and had the time-table by heart. A collision with it would involve the accumulated momentum of more than a hundred miles an hour! The time was short, but it was sufficient ; he there fore urged Will to coal the furnace until it glowed with fervent heat, and opened the steam valve to the uttermost. Never since John Marrot had driTen I OB LUC ON THS UNJC. 987 vrould be are bound QB, and act hesitation lest hurried lip line, but hand on the jeaking Will e idea. He ghtning from Let on steam e (which was A) run in that fifty, seventy he was flying ming towards es an hour. it time, for he ible by heart accumulated les an houi'; it ; he there ^til it glo^vci ^am valve w ot had driven it had the Lightning so nearly resembled its name- Bake. The pace was increased to seventy-five and eighty miles an hour. It was awfuL Objects flew past with flashing speed. The clatter of the engine was deafening. A stern chase is proverbially a long one ; but in this case, at such a speed, it was short. In less than fifteen minutes John came in view of the fugitive — also going at fuU speed, but, not being BO powerful an engine and not being properly managed as to the fire, it did not go so fast; its pace might have been forty or forty-five miles an hour. " Will," shouted John in the ear of his stalwart fireman, " you '11 have to be sharp about it. It won't do, lad, to jump into the arms of a madman with a fire-shovel in his hand. W'en I takes a shot at 'im with a lump of coal, then *s yer chance — go in an' vin, lad — and, whatever ye do, keep cooL" W ill did not open his compressed lips, but nodded Ids head in reply. " You 11 have to do it all alone, Bill ; I can't leay« the engine," shouted John. He looked anxiously into his mate's face, and felt relieved to observe a little smile curl slightly the Comers of his mouth. Another moment and the Lightning was up with I the tender of the run-away, and John cut off steam (or a brief eipace to ei^ualize the npeed. Thomson at 328 THE lEON HOKSH that instant observed for the first time that he wtu pursued. He looked back with a horrible glare, and theu, uttering a fierce cheer or yell, tugged at the steam handle to increase the speed, but it was open to the utmost. He attempted to heap coals on the fire, but, being inexpert, failed to increase the heat. An- other second and they were abreast John Marrot opened the whistle and let it blow continuously, for he was by that time drawing fearfully near to the train that he knew was approaching. Seeing that escape was impossible, Thomson would have thrown the engine off the rails if that had been possible, but as it was not he brandished the fire- shovel and stood at the opening between the engine and tender, with an expression of fiendirih rage on his countenance that words cunnot describe. " Now, Bill, look out ! " said John, Will stood ,like a tiger ready to spring. John beside him, with a huge mass of coal in one hand concealed behind bis back. There was a space of little more than two feet between the engines. To leap that in the face of a maihuan seemed impos- sible. Suddenly John Marrot imrled the mass of coal with all his might. His aim was to hit Thomson I on the head, but it struck low, hitting him on the chest, and driving him down on the foot-plate. Mi the same instant Will Garvie bounded across and lat he wag I glare, aud ged at the N&s open to on the fire, heat. An- Qhn Marrot nuonsly, foi near to the )mson would bat had been led the fire- jn the engine dish rage on jribe. bring. Jotin in one haiul a space of the engines. jemed impos- I mass of coal ihit Thomson k him on the ^ot-plate. At bd across an*i [•AGK 3J9. THK FKIHT OX THE LIC/fTXlXa «'.-.J fr( 01 Un ON THI LOTL 199 shut ofif the steam in an instant He turned then to the brake wheel, but before he could apply it Thomson had risen and grappled with him. Still, as the two strong men swayed to and fro in a deadly conflict, Will's hand, that chanced at the moment to be nearest the brake- wheel, was seen ever and anon to give it a slight turn. Thus much John Marrot observed when he saw a puff of white steam on the horizon far ahead of him. To reverse the engine and turn full steam on was the work of two seconds. Fire flew in showers from the wheels, and the engine trembled with the violent friction, nevertheless it still ran on for a con- siderable way, and the approaching train was within i compaiatively short distance of him before he had got the Lightning to run backwards. It was not until he had got up speed to nigh forty miles an hour that he felt safe, looked back with a grim smile and breathed freely. Of course the driver of the I passenger train, seeing an engine on the wrong line I ahead, had also reversed at full speed and thus pre- vented a collision, which would inevitably have been I very disastrous. John now ran back to the crossing, and, getting I once more on the down line, again reversed his engine and ran cautiously back in the direction of the run-away kxjomotive. He soon came in sight H it, reversed again, and went at such a pace as 890 THX IION BOBSl V. ■ allowed it to overtake him gradually. He saw that the steam was still cut off nnd that it had advanced that length in consequence of being on an incline, but was somewhat alarmed to receive no signal from his mate. The moment the buffers of the Lightning touched those of the other engine's tender he applied the brakes and brought both ermines to a stand. Then, leaping off, he ran to see how it had fared with Will Garvia The scene that met his eyes was a very ghastly one. On the floor-plate lay the two men, insensible and covered with blood and coal dust. Each grasped the other by the throat, but Will had gained an advantage from having no neckcloth on, while his own strong hand was twisted into that of his adver sary so fi^ndy, that the madman's eyes were almost starting out of their sockets. John Marrot at once cut the 'kerchief with his clasp-knife, and then, feeling that there was urgent need for haste, left them lying there, ran back to his own engine, coupled it to the other, turned on full steam, and, in a short space of time, ran into Clatterby station. Here th*^ men were a* once removed to the wait- in* o loctor — who chanced to be Dr. i " in. It was found that although I ^ .oil br ..cd Old cut, as well as exhausted by Uieir c uflict, oeithei Will noi Thomson weiel 01 LifK ermanently disabled, and within a short period he was attending to his business as well as ever. A vouth with a being q^^^lsalary of £60 a year claimed and got £1200 on the ,n was in the ■gromi(i of incurable injury — in other words he was ration was set ■pgngiQiig(j foj. jjfe to the extent of £60 a year — and, art. At gi^m year afterwards, it was ascertained that he was Paris and t<^B" dancing at balls," and bad joined his father m busi- een consulteiftegg ^f- if there was nothing tlie matter with him. r the accidenM ^ barmaid who, it was said, received " injuries to be £5000 ! Ae spine of a permanent character," was paid a sum ,xnpensation,i»«f£iooO as — we were about to write — compensation^ a few curiou^Btit consolation would be the more appropriate term. ed on the ed trifting nade claim I, the otiier Diice invcs- , that there is, however, solicitors of been driver had abraded ned into an form of per- is the gentle- j and anothei Lrgo an opera- mpensation to 3S8 THK mON HOASX seeing that she had little or nothing to be compen- sated for, as she was found capable of " dancing at the Licensed Victuallers' Ball " soon after the acci dent, and eventually she married ! To oblige rail- ways to compensate for loss of time, or property, or health, to a limited extent, seems reasonable, but to compel them to pension off people who have suffered little or nothing, with snug little annuities of j£50 or £60, does really seem to be a little too hard ; at least so it appears to be in the eyes of one who happens to have no interest whatever in railways, save that general interest in their immense value to the land, and their inestimable comforts in th« matter of locomotion. The whole subject of compensation stands at pre- sent on a false footing. For the comfort of those who wish well to railways, and love justice, we may ad in conclusion, that proposals as to modifications havej susp already been mooted and brought before Government,| so that in all probability, ere long, impostors wi receive a snubbing, and shareholders will receivi increased dividends ! But let us return to Mr. Sharp. Having, as wi have said, gone to his office, he found his faith servant Blunt there. " Why, Blunt," he said, sitting down at the tabl and tearing open a few letters that awaited ** what a good-looking porter you make ! " t S th of Shi spo and sibji that state hear OB UFK ON THI LIKI. SSf 