IT required no summons to be issued by the queen next morning in order
to assemble her followers. They were on deck immediately after
breakfast, long before the queen made her appearance, anxiously waiting
to hear more of the tale. Therefore, when her Majesty made her
appearance, Ingomar was at once requested to proceed, which he did
without preliminaries.
“Incidents apparently trifling oftentimes shape our destiny. But in
making this statement I do not mean to convey the impression that I am
about to describe a trifling incident, but the insignificant
circumstances which caused the incident are what I refer to. Had it not
been for an old bob-tailed, one-eyed, stray dog that happened to take a
fancy to Lottie, and concluded to cast his destiny with her, there would
have been no use telling this story. Old Bob was fond of chasing
rabbits. One day he started one; the rabbit ran for life; Bob ran for
the rabbit. The rabbit ran in a certain direction; Bob ran in the same
direction; he followed the rabbit, and we followed him; while doing so
we came to a gravel pit, which gravel pit I am sure we never would have
seen had Bob not started the rabbit; but as he did start it, thereby
causing us to go to the gravel pit, I shall proceed to tell what
followed. A large number of men were shoveling the gravel onto flat
cars, to be hauled on the line of the railroad for ballasting the track.
The rabbit took refuge in a hollow tree near where the men were at work;
they came and cut the tree down and caught the rabbit. We sat down near
the gravel pit to rest; the foreman invited us to ride on the gravel
train to the next station, which was directly on our road. We were
delighted at the prospect of a ten-mile ride on the cars, and what made
it most desirable was the fact that it would put us ten miles nearer
Memphis in a few minutes, whereas it would be a good day’s walk if we
had to foot it. We thanked the foreman heartily and accepted his kind
offer.
“‘Hurry up, my men,’ said the foreman, as he looked at his watch,
‘throw in lively; we have no time to spare, for we must get to the
station before the passenger train.’
“The men threw the gravel on the cars with great rapidity, and very soon
the flats were loaded and the train began to move. Lottie and I took
seats on the car next to the engine, while Harry went forward to ride on
the pilot.
“‘My little man,’ said the engineer to Harry, ‘it is very dangerous to
ride on the pilot. You had better not attempt it, as we are compelled to
run very rapidly so as to reach the station before the passenger train.’
“I was astonished to see that Harry paid no attention to the warning; it
was so different from his usual way of doing things. It was I who had
been considered reckless, while Harry was looked upon as the embodiment
of prudence and wisdom. Lottie called to her brother, begging him to
come back and ride with her; but he sat immovable and silent, without
turning his head to notice her. Harry afterward informed me that a
strange, unaccountable desire to ride on the pilot of the engine seized
upon him, and he could not resist it.
“‘It may be imagination, merely,’ said he, ‘but I thought something
whispered to my mind, positively directing me to ride there. I had the
inclination to heed the warning of the engineer, but a most mysterious
influence seemed to rivet me down to the spot, so I could not move. I
have heard that notice of approaching events was often conveyed to the
human mind through the medium of dreams, but in my case the notice came
while I was wide awake, and in a manner to me incomprehensible and most
mysterious. Call it superstition if you will; call it nonsense if you
choose; I care not; I state facts, and you may draw your own
conclusions.’
“I did not argue the question with him, for I perceived that he was
deeply in earnest, and his manner was so serious that I thought best to
say nothing against his strange theory.
“‘Let her run, Dan,’ said the conductor to the engineer, as he held his
watch in his hand; ‘only ten minutes till number four is due at the
station, and eight miles to run.’
“The engineer, who had a frank, open countenance and keen, intelligent
eyes and iron-gray hair, seized the lever and gave a backward pull, and
the engine dashed forward like a ball discharged from a siege gun.
Fences, trees and houses all seemed to be flying; the wind whistled
about Harry’s face, and played with his dark-brown hair as it floated
straight out behind his head. He held his hat in his hand, while his
face was all aglow with excitement.
