Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Heroes -- Juvenile fiction; Orphans -- Juvenile fiction; Shipwrecks -- Juvenile fiction
It was an anxious moment for Harry as he stood waving the danger
signal, uncertain whether it would attract the attention of the
engineer. It did! The engineer, though not understanding the meaning
of the signal, not knowing indeed, but it might be a boy’s freak,
prudently heeded it, and reversing the engine, stopped the train a
short distance of the place of danger.
“Thank God!” exclaimed Harry, breathing a deep sigh of relief.
The engineer alighted from the train, and when he looked ahead, needed
no explanation.
“My boy!” he said, with a shudder, “you have saved the train.”
“I am glad of it, sir. My heart was in my mouth, lest you should not
see my signal.”
By this time the passengers, whose curiosity had been roused by the
sudden halt, began to pour out of the cars.
When they saw the washout, strong men turned pale, and ladies grew
faint, while many a fervent ejaculation of gratitude was heard at the
wonderful escape.
“We owe our lives to this boy!” said the engineer. “It was he who
stood on the fence and signaled me. We owe our deliverance to
this--tablecloth.”
A small man, somewhat portly, pushed his way up to Harry.
“What is your name, my lad?” he asked, brusquely.
“Harry Vane.”
“I am the president and leading stockholder of the road, and my
property has come very near being the death of me. Gentlemen”--here
the president turned to the group of gentlemen around him--“don’t you
think this boy deserves a testimonial?”
“Yes, yes!” returned the gentlemen, in chorus.
“So do I, and I lead off with a subscription of twenty dollars.”
One after another followed the president’s lead, the president himself
making the rounds bareheaded, and gathering the contributions in his
hat.
“Oh, sir!” said Harry, as soon as he understood what was going
forward, “don’t reward me for what was only my duty. I should be
ashamed to accept anything for the little I have done.”
“You may count it little to save the lives of a train full of people,”
said the president, dryly, “but we set a slight value upon our lives
and limbs. Are you rich?”
“No, sir.”
“So I thought. Well, you needn’t be ashamed to accept a little
testimonial of our gratitude. You must not refuse.”
When all so disposed had contributed, the president gathered the bills
from the hat and handed the pile to Harry.
“Take them, my boy,” he said, “and make good use of them. I shall owe
you a considerable balance, for I value my life at more than twenty
dollars. Here is my card. If you ever need a friend, or a service,
call on me.”
Then the president gave directions to the engineer to run back to the
preceding station, where there was a telegraph office, from which
messages could be sent in both directions to warn trains of the
washout.
Harry was left with his hands full of money, hardly knowing whether he
was awake or dreaming.
One thing seemed to him only fair--to give the owner of the tablecloth
some small share of the money, as an acknowledgment for the use of her
property.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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