5 coinpeii- Lancing at . the acci- ,blige rail- jroperty, oi ,ble, "b^t ^ ave suffered Lties of £50 00 bard ; a' of one wlio in railways imense value I ,iiif orts in the " So my wife says, sir," replied Blunt with a per- fectly grave face, but with a twinkle in his eye " She must be a discriminating woman, Blunt. Well, what news have you to-night ? You seemed to think you had found out the thieves at Gorton Station the last time we met." " So I have, sir, and there are more implicated than we had expected. TTie place is a perfect nest of them." " Not an uncommon state of things," observed Mr. Sharp, " for it is well known that one black sheep spoils a flock. We must weed them all out, Blunt, and get our garden into as tidy a condition as pos- sible ; it is beginning to do us credit already, but that Gorton Station has remained too long in a bad f those vi\^'M ^^^^® ' ^^ must harrow it up a little. Well, let 'a maY addl^sar what you have found out. They never itications have! suspected you, I suppose V overnnientiB " Never had the least suspicion," replied Blunt ostors v?illl^it^ a slight approach to a smile. " I 've lived with vrt leceivS *^^> t^o\v, for a considerable time, and the general opiuioD of 'em about me is that I'm a decent enough n vine as'ff^^^*^^' ^^* *<*° ^^^^ ^^^ stupid to be trusted, so , r^g faitbfw^^y have not, up to this time, thought me worthy f being made a confidant. However, that didn't at the tabBnatter much, 'cause I managed to get round one o* ited hinB'^ir wives at last, and she let out the whole affair — strict confidence, of course, and as a dead secret I stands at pie- ts Lt awai Le \ 840 THE IRO» HORm In fact T have j ast come from a long and interestinji conversation with her. She told me that all the men at the station, with one or two exceptions, were engaged in it, and showed me two of the missing bales of cloth — the cloth, you remember, sir, of which there was such a large quantity stolen four weeks ago, and for which the company has had to pay. I find that the chief signalman, Davis, is as bad aa the rest. It was his wife that gave me the informa- tion in a moment of over-confidence. "Indeed!" exclaimed Sharp, in some surprise " and what of Sam Natly and Garvie ? " " They 're both of 'em innocent, sir," said Blunt, " 1 did suspect 'em at one time, but I have seen and heard enough to convince me that they have no hand in the business. Natly has been goin' about, the station a good deal of late, because the wife ofl th one of the men is a friend of his wife, and used \M * r go up to nurse her sometimes when she was ililto As to Garvie, of course he knows as well as evcrj-l^n I au ha hi hii body else that some of the men there must thieves, else goods would not disappear from tha station as they do, but his frequent visits there for the pui-pose of reclaiming Davis, who, it seer is an old playmate of his." " Reclaiming Davis ! " exclaimed Sharp. " Yes, an' it 's my opinion that it '11 take a eleven fellow than him to reclaim Davis, for he's oaei gen \youi abst ilku from poul Je and interesting 0» I'lW ON THR wm j^^ robberies and other matte™ Zd "* *'""' thought, sir, that the fir ^^n T """ """^'^ ^""^ He could quote Script„ 71 tT / T'" ''^"^• hi- that it was of no use LL f > ' '""' '"" for him to mend." ' °' '' "'^ 'o« 'ate " Has Garvie, then, been aware «ll ti • .■ Davia i3 one of the thieves anl t !"" '""" '^'" Mked Shaip. • ""^ ''"Pt " secret ? » " Kg, sir," repUed Blunt "Tw. • . J.»d-y band i the ^beries wlVS"' """"* a regular toper. Garvie wa^ trvL f '' ** ^jo become a total ate.^e.'s^:',^ H^'''^' b>ow, Davis, that whatever mZ\\ ^' ^°" kenera. question of ahs^Lr, ^^r 1 ■'" \mr only chance of bein' Zv . 1 ^^ ^^^' Winence, because heXt:?' ^'^ ^ ^''^ f kuow and believe that Phi . ""^ " ''"^ k the power f d^ t^'J'^'^/"'^'' »- ^ou hd do so in the w^;f •. ^f'' ''^" *'' «>»''' h will to "tou h i; ; "^"""^yo^own "^-4- y- "w^t °1\ I""'' '^'"'^ ""' that y will per^ by the using.- Seema to T "?' i I 342 TBI IBON H0B8S me as if there was something in that, sir?" said Blunt, inquiringly. Sharp nodded assent. " Then Garvie does not suspect him of being con- nected with the robberies ? " he asked. "No," replied Blunt; "but he's a deep file is Davis, and could throw a sharper man than Garvie oflf the scent." After a little further conversation on the subject Mr. Sharp dismissed the pretended porter to his station, and called upon the superintendent of the police force of Clatterby, from whom he received an addition to his force of men. That night he led his men to Gorton station, and when he thought a suitable hour had arrived he caused them to surround the block of buildings in which the men of the station resided. Then, placing Blunt and two or three men in front of Davis's house, he went up to the door alone inii knocked. Mrs. Davis opened it. She gave the least possible start on observing by the light of her lobby lamp| who her visitor was — for she knew liim welL MrJ Sharp took note of the start ! ** Good-evening, Mrs. Davis," he said. " Good- evening, sir ; this is an unexpected pleaMean- sure, Mr. Sharp." I Hf " Most of my visits are unexpected, Mrs. Daviipden pi nd ade mer '0 OB LITE ON THE LIKE. S4S siiT said but it is only my friends who count them a pleasure. Is your husband within ? " " He L" sir ; pray, walk this way ; I *m sure he will be delighted to see you. Can you stay to supper with us ? we are just going to have it." " No, thank you, Mrs. Davis, I 'm out on duty to-night," said Sharp, entering the parlour, where Davis was engaged in reading the newspaper. " Good-evening, Mr. Davis." Davis rose with a start, Mr. Sharp took note of that also. " Good -evening, Mr. Sharp," he said ; " sit down, fli; sit down." "Thank you, I can't sit down. I'm on duty just ow. The fact is, Mr. Davis, that I am come to ike a search among your men, for we have obtained liable information as to who are the thieves at this tion. As, no doubt, some of the men are honest, d might feel hurt at having their houses searched, have thought that the best way to prevent any e least possihlBlmpleasant feeling is to begin at the top of the tree iher lobby lanimnd go downwards. They can't say that I have im welL MiBiade fish of one and flesh of another, if I l^egin, as mere matter of form, Mr. Davis, with yourself." •^ ■ "Oh, certainly — certainly, Mr. Sharp, by all expected ple»4eans," replied Davis. He spoke with an air of candour, but it was quite ,ed Mrs. Da^^dent that he was ill at ease. f being con- deep file 18 tban Garvie 1 the subject porter to his mdent of the ae received an ,n station, and lad arrived he of buildings sided. Then. en in front ol oor alone iJi^ei| Taking off id seeing an o^l lid have surpT of police. %■ '■"■'' >' 346 TEE mON H0R8I Davis made no reply. He was very pale, but looked defiant. Mrs. Davis sat down on a chair and sobbed. Leaving them in charge of Blunt, Mr. Sharp then paid a visit to all the men of the place, and ere long succeeded in capturing all who had been engaged in the recent robberies, with the various proofs of their guilt, — in the shape of cloth, loaves of sugar, fruit, boxes of tea, etc., in their apartments. It had cost Mr. Sharp and his men many weary hours of waiting and investigation, but their per- sevei-ance was at length well rewarded, for the "nest" was thoroughly "harried;" the men were dismissed and variously punished, and that portion of the Grand National Trunk Railway wbb, for t)ie time, most effectually purified. ox LUI ON TEX UNI. S47 sry pale, bnt n a chair and [r. Sharp then 5, and ere long jen engaged in proofs of theii of sugar, fruit, jn many weary but their per- rarded, for the the men were nd that portion | ?ay was, for t)w CHAPTER XXL DlAMOm) VaiQ Am) THB BAILTTAT OUtABINa-HOUUL Let us turn now, for a brief space, to Edwin Gurwood. He is seated before a desk in one [of the rooms of that large building in Seymour Street, Euston Square, London, where a perfect army of clerks — about a thousand — clear up many of the mysteries, and overcome a number of the difficulties, incident to the railway traffic of the jkingdonL At the particular time we write of Edwin wat [frowning very hard at a business-book and thinking of Emma Lee. The cause of his frown, no doubt, ?as owing to the conflict between duty and inclina- ion that happened to rage in his bosom just then. lia time belonged to the railways of the United kingdom ; to Emma belonged his heart The latter cas absent without leave, and the miiid, thus basely orsaken, became distracted, and refused to make ^uod use of time. ,:..v7", 348 Tax IBON HOBSK f^- That day Edwin met with a coincidence. He made what he believed to ue a discovery, and almost at the same moment received an inquiry as to the subject of that discovery. While endeavouring, without much success, to fix his attention on a case of lost luggage which it was his duty to investigate, and frowning, as we have said, at the business-book, his eye waa suddenly arrested by the name of "Durby." " Durby !" he muttered. " Surely that name is familiar ? Durby ! why, yes — that 's the name of Tipps's old nurse." Reading on, he found that the name of Durby was connected with a diamond-ring. " Well, now, that is strange 1" he muttered to himself. " At the first glance I thought that this must be the brown pap^r parcel that I made inqiiir}' about at the station of the Grand National Trunk Railway long ago, but the diamond- ring puts thai out of the question. No nurse, in her senses, would travel with a diamond-ring tied up in a brown | paper parcel the size of her head." We may remind the reader here that, when the! brown paper parcel was foimd and carried to the lost luggage office of one of our western railways, a note of its valuable contents was sent to the Clear-I ing-House in London. This was recorded in a book.! A« all inquiries after lost property, whei-a-^oevejidown 01 LITK ON THS LOHL 349 lence. He and almost ry a.