in a wild part of Western Virginia there lived a poor old widow in a roughly made log hut on the edge of a valley,miles away from any neighbors The railroad track ran close by on a wooden bridge across the steep valley.
she lived a hard life of her own-without any help from the closest neighbors thirty miles away. Poor as her was,she made a great sacrifice.
one windy day in March,the snow was melting on the mountain, and the river that flowed through the valley was filled with an icy flood of melted snow. As the wind continued, the waters grew noisier, and their ceaseless roar made the woman and her daughter uneasy. They went to bed at last in fear and trembling.
About midnight a crash caused them to start up in terror. Clinging to each other, they crept down to the edge of the valley, and found the bridge broken in pieces. No sooner had the old woman realized what had happened that the awful thought came to her that the night mail train would come in half an hour. There was no one, no signal-box, and no telegraph to warn the approaching train of the terrible danger that lay before it.
Was there nothing she could do? There was one thing.....A light! The engineer would see the light, though shouts would seem no more than a faint whisper. In the hut she had only half a handle, and if she took that on the line the rain and wind would put it out at once. In her poverty she had neither lamp nor lantern and the winter fires had almost finished the piles of sticks that she had gathered in the woods.
Searching anxiously round the little hut, her eyes rested on the wooden bedstead and wooden chairs. They were very old. These the only things to burn.
With trembling hands the two women chopped and cut the bedstead until it lay on the floor in pieces. Then,carrying these in their arms, they climbed to the line, and piled up the wood in the middle of the track.
Covering a match from the wide, the old woman struck it and put it to the pile of furniture. To her joy, this caught light just in time, for as it began to blaze up, the rumble of the train could be heard.
Nearer and bearer came the roar of the train. They could see the light in front of the engine. Then it slowed down and came to a stop close to the blazing pile.
in a wild part of Western Virginia there lived a poor old widow in a roughly made log hut on the edge of a valley,miles away from any neighbors The railroad track ran close by on a wooden bridge across the steep valley.she lived a hard life of her own-without any help from the closest neighbors thirty miles away. Poor as her was,she made a great sacrifice.one windy day in March,the snow was melting on the mountain, and the river that flowed through the valley was filled with an icy flood of melted snow. As the wind continued, the waters grew noisier, and their ceaseless roar made the woman and her daughter uneasy. They went to bed at last in fear and trembling.About midnight a crash caused them to start up in terror. Clinging to each other, they crept down to the edge of the valley, and found the bridge broken in pieces. No sooner had the old woman realized what had happened that the awful thought came to her that the night mail train would come in half an hour. There was no one, no signal-box, and no telegraph to warn the approaching train of the terrible danger that lay before it.Was there nothing she could do? There was one thing.....A light! The engineer would see the light, though shouts would seem no more than a faint whisper. In the hut she had only half a handle, and if she took that on the line the rain and wind would put it out at once. In her poverty she had neither lamp nor lantern and the winter fires had almost finished the piles of sticks that she had gathered in the woods. Searching anxiously round the little hut, her eyes rested on the wooden bedstead and wooden chairs. They were very old. These the only things to burn.With trembling hands the two women chopped and cut the bedstead until it lay on the floor in pieces. Then,carrying these in their arms, they climbed to the line, and piled up the wood in the middle of the track.Covering a match from the wide, the old woman struck it and put it to the pile of furniture. To her joy, this caught light just in time, for as it began to blaze up, the rumble of the train could be heard.Nearer and bearer came the roar of the train. They could see the light in front of the engine. Then it slowed down and came to a stop close to the blazing pile.
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