^^ to the ideavouring, n on a case , investigate, isiness-book, he name of bhat name is the name of me of Btirhy , muttered to Light that this made inquiry I ationalTrunkl ing puts thai] senses, would in a hrom| Lhat, when the I carried to the (stem railways, It to the Clear- Irded in a hook. whei-efloeveij made throughout the kingdom, are also forwarded to the Clearing- House, it follows that the notes of losses and notes of inquiries meet, and thus the lost and the losers are brought together and re-united with a facility that would be impracticable without 8uch a central agency. In the case of our diamond- ring, however, no proper inquiry had been made, consequently there was only the loss recorded on the books of the Clearing-House. While Edwin was pondering this matter, a note was put into his hands by a junior clerk. It con- tained an inquiry after a diamond-ring which had been wrapped up in a large brown paper parcel, with the name Durby written on it in pencil, and was lost many months before between Clafcterby and London. The note further set forth, that the ring was the property of Mrs. Tipps of Eden Viiia, and enclosed from that lady a minute description of the ring. It was signed James Noble, M.D. " Wonderful !" exclaimed Edwin. " The most singular coincidence I ever experienced." Having thus delivered himself, he took the ne- cessary steps to have the ring sent to London, and obtained leave (being an intimate friend of the Tipps family) to run down by train and deliver it. While he is away on this errand, we will taka jthe opportunity of mouni-ing his stool and jottiug Idown a few particulars about the Clearing-House, I 3£)0 THX IRON HOBfa i ti..V*; which are worth knowing, for that establishment ii not only an invaluable means of effecting such happy re- unions of the lost and the losers, as we have referred to, but is, in many other ways, one of the most important institutions in the kingdom. The Railway Clearing-House is so named, we presume, because it clears up railway accounts that would, but for its intervention, become inextricably confused, and because it enables all the different lines in the country to interchange facilities fo; through-booking traflfic, and clears up their respec- tive accounts in reference to the same. Something of the use and value of the Clearing- House may be shown at a glance, by explaining that, before the great schemes of amalgamation which have now been carried out, each railvi ay com- pany booked passengers and goods only as far as its own rails went, and at thit point fresh tickets had to be taken out and carriages chanj^ad, with all the disagreeable accompaniments and delays of shifcinjj luggage, etc. Before through-buoking was intro duced, a traveller between London and Invernea was compelled to renew his tickec and change Ing- gag*> four times ; between Darlington and Cardil six tiroes. In some journeys liO fewer than nine or| ten changes were necessary ! This, as traflBc increase of course became intolerable, ana it is qiut_ certai Chat the present extent of passenger and goods t calci) the( pact troul) [ofrei OB LIPR ON THE LDfl. 361 olishment ii fecting such [osera, as we ways, one of kingdom. 3 named, we accounts that e inextricably the diiferent facilities foi| ) their respec- • the Clearing- by explaining amalgamation b railv;ay com- ily as far as its I tickets had to with all the ays of shifting Lg was intro- aud Inverness td change H' ,n and Cardil sr than nine oi| •affic increas [s qiut^ certai ,d goods t. could never have been attained if the old system had continued. It was felt to be absolutely neces- sary that not only passengers, but carriages and goods, must be passed over as many lines as possible, and straight " through " to their destuiations, with- out needless delays, and without " breaking bulk." But how was this to be accomplished ? There were difficulties in the way of through-booking which do Qot appear at first sight. When, for instance, a tra- veller goes from London to Edinburgh by the East Coast route, he passes over three diiferent railways of unequal length, or mileage. The Great Northern furnishes his ticket, and gives him station accom- modation besides providing his carriage, while the North-Eastem and North British permit him to run over their lines ; and the latter also furnishes station iccommodation, and collects his ticket. To ascer- tain precisely how much of that traveller's fare is due to each company involves a careful and nice calculation. Besides this, the whole fare is paid to the Great Northern, and it would be unjust to ex- jpect that that company should be saddle*^ with the jtrouble of making the calculation, and the expense jof remitting its share to each of the other companies. |So, too, with goods — one company furnishing the l^aggon and tarpaulin, besides undertaking tho ub'ie of loading and furnishing station-accommo- uii aad the use of its line, while, it may be. .?"»">'-, ill S63 TEK nON HORAK several other companies give the use of their lines only, and that to a variable extent. In addition to all this, the company providing its carriages or waggons is entitled to " demurrage" for every day beyond a certain time that these are detained by the companies to which they do not belong. Now, if all this be unavoidable even in the case of a single fare, or a small parcel, it must be self- evident that in lines where the interchange of througli traffic is great and constant, it would have been all but impossible for the railway companies to manage their business, and the system would have given rise to endless disputes. In order to settle accounts of this description, il was soon seen to be absolutely necessary that some sort of arrangement must be come to, and, accord- ingly, the idea of a central office was conceived, and a system established without delay, which, for minut«| detail and comprehensive grasp, is \id rivalled b; any other institution. At first only a few of thi railway companies united in establi?lnngtheClearing«Hoi House in 1842, but by degrees, as its immense valua^o ti became known, other companies joined, and it no embraces all the leading companies in the kingdo; It is said to be not inferior to the War Offii Colonia] Office, and Admiralty in regard to tl amount of work it gets through in a year ! II accounts amount to some twelve millions ster I e c d E ab ai int the per king T( brief ffi QttS OK UFK OK TEF. UNI. 368 )f their lines 1 addition t« carriages or for every day 3 detained by ] along. jnin the easel innst be self- 1 mgeofthrouglil 1 have been all! Ides to manage dd have givec 3 description, it ssary that some to, and, accord- 3 conceived, and rhich, for minute] 3 unrivalled b] ly a few of tb ■ingtheClearing- 8 immense valuf Ined, and it no in the kingdoi the War Oifi< regard to tl In a yearl H Lllions sterlii yet they always must and do balance to a fraction of a farthing. There must never be a surplus and never a deficiency in its funds, for it can make no profits, being simply a thoroughly honest and dis- interested and perfectly correct go-between, which adjusts the mutual obligations of railways in a quick and economical manner. Its accounts are balanced every month, and every pound, shilling, and penny can be accounted for. It annually receives and dispenses a revenue greater than that of many European kingdoma In 1847 its gross receipts were only £793,701. In 1868 they had risen to above eleven millions. Each line connected with the Clearing- House has a representative on the committee to look after its interests and bears its proportion of the expenses of the establishment Before showing the manner in which the work in performed for the railway companies, it may be well tn premise that one great good which the Clearing- Hnnse system does to the public, is to enable them to travel everywhere with as much facility as if there were only one railway and one company in the IdDgdom. To avoid going too much into detail, we may say, jbriefly, that in regard to goods, statements of through- ffic despcUcJud are sent daily from thousands of sta- oas to the Clearing- House, also separate statements S64 THE IBON H0B8B i&:. » t t: : of through-traffic received. These are compared 01 dbose that are found to agree, each company is debited or credited, as the case may be, with the proportion due to or by it. Where discrepancies occur, correspondence ensues until the thing is cleared up, and then the dis- tribution to the accounts of the several companies takes placa As discrepancies are numerous and constant, eorrespondence is necessarily great. So minutely cor- rect and particular are they at the Clearing- Hcfuse, that a shilling is sometimes divided between four com- panies. Even a penny is deemed worthy of being debited to one company and eredited to another ! As it is with goods, ho is it with passengers, Through-tickets are sent from all the stations to the Clearing- House, where they are examined and com- pared with the returns of the tickets issued, and ther sent back to their respective companies. As these tickets amount to many thousands a day, some idea may be formed of the amount of labour be- stowed on the examination of them. The propor- tions of each ticket due to each company are then! credited, and statements of the same made out and forwarded to the several companies daily. Fronil the two sets of returns forwarded to the Clearing House, statements of the debit and credit balances | are made out weekly. Parcels are treated much in the same way as the| goods. OB Lirv oir TEE uxn. 361 npared. 01 ly is debited oportion due Tcspondence ■Mm the dis- ipanies takes aind constant, minutely cor- Baring-li8 of Ben Nevii r 0* un o» TH« utn. w Go«tfeU what miH«r ? if t '" » ~ilw.y accident !r ' /" ™ ""'^'-ed to d«th f 1000 most «< <^ . „"'!'" ^ ""y- ''hat matter f deepening 'hi L The ' "''""''"''^ »«• "™PP0«. that r am not^i^\ """ '"™''"* "Jured «.d mangled I ^ f V ""^^ "'^""Jy H in that case ^ ZZ^^Z'"''''''"'''- "' hek,unta recovered or in th, '''""P'"^ ^« « H«' ""y injuries witwl .^ ''^'°' "' "'' '"'^'"S V family.- *^"^^ ^1^ be paid to ^s. Tipps smiled and nodd«^ k ,. ,"Bu'. sir/'aheeaid •' ,„!„ f ^'°"'- (ither hurt or kiUed ?" ^^ ^°" '^"'''* 8*' " Why then," rephed the eM»rl„ ., l^^ of course, and X't's':??"' "^''" hK you must admit, is bul a wZ addr'^'' r «P»^«= of a three months' tour | . °"' *° J""' had three months nf '"''''' ''»''« h-gardlessnesras t :iHf ^T,-"^'' ^'^ "^ h ■>«' wife and boys h!J f "'"' ""''= ' ^^^^e ' "^^^ '"^ '">«« months of easy 368 Tm now Hovni «, £) a a 7< up ha pai aiic he minds and indifference to my life and limbs alsnt Is not all that cheaply purchased at 30s. ? whil<< the Slim itself, I have the satisfaction of knowing, goes to increase the funds of that excellent company which enables you and me and thousands of others to become so easy-minded and reckles and whiih, at the same time, pays its fortmiate shareholders a handsome dividend." " Really, sir," said Mrs. Tipps, lau<^hing, ** you talk 80 enthusiastically of this Insurance Company tiiat I almost suspect you to be a director of it" " Madam/' replied the elderly gentleman withl , . some severity, " if I were a director of it, which ll, grieve to say 1 am not, I should only be doing m) simple duty to it and to you in thus urging it on yo attention. But I am altogether uninterested in i except as a philanthropist I see and feel that il does good to myself and to my fellow-men, ihereft I wish my fellow-men to appreciate it more highl; than they do, for it not only insures against accid by railway, but against all kinds of accidents ; whili its arrangements are made to suit the convenieni of the public in every possible way." " Why, madam," he continued, kindling up and polishing his head violently, " only think, f( the small sum of £4 paid annually, it insures jovL shall have paid to your family, if you chaoce be killed, the sum of £100Q, or, if not kilM. 'Con hesi id lold, ecai ye i Ihild ead- ery , .pier an ve t OR LITE ON TUR LINK. 369 Uraba also J ft ^^^j^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ j^.^ ^p ^^ £1, lOs. 30b. ? wni fl ■ ^ week while you are only partially disabled. And of knowing, | ^^^^ would you believe it, many persona who see the lent company ■ ^j^^^g ^f l^j^j^^ j^jj^ begin the wiso course of insurance, nds of o*"*'^*|go on for only a few years and then foolishly give it J and wnunj ^^ — disappointed, I presume, that no accident has jhareholderfla|j^j^ppg^g^ ^ ^l^^^l g^^^ l^ejg ^ on^ ^f ^^^ pamphlets !** Lng, ** yo^ ^'^''1 He pulled a paper out of his pocket energetically, Company t-^^^laud put on a pair of gold spectacles, through which of it Ihe looked when consulting the pamphlet, and over jntleman '^^^li^liich he glanced when observing the effect of what of it, which \t ^^ ^^ ^j.g rpjppg Lybe doing mi «^^vTiat do I find— eh? ha— yea—here it is— • jging it on yo^Corniflh auctioneer pushed back a window shutter — ■ intereated in irngg^ are the very words, madam — what more he d feel that iljj^ ^ ^-^^^ shutter, or what it did to him, is not men, '^^'''Jold, but he must have come by some damage, ecauae he received JE56. A London clerk got hi« ye injured by a hair-pin in his daughter's hair — ow suggestive that is, madam ! what a picture it up of a wearied toil -worn man fondling hia |hild of an evening — pressing his cheek to her fail ead — and what a commentary it is (he becam€ ery stem here^ on the use of such barbarous plementa as hair-pins! I am not punnin|^ |if you chance m^^gjjj . j gjj^ much too serious to pun ; I shonH not kiM«a. ^y^ ^g^ ^g word aavage instead of barbarous, U4l it more highlj rainst accide locidenta ; wl the convenieno idling up only think, f(| it insuiea 970 THK mON H0B81 f; 1^. ■C-" I.- -t Now, what was the rosult? This company gave that clerk compensation to the extent -of £26. Again, a medical practitioner fell through the flooi of a room. It must have been a bad, as it certainly was a strange fall — probably he was heavy and the floor decayed — at all events that fall procured him £120. A Cardiff agent was bathing his feet — why, we are not told, but imagination is not slow to com prehend the reason when the severity of our olimat«| is taken into account; he broke the foot-pan much less comprehensible thing-— and the breakingl of that foot-pan did him damage, for which he wi compensated with £62, 16s. Again, a merchant Birkenhead was paid £20 for playing with h children !" "Dear me, sir!" exclaimed Mrs. Marrot in sur|7e prise, " surely — " "Of course, my good woman," sa'J the elderlj^l gentleman, " you are to understand that he came bjjS^r some damage while doing so, but I give you tbl^^ exact words of the pamphlet. It were desirabl that a little more information had been given just gratify our curiosity. Now, these that T have rei are under the head of 'Accidents at Home.' Undi other * Heads ' we find a fanner suflbcat-ed by i falling in of a sand-pit, for which his representativej*^® received £1000. Another thousand is paid to tw^ g hoirs of a poor dyer who fell into a vat of buiUnl^ < W P of lea at€ OR UTB OV TBI LDTl. •Tl ompany gftv« :tent -of £26,1 ougb the flooil as it certainlyl heavy and thel procured himl his feet — why,| ot slow to com- y of our olimatel he foot-pan— J nd the breaking| or which he wa a, a merchant Laying with bii . Marrot in sui] sail the elderl] that he came \ I give you thi were desirabl jen given just bhat T have rei Home/ Un^< luffocated by tl Is representativi ia paid to ' la vat of bui liquor ; while, in regard to smaller matters, a ware- houseman, whose finger caught in the cog-wheel of a crane, received £30. And, again, here is £1000 to a gentleman killed in a railway accident, and £100 to a poor woman. The latter had insured for a single trip in an excursion train at a charge of two- pence, while the former had a policy of insurance extending over a considerable period, for which he probably paid twenty or thirty shillings. These are but samples, madam, of the good service rendered to sorrowing humanity by this assurance company, which, you must observe, makes no pretensions to philanthropic aims, but is based simply on busi- ness principles. And I find that the total amount of compensation paid in this manner during one year by this Company amoantfl to about £72,000." As Mrs. Marrot yawned at this point, and Mrs. Tipps appeared somewhat mystified, the enthusiastic gentleman smiled, put away his pamphlet, and [wisely changed the subject. He commented on the me beauty of the weather, and how fortunate state of things was for the people who went the country for a day's enjoyrae»t. Thus ileasantly he whiled away the time, and ingra- ated himself with Gertie, until they arrived at he station where Mrs. Tipps and Mrs. Marrot had get out, and where many of the excursionists ot out along with them. While the former went ri 8, I. 875 THB ISOM HOBfit their several ways, arranging to meet in the evening and return together by the same train, the latter scattered themselves over the neighbouring common and green fields, and, sitting down under the hedge- rows among the wild-flowers, pic-nicked in the sunshine, or wandered about the lanes, enjoying the song of birds and scent of flowers, and wishing, per- chance, that their lot had been cast among the green pastures of the country rather than amid the din and smoke and turmoil of the towa Ob UFB ON THS LDtlL 878 he evening the latter ng coxnctton the hedge- ked in the enjoying the vishing, per- among the Lan amid the CHAPTER XXI n. DETAILS A TSRRIBLB ACOIBKMT. In due time that holiday came to a close, and the excursionists returned to the station where their train awaited them. Among the rest came Mrs. Tipps and Mrs. Marrot, but they did not arrive together, and therefore, much to their annoyance, failed to get into the same carriage. The weather, which up to that time had kept fine, began to lower, and, just as the train started, a smart thunder-shower fell, but being under cover the holiday-makers heeded it not. Upon the whole they were an oiderly band of excursionists. Some of the separate groups were teetotallers, and only one or two showed sjnoaptoms of having sought to increase their hilarity by the use of stimulants. When the shower began, John Marrot and his I mate put on their pilot cloth coats, for the screen that formed then* only protection from the weather was a thin flat one, without roof or sides, forming only a partial protection trom wind and raiiL 374 THX IBON HOIUSl m 9 mf;i ^^H' N 1 i^^^H P} ^^^^^H ««-n '^^^H t..| '^H N.- 1 r I. iiit^'t t ^^^^Hi 1 9BI i t t 4 t rfU 1 Night had begim to descend before the train left the station, and as the lowering clouds overspread the sky, the gloom rapidly increased until it became quite dark. " We are going to have a bad night of it/' observed John Marrot, as his mate examined the water- gauge. " Looks like it/* was Garvie's curt reply. The clatter of the engine and howling of the wind, which had jy that time risen to a gale, ren- dered conversation difficult ; the two men therefore confined themselves to the few occasional words that were requisite for the proper discharge of their duties. It was not a night on which the thoughts of an engine-driver were likely to wander much, To drive an excursion train in a dark night through a populous country over a line which was crowded with traffic, while the rain beat violently on the little round windows in the screen, obscuring them and rendering it difficult to keep a good look-out, was extremely anxious work, which claimed the closest and most undivided attention. Nevertheless, the thoughts of John Marrot did wander a little that night to the carriage behind him in which were hifl wife and child, but this wandering of thought causedj him to redouble rather than to relax his vigilaucfli and caution. Will Garvie consulted the water-gauge for a Mo-j hac had had on t whi driv seve well prop ber t have been case, and -v enteri signal OK im Ojr TTTE LINE. 875 train left overspread . it became t," observed the water - ling of the a gale, ren- len therefore jional words arge of their the thoughts ander much Lght through •was crowded [ently on the icuring them ;ood look-out, claimed the [Nevertheless, ler a little that [hich were his tought caused his vigilance luge for a wo- ment, and then opened the iron door of the fiimace in order to throw in more coaL The effect would have stirred the heart of Kenibrandt The instan- taneous blinding glare of the intense fire shot through the surrounding darkness, lighting up the two men and the tender as if all were made of red-hot metal; flooding the smoke and steam-clouds overhead with round masses and curling lines of more subdued light, and sending sharp gleams through the murky atmosphere into dark space beyond where the ghostly landscape appeared to rush wildly by. Now it chanced that, at the part of the line they had reached, a mineral train which preceded them had been thrown off the rails by a bale of goods which had fallen from a previous goods train. Carelessness on the part of those who had loaded the truck from which the bale had fallen led to this accident. The driver and fireman of the mineral train were rather severely hurt, and the guard was much shaken as well as excited, so that they neglected to take the proper precaution of sending back one of their num- ber to stop the train that followed them. This would i have been a matter of little consequence had the lin« [been worked on the block system, because, in that case, the danger-signal would have been kept up, and would have prevented the excursion train from entering on that portion of the line until it was «ignalled "clear;" but the block syatiem had been 376 THl ntOV HOBS! r only partially introduced on the line. A sufficient interval of Htm had been allowed after the minei'al train had passed the last station, and tb/)n, as we have seen, the excursion train was permitted to pro - ceed. Thus it came to pass that, at a part of the line where there was a slight curve and a deep cutting, John Marrot, looking anxiously through his circular window, saw the red tail-light of the mineral train. Instantly he cried, " Clap on the brakes. Bill !" Almost at the same moment he reversed the en- gine and opened the whiibtle to alarm the guard, who applied his brakes in violent haste. But it was too late. The speed could not be checked in time. T^e rails were slippery, owing to rain. Almost at fall speed they dashed into the mineral train with a noise like thunder. The result was appalling. The engine was smashed and twisted in a man- ner that is quite indescribable, and the tender waa turned completely over, while the driver and fire- man were shot, as if from a cannon's mouth, high into the air. The first two carriages of the passenger | train and the last van of the mineral were com- pletely wrecked ; and over these the remaining car- riages of the passenger train were piled until they I reached an incredible height. The guard's van wm raised high in the au-, with its ends resting on a third-class carriage, which at one end was completely! in \ smashed in by the van. I ^e OK Lm ON THl LHTB 377 A BuiB&cient the mineral tt.^.n, as we aittedtopro- trt of the line I deep cutting, h his circular ineral train, akes, BiU l" rersed the en- he guard, who But it was too in time. The Almost at fall I train with a ,va8 appalling. )ed in a man- he tender was iver and Ore- l's mouth, high If the passenger ■al were c»m- •emaining car- |iled until they ard's van was resting on a as completely! At the time of the concussion —juBt after the terrihle crash — there was a hrief, strange, unearthly silence. All was still for a few seconds, and pas- sengers who were uninjured gazed at each other in mute and horrified amazement. But death in that moment had passed upon many, while others were fearfull7 mangled. The silence was almost imme- diately broken by the cries and groans of the wound sd. Some had been forcibly thrown out of the carriages, others had their legs and arms broken, and some were jammed into fixed positions firom which death alone relieved them. The scenes that followed were heart-rending. Those who were uninjured, or only slightly hurt, lent willing aid to extricate their less fortunate fellow-travellers, but the howling of the wind, the deluging rain, and the darkness of the night, retarded their efforts, and in many cases ren- dered them unavailing. .fohn Marrot, who, as we have said, was shot high into the air, fell by good fortune into a large bush. He was stunned at first, but otherwise uninjured, Ol regaining consciousness, the first thoughts that flashed across him were his wife and child. Rising in haste he made his way towards the engine, which was conspicuous not only by its own fire, but by i reason of several other fires whidi had been kindled in various places to throw light on the scene. In 1 khe wreck and confusion it was difficult to find out 370 TQB IBOV H0B8I the carriage in which Mrs. Marrot had travelled, and the people about were too much excited to give very coherent answers to quefltions. John, therefore, made his way to a knot of people who appeared to be tearing up the d^is at a particular spot. He found Joe Turner, the guard, there, with his head bandaged and his face covered with blood. " I 've bin lookin' for 'ee everywhere, John," said Joe. ** She 's there !" he added, pointing to a mass of broken timbers which belonged to a carriage, on the top of which the guard's van had been thrown, crushing it almost flat. John did not require to ask the meaning of hii words. The guard's look was sufficiently significant He said not a word, but the deadly pallor of his countenance showed how much he felt. Springing I at once on the broken carriage, and seizing an axe from the hand of a man who appeared exhausted by his efforts, he began to cut through the planking so as to get at the interior. At intervals a half-stifled | voice was heard crying piteously for " John." " Keep up heart, lass !" said John, in his deep, strong voice. " I '11 get thee out before long — Godj helping me." Those who stood by lent their beet aid, but,! anxious though they were about the fate of thos«l who lay buried beneath that pile of rubbish, thej| could not help casting an occasional look of wonde OB LITB OH THB LIKB. 971 ad travelled, :cited to give )hii, therefore, .0 appeared to lar spot. He ffiih. his head ood. re, John," said ting to a masa a carriage, on I been thrown, meaning of hit Dtly significant y pallor of his felt. Springing seizing an axe id exhausted by he planking sol lis a half-stifled I " John." ^n, in his deep, I ifore long— God best aid, hud Le fate of thosj (f rubbish, thejj llook of wond< amounting almost to awe, on the tall fonn of the engine-driver, as he cut through and tore up the planks and beams with a power that seemed little short of miraculous. Presently he stopped and listened intently for a moment, while the perspiration rolled in big drops from his brow. " Dost hear me, Mary ?" he asked in a deeply anxious tone. If any reply were uttered it was drowned by the howling of the wind and the noise of the workmen. Again he repeated the question in an agonizing cry. His wife did not reply, but Gertie's sweet little voice was heard saying faintly, — " I think mother is dead. Oh, take us out, dear father, take us out, — quick ! " Again John Marrot bowed himself to the task, and exerting his oolossal strength to the utmost, continued to tear up and cast aside the broken planks and beama The people around him, now thoroughly aroused to the importance of haste, I worked with all their might, and, ere long, they I reached the floor of the carriage, where they found mother and child jajimed into a corner and arched I over by a huge maA«'f « ^ 'Jerue ? Are thev " K. rerhi;y„!?::rj-^--rretch Po be careful Will vn« ' *""* '* '^ "^^^ ^ Will you promiae me to be still r ' t B 386 THK IBON HOKfll " All right, sir," eaid Will, promptly. Edwin hastened for assistance, and in a short time the fireman was carried to a place of compara- tive shelter and his wounds examined. Almost immediately after the examination Edwin knelt at his side, and signed to those around him '/O retire. " Garvie," he said, in a low kind voice, " I'm sorr} to tell you that the doctors say you must lose .youi left arm." Will looked intently in Edwin's face. " Is there no chance o' savin' it ?" he asked earnestly ; " it might never be much to speak of, sir, but I 'd rather run some risk than lose it." Edwin shook his head. *' No," he said sadly, ■ they tell me amputation must be immediate, else your life may be sacrificed. I said I would like to break it to you, but it is necessary, my poor fellow, that you should make up your mind at once." " God's will be done," said Will in a low voice ; " I 'm ready, sir." The circumstances did not admit of delay. In a few minutes the fireman's left arm was amputated above the elbow, the stump dressed, and himself laid in as sheltered a position as possible to await the return of the train that was to convey the dem! and wounded, more recently extricated, to Olattcirby, When that train arrived at the station it wai ptiy. and in a short [)lace of compara- amination Edwin se around him x) «i LDl Oir THK LDfi 387 (Toice. "I'm son} I must lose joui ■ace. it?" he asked I to speak of, sir, ose it." he said sadly, immediate, ebe I would like to my poor fellow, i at once." in a low voice ; of delay. In a was amputated id, and himself )8sible to await ionvey the dea(i id, to Olatterby. stfttion it wai touchuig to witae« the p«le .„„•„ , «»»wded the pUtform aa th.V '"^ "»' criea of agony Z^Z 7"! ""' '' ""^ '" ''<'" '»■« '^'th joy. when so^'^i^"'" "^"'"^y- "^^^^ almost fondling the ^.aA ^T ^° "^^^ ^een '^ft a strange staJ3' ^"^ °^«'' t^^"" looked round on hroil-''T'"' ''"''■'''•'ility, or - ^ tW would ^; «Sv^*'r" '"'''«-^'^^' '"at they .oved 0^^ li? ! "" ''"'""'''• ^ a quiet .olenm voice iTfl ^^' '"^''"■'^ •" -- long past, th'u" T: ^' "^""y of g.ief that it had not yet b:!^'"" '""'""^ ^^-^ not yet been real^ed ' """ '^'J' ^^ ^-srrd''di:;t^-^-"--.tHoogh «"« tad been sent ' t£ smLT .""" ''*™'- await the artval of th» 7 ^ •"*" '"»<*«' «» ^m Garvie hot' "^,7^ '•^''" *" '"^« and laid on the Dlatfol r '''* """■««' «•>' fc noisy demonstn^tion I't^ ^^ "°' ^^« ^^7 '«taydown.rais.dt^'" 'l^V''''"' •"«" 't^f^S'.t^^ . t3 /F "-'{'.• t? t; '■ 6. 'h t S88 THE mOM HOBSl " Bless you, my darling," said Will, in a low thrilling voice, in which intense feeling stmggled with the desire to make light of his misfortune; " God has sent a cordial that the doctors haven't got to give." ** William ! " exclaimed Loo, removing the hair from his forehead — hut Loo could say no more. "Tell me, darling," saiu Garvie, in an anxious tone, " is father safe, and mother, and Gertie ?" ** Father is safe, thank God," replied Loo, with a choking voice, "and Gertie also, but mother — " " She is not dead ?" exclaimed the fireman. "No, not dead, but very very much hurt The doctors fear she may not survive it, WiU." No more was said, for at that moment four porters came up with a stretcher and placed Garvie gently upon it. Loo covered him with her shawl, a piece of tarpaulin was thrown over all, and thus he was slowly borne away to John Marrot's hoica fci ^ill, in a low ;ling straggled is misfortune; »rs haven't got loving the hair ' no more, in an anxious Gertie V ed Loo, with a Qother — " fireman, ch hurt The ViVL" 5nt four porters Garvie gently shawl, a piece 1 thus he was 0« Lliri OK THE mm 389 CHAPTEK XXrV. -id, it 00^ WiuS ! '"'^- ^' "« have ever, i„ recor4 J .^ir ""'' P'^"^"-' '"-- cum of Ufe was left ,n rt. T . ""^ '"^ "'"'li- Sl-e succeeded to ad Jlr"' " "'^'^ ^^^^ "f ^fe. *at. but for on^or tr^:^ : r' '"■ ^ ^-'' -0 one could We ^0^1^ Z 'r;"''"'«»^^«. accident at aU. Bob mZ ! ^"^ """"^ ^'^ "« » after .ea., ^ 'M TrlTj;' *" ^^ "^ •■-. 390 TBI IBOH H0B8I r 'I r vinced thai her firmness, amountin' a'most to ob- stinacy, of purpose, would have enabled her to grow on a noo arm as good as the old 'un, if not better." We need scarcely add that Bob was an irreverent scamp ! Poor Will Gkirvie I his was a sad loss, yet, strange to say, he rejoiced over it " W'y, you see," he used to say to Bob Marrot — Bob and he being great and confidential friends — " you see, Bob, if it hadn't bin for that accident I never would have bin laid up and brought so low — so very nigh to the grave — and I would never have know'd what it was to be nursed by your sister Loo ; and so my eyes might have never bin opened to half her goodness an* tenderness, d* ye see ? No, Bob, I don't grudge bavin* had my eyes opened by the loss of an arm ; it was done cheap at the price. Of course I know Loo pretty well by this time, for a few years of married life is apt to clear a good deal of dust out of one's eyes, but I do assure you. Bob, that I never eould have know'd her pro- perly but for that accident, which was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me ; an* then, don't 'ee see, I 'm just as able to work these there points with one arm as with two." To which Bob would reply, — " You *re a queer fish, Bill ; howsever, every man 's got a right to hU own opinions." Will Gkrvie was a pointsman now. On recover- i*6iiaf ' a'most to ob- (led her to grow , if not better." s an irreverent OR LTn ON THI LDfJ. 991 3SS, yet, strange )u see," he used eing great and if it hadn't bin bin laid up and 5 grave— and I s to be nursed ght have never indemess, d' ye * had my eyes done cheap at y well by this I apt to clear a ut I do assure ow'd her pro- s the luckiest then, don't 'ee re points with •u*re a queer a right to hia ' S9I ,"^-y-to Which h« t'/i^reth ''"'" "' '"" fetumed, and he displavi' „ !^^' ""'' '""•^''gth "« wa, ^de a po^r at 2"? °' """««■ *«' ^ent^y-box sort of er^Z I.' '"'''"'' ^""^ ''«'» « ;■'. apportioned to hi« daily urr^T "" '"""'^ tinually employed in <,),•« '^ ''* ''a' On- '"-ting „f'J^. l; S^'": '"'-'« ^» the despite their nughty";;;' ^'^''^ '^-'^ 'o -ve. «^ill Garvie gave thL wl ""^'""'"=^' ""'^ - 'Ct:d^r:d trr '•*-«'> -3eve. ^o honea had' bec^^ ^Xn :T"f ^ '^^ 'o"«-nu,, ■■ad received a shake so 'rd b f.'' '"''' ''"' -^"hn hi' duties with the Zel ""' *'' ""* '"'-^e -tinned to stick t:ZZt\'" '"^'"'""'- «« /ears, and, before Kivin// .'"''^*''' ''°' '«^<»»I ;:j J- Obliged to ?est^;tb:7«=' «-'■•« had been aU along set on ^ • *"*' y°» «ee, ; th-f„re ,Uy .eftlh "T^J^^t"^".; enough,— and when thp n^ . ^^^'^ oW ".e Preununa^ pj" I'^rr ""^'^ «'^-'^~t« «" .'^"Hngthisp.HodKdwinanr.^^,^,,^^^ 392 THE IRJIV ROSBX r sponsible and sufficiently lucrative situation in the Clearing- Housa At the same time he employed much of his leisure in cultivating the art of paint- ing, of which he was pasbionately fond. At first he painted for pleasure, but he soon found, on exhibit- ing one or two of his works, that picture- dealers were willing to purchase from him. lie therefore began to paint for profit, and succeeded so well that he began to save and lay by money, with a view to that wife with the nut-brown hair and the large lustrous eyes, who haunted his dreams by night, and became his guiding star by day. Seeing him thus wholly immersed in the acquisi- tion of money, and not knowing his motive, his faithful little friend Joe Tipps one day amazed and half- offended him by reminding him that he had a soul to be cared for as well as a body. The arrow was tenderly shot, and with a trembling hand, but Joe prayed that it might be sent home, and it was. From that date Edwin could not rest. He reviewed his life. He reflected that everything he possessed or hoped for came to him, or was to come, from God ; yet, as far as he could make out, he saw no evidence of the existence of religion in himself save in the one fact that he went regularly to church on Sun days. He resolved to turn over a new leaf. Tried — and failed. He was perplexed, for he had tried honestly. situation in the e he employed he art of paint- nd. At iirat he ind, on exhibit- picture-dealers He therefore led 80 well that with a view to and the large iams by night, in the acquisi- lis motive, his ay amazed and that he had a y. The arrow ling hand, but me, and it was. lie reviewed g he possessed ime, from God ; iw no evidence elf save in tlie lurch on Sun- w leaf. Tried ' he had tried OB LDTl oif TmE Lno. j^j " Tipps,- he said, one day " vo„ ^^ * i, . I ever could make a confidant T T ""'' ^"^ not given to bein^ v«r,. ^ ^^ ^^^^ ^ '«» -^ you ni.;r:^:i;z:^^^^^^ Btuck to me, and I have tried r i / ^^' ^^'^ ^"^ ^-t Without much success" "' ' ^''^^^^^'^ ^^«' l^on t you think " Qiu^ Tir. • 'one. " that leadin, a Chtt,?,^ I Z ^^1"^""" ""It of having become a Chrietiaa' I* *' ''■ that yon have bwn ..i,- ~"*^ ■ 't aeews to me We neL not ZJl " '"""^ ^'"'^" ae "old, old st^^-Xh""""*'"" "'^™"« "> -al g.oova sie it to 21 1^:!^'' T /"' -eUe'hridrrrt'r'f'--' . he had a higher mnt;„ . , ? ^l^eneeforward toil, yet the dlCdld "Itt -r"^ "' ■"" '^y '» power by the chtg LthXt^'^rT^^^ truth that "«odli-n«o. • ^'''^^•'^ ^^ realized the At iJf r "^^'^ ^ *« come. At last the paintimi becaniA .. "^ oecame so succep-sful that 394 THB IBOK H0B8B ; I :' I Edwin resolved to trust to it alone — said good-bye to the Clearing- House with regret — for he left many a pleasant companion and several intimate friends behind him — and went to Clatterby, in the suburbs of which he took and furnished a small villa. Then it was that ho came to the conclusion that the time had arrived to make a pointed appeal to the nut-brown hair and lustrous eyes. He went off and called at Captain Lee's house accordingly. The captain was out — Miss Lee was at home. Edwin entered the house, but he left all his native courage and self-possession on the doorstep outside ! Being ushered into the drawing-room he found Emma reading. F^om that moment — to his own surprise, and according to his own statement — he became an ass ! Tlie metamorphosis was complete. Ovid, had he been alive, would have rejoiced in it ! He blushed more than a poor boy caught in his first fp-ievous offence. The very straightforwardness of his character helped to make him worse. He felt, in all its importance, the momentous character of the step ho was about to take, and he felt in all its strength the love with which his heart was full, and the inesti- mable value of the prize at which he aimed. No wonder that he was overwhelj[ied. The reader will obeerve that we have not at- tempted to dilate in this book on the value of that prize. Emma, like many other good people, is only J — said good-bye -for he left many intimate friends ^ in the suburbs nail villa. conclusion that inted appeal to iS. He went off cordingly. The home. Edwin I native courage utside ! -room he found t — to his own statement — ^he was complete. rejoiced in it ! ight in his first w^ardness of his He felt, in all jrofthestepho bs strength the nd the inesti- e aimed. No <» lOl OMT THI un. 915 have not at- > value of that >eople, is only -"■dent.! to our subject Weh.v.K^ '«ave her to the reader's LI ^ ^^ "^^^^ ^ ^^ could we have d'rTr • ''^"^- "'»' powerful u. this matter Ta! /""f""''"' » «o,e »»« nor other could Je S^ '"'"^"'"'- ^«'«'- the^fore an.gi„,«„; wL St.""''""^' ""* ""'"7' « ^^"^ aer hand in both of his •J-'y stopped, plSl^^o ''-"•». Edwiu sud- --r»-r.ttrr.te:-^- ,^wi.leaped:2S-"„^--«dther.^^ her face in the sofa cushions ^"^^ buried t^nninated erentuX^ ITT*'^"'"'"'''' "•"-brown hair and lust™ *«"'«fe'«noe of the in CUtterby r i2~"' *^«« 'o '^^o ^tisfs viUa -connnonlyfond oTl^^^ T'T, ^ -- » g««lener. It was JZ'^ "" ^°°'''^ """ <» was at this Identical time that John 896 THi nov HOim i i i Marrot resolved to resign his situation as engine driver on the Grand National Tnink KaUway. Edwin, knowing that he had imbibed a considerable amount of knowledge of gardening from Loo, at once offered to employ him as his gardener ; John gladly closed with the offor, and thus it came about that he and his wife removed to the villa and left their old railway -ridden cottage in possession of Will and Loo -or, to be more correct, Mr. and Mrs. Garvie, and all the young Garvies. But what of timid Mrs. Tipps ? The great acci- dent did little for her beyond shaking her nervous system, and confirming her in the belief that rail ways were unutterably detestable ; that she was not quite sure whether or not they were sinful ; that, come what might, she never woidd enter one again ; and that she felt convinced she had been bom a hundred years too late, in which latter opinion most of her frionds agrc cd with her, although they were glad, considering her loveable disposition, that the mistake had occurred. Netta did not take quite such an extn.ae view, and Joseph laughed at and quizzed them both, in an amiable sort of fashion, on their views. Among all the sufferers by that accident few suf- fered so severely — with the exception, of course, of those who lost their lives — as the Grand National Trunk Kailway itself. In the course of the trials ation as engine Tnink Railway, xi a conaiderable g from Loo, at gardener; John IS it came about le villa and left tt possession of Jt, Mr. and Mrs. The great acci- 'ig her nervous 'clief that rail lat she was not e sinful; that, iter one again ; d been bom a latter opinion although they isposition, that did not take spb laughed at jort of fashion, ident few suf- , of course, of •and National of the triala gratifying the 1^1 """l'' """» *'"' ">,• v,W o/ '■■e. ecu.. Hopit L'tiLr x;r r ^'^'^ '•"'l no control, and the re,nL „ "*! ""^^y pemma were MIed «„,, 1 ! """*— that twenty "-t one hunJ^'LTX'l" '"-''-<» --"^odl -^= and tha, event^ '^ ^ '''"'''' '" Poy from seventy to eicMw^ "^"' '""' *» of which the 4hl?j;^*~ P-"-' -' was £6750! The rkk,^ f ""^ ^dividual war companies w^.^ 3 : ^"b " """ "' '^- ciaUy when it U consw!!!^ ^ ^ '^•='^'^«' ^V>- ^""lb„tsli,htV::X«- ~o„ '"^^ oonvey enormous nnmberofn """'^ "^*''^"' occasion of the sT "' .^""'V'^'^- On the '-^on.in,«,\%;-~-^f-0.ordto ri»?ea of the Great We».„„ broa.1 -{jange car- -cn«ioni.,« n Jhe^''^™:::: rt^'^'r ""^ 398 XHI mots HOBAI CHAPTER XXV. VHl luUIV. •!?•■' r-^ : A OERTAIN Christmas-day approached. On the morning of the day preceding, Will Garvie — look- ing as broad and sturdy as ever ; a perfect man, but for the empty sleeve — stood at his post near his sentry-box. His duties that day were severe. At that season of the year there is a great increase of traffic on all railways, and you may be sure that the Grand National Trunk Eailway had its full share. On ordinary occasions about three hundred trains passed Will Grarvie's box out and in during the twelve hours, but that day there had been nearly double the number of passengers, and a considerable increaae in the number of trains that conveyed them, while goods trains had also increased greatly in bulk and in numbers. Garvie's box abutted on a bridge, and stood in the very midst of a labyrinth of intricate crossing lines over which trains and pilot-engines were con- stantly roahing and hissing, backing and whistling 7. ached. On the 1 Garvie — look- perfect man, but is post near his rere severe. At ^oat increase of be sure that the ] its full share, hundred trains in during the ad been nearly I a considerable that conveyed icreased greatly ', and stood in :ricate crossing [ines were oon- and whistling 0« UW OK TH« mrt. ^oiously, and in the midst of which Will .. the continual risk of his hfp „ , ^ """"^ »' (^0 Bob Garvie expressed i^ . "•" " """"^l'" ^though thus':ri\"i"'t "*'•"""'' ;o- d„,, ^„_ ^^-^-^h m^. of smoke. ^ «'>ulge his love for flowed h^TT; "^"^ on the line-between ffc ^*^ " S^w^^n '"ge, to be sure oTablt''^"^ ' '' ""^ "« - large enough L'S IrlT''^'"" '' garfen was in a JZ '^ ^'"^''- The sentrp-b„^ n ! ° '™"«'' '" ^""^ "f h« Wm passed out fV;t S "' "^"^ ''"'' '''^' duties connected with h . '" ^'^"'^"S the "••e flowed and 1"! of T 'J" ""' " '""^ '»' %«. girls, and bafe I ?°° "" *« ^""""e-^ble fl-a' this garden w V, "'""• ^' "^^d "o* »ay wm did CmZn T ."' ''''"• ^'''-r «^st;.iTrrr"'''^'''-^^-^"^«one the mis tf hiL "'' ^''"'''™ -^ -^-^^d acroj -"tk!s:7::2f"^----«-«. "■^XliSiS - • - that "How I wish you werp ufl •^ were a flower, that I might 400 THI lEOM HOBSB olant you in my garden," said the gallant William, as he crossed the rails and reached up to shake Gertie's hand. " What a greedy man you are ! " said Gertie. " Isn't Loo enough for you ? " " Quite enough," replied Will, " I might almost say more than enough at times; but come, lass, this ain't the place for a palaver. You came to speak with me as well as to see me, no doubt." "Yes, Will, I came with a message from Mrs. Tipps. You know that the railway men are going to present father with a testimonial to-niglit ; weU, Mrs. Tipps thinks that her drawing-room won't be large enough, so she sent me to ask you to let the men know that it is to be presented in the school- room, where the volunteer rifle band is to pcjrform and make a sort of concert of it." " Indeed ! " said Will. '• Yes ; and Mrs. Tipps says that Captain Lee is going to give them what she calls a cold collation, and brother Bob calls a blow-out." " You don't r.ay so !" exclaimed Will. ♦^Yes, I do; won't it be delightful?" said Gertie. "Splendid," repHed Will, "I'U be sure to be u]) in good time. But, I say, Gertie, is young Dorkiu to be there ? " Gertie blushed, but waa spared the necessity of a reply in consequeiMe of a deafening whistle which OB LUS oh THB UNI. iOl lant William, up to shake ' said Gertde. might almost ut come, lass, You came to 10 doubt." age from Mrs. men are going to-night; well, -room won't be [ you to let the in the school- id is to p(5rform Captain Lee is cold coUation, [ill. I? " said Gertie, sure to be uj' young Dorkiu le necessity of whistle which called Will r^urie to his points. Next moment, a passenger train intervened, and cut her off f?om further communication. According to promise, Will was at the school- room in good time that evening, with some thirty or forty of his comrades. Loo was there too, bloom- ing and matronly, with a troop of boys and girls, who seemed to constitute themselves a body-guard round John Marrot and his wife, who were both ignorant at that time of the honour that was about to be done them. John was as grave, sturdy, and amiable as ever, the only alt.eration in his appear- ance being the increased number of silver locks that mingled with his black hair. Time had done little to Mrs. Marrot beyond increasing her bulk and the rosinesc of her countenance. It would be tedious to comment on all our old friends who assembled in the school-room on that memorable occasion. We can only mention the names of Captain Lee (ali4is Samuel Tough), and Mr. Able, and Mrs. Tipps, and Dr. Noble, and Mr. Sharp, and Dayid Blunt, and Joe Turner, and Mrs. Durby. with a? of whom time seemed to have dealt as leniently as with John Marrot and his wife. Sam Natly was also there, with his invalid wife restored to robust health, and supported on either side by a blooming boy and girl. And Edwin Gurwood was 1 here with liis wife and son and three daughters; 30 40S TFK IBOH HORBK and so was Joseph Tlpps, looking as if the world prospered with him, as, indeed, was the case. And, of course, Netta Tipps was there, and the young curate, who, by the way, was much stouter and not nearly so stiff as when we first met him. He was particularly attentive to Netta, and called her " my dear," in a cool free-and-easy way, that would not have been tolerated for a moment but for the fact that they had been married for the last three months. Bob Marrot was there also — as atrappin^^ a young blade as one could wish to see, with a modest yet fearless look in his eye, that was quite in keeping with his occupation as driver of the "Flying Dutchman." There was there, also, a tall, slim, good-looking youth, who seemed to be on very intimate terms with Bob Marrot. He was well known as one of the most rising men at the Clatterby works, who bade fair to become an overseer ere long. Bob called him Tomtit, but the men of the line styled him Mister Dorkin. He had brought with him an ex- tremely wrinkled, dried-up old woman, who appeareeing delivered by Mr. Abel, who not unnaturally made a remarkably able oration. When that gentleman rose with a beautiful silver model of a locomotive in his. hand, which he had been deputed by the men of the line to present as a mark of their r^ard, admiration, aud esteem, to John Marrot, he took the worthy ex -engine driver very much by surprise, and caused Mrs. Marrot to be seized with such a tit of choking tliat the baby (not whe new one, but the old) found it m hard 409 TEX IBOH HOBAl ^ \ work to beat her out of it as she had formerly found it to beat him out of a fit of wickedness. When she had been restored, Mr. Abel launched off into a glowing oration, in the course of which he referred to John Marrot's long services, to his faithful and unwearied attention to his arduous duties, and to the numerous instances wherein he had shown personal courage and daring, amounting almost to heroism, in saving the lives of comrades in danger, and in preventing accidents on the line by coolness and presence of mind. " In conclusion," said Mr. Abel, winding up, " let me remark that the gift which is now presented might have been of a more useful character, but could not have been more appropriate ; because the wish of those who desire to testify their regard for you this evening, Mr. Marrot, is not to give you un intrinsically valuable or useful present, but to pre- sent you with a characteristic ornament, which may grace your dwelling while you live, and descend, after you are gone, to your children's children (here he glanced at Loo and her troop), to bear witness to them that you nobly did your duty in driving that great iron horse, whereof this little silver pony is a model and a memorial To perform one's duty weli in this life is the highest ambition that any man can have in regard to temporal things. Nelson, our greatoat naval hero» aimed at it, and, on the glorious OB UFB ON THX hOn. 407 tterly found it JVTien she had ato a glowing erred to John ,nd unwearied the numerous sonal courage ism, in saving in preventing d presence of nding up, " let Qow presented icter, but could cause the wish regard for you give you an Int, but to pre- snt, which may and descend, children (here lear witness to driving that iver pony is a ne's duty well any man can Nelson, our in the glorious day of Trafalgar, signalled that England expected every man to do it Wellington, our greatest soldier, made duty his guiding star. The effectual and earnest performance of duty stamps with a nobility which is not confined to great men- a nobility which kings can neither give nor take away — a nobility which is very, very difficult to attain unto, but which is open alike to the prince and the peasant, and must be wrought hard for and won — or lost with shame, — for, as the poet happily puts it — * Honour aud shamt^ from no ccnditioa nse ; Aflt well your part, — there all the honoar lien.' " For myself I can only say that John Man-ot has won this nobility, and 1 couple his name with a sentiment witli which all here, I doubt not, wOl heartily sympathize — Prosperity to the men of the line, and success to the Iron Horse ! " • • • • Reader, we can do no better than echo that sen- timent, and wish you a kind farewell. THE KNDl,