“‘You had better order that boy away from the pilot,’ said the engineer
to the conductor, as he opened the throttle to let on more steam; ‘he
might get hurt where he is; we are taking great risk anyway; the track,
you know, is very crooked from here to the station; if a cow, or hog, or
anything should be on the track, he would be killed.’
“‘You had better not ride there, my little man,’ said the conductor, ‘it
is very dangerous.’
“Harry sat immovable, as if he had been fastened there with bolts of
steel, while the train flew onward at the extraordinary speed of a mile
per minute. It is very probable that Harry did not hear the warning
given by the conductor, as the noise made by the engine as it thundered
on may have prevented it. At all events, he did not move; he was rapidly
approaching his destiny; whether that destiny was for weal or woe will
be a matter for after consideration. Harry always contended that it was
a supernatural influence that compelled him to take his seat on the
pilot of that particular engine at that particular time. He said that
the influence, or whatever it was, came upon him with such unmistakable
distinctness that he would have resisted any attempt to force him away.
The more I ridiculed the idea, the more firmly did he stick to it.
“‘It was Providence,’ said he, ‘that is certain.’
“‘I wonder if Providence made old Bob start the rabbit, merely to guide
us to the gravel pit?’ said I.
“‘No doubt of it,’ was his reply.
“‘I didn’t know before now that you were so full of superstition.’
“‘If it is superstition to believe that Providence prompted me to ride
on the engine that day, then I am overflowed with it.’
“The brave old engineer stood with his hand on the lever, his sleeves
rolled above his elbows, his face blackened with smut and smoke, his
gray locks pushed back and streaming in the wind. Undaunted courage was
stamped on every feature; his lips were firmly closed, and the picture
he presented reminded me of the description of Vulcan which I had read
in Homer.
“‘Will she make it, Dan?’ inquired the conductor.
“‘Yes, I think so,’ replied the engineer; ‘but it will be a close
race--two miles to run; two minutes and a quarter to make it in.’
“‘We’re safe then,’ said the conductor. ‘They can hear us coming and
will wait for us.’
“Within one mile of the station there was a sharp curve in the track
where it swung round the base of a tall ridge, then lay out on the top
of a very high embankment, thence across a bridge, with a straight run
from there to the station. The train was coming round the curve with
unusual speed, as it was running down grade. Harry sat on the pilot with
his eyes fixed in front, and just as the train came round the last spur
of the ridge, he saw a little girl sitting on the gravel in the center
of the track, with her apron filled with wild flowers, which she was
busily weaving into festoons. The train was within one hundred yards of
her before she was discovered. She was on the part of the track that lay
on the top of the high embankment, the sides of which were very steep,
and it was full thirty feet to the ground from where the little girl
sat. The engineer immediately blew the signal for down brakes, then
reversed his engine (a very dangerous operation to perform while running
rapidly down grade); all the brakes were put on, and the brakeman seemed
to strain every nerve to hold them as much down as possible. The
engineer kept his whistle shrieking and screaming in order to warn the
child of her danger. She rose and started to run toward the bridge, then
hesitated a moment, and made a move as if she were going to jump over
the embankment. An Irish woman who was the child’s nurse had imprudently
left her on the track while she was gathering the flowers some distance
from it. When the nurse discovered the danger to which the little girl
was exposed she hallooed to the child, telling her to leap down the side
of the embankment. She made a movement as if she were going to do it,
then evidently became frightened at the great distance to the ground.
Meantime the train was rapidly approaching the spot where the child
was, notwithstanding the fact that all the brakes were down and the
engine reversed. The momentum was so great, and the grade being
downward, the train continued to move forward. The noise made by the
whistle, added to the thundering sounds made by the approaching train,
only served to increase the child’s confusion. The second time she
started to run across the bridge, and again she ran back a few paces;
then became so paralyzed with fright that she stopped, unable to move.
The train was within a few feet of the little girl, and it now became
certain that the engine could not be stopped before it reached the
bridge, although it was running quite slowly, not faster than a man
could run; but what did that signify? Wouldn’t the child be crushed to
death unless the engine could be stopped before she was reached? It was
plain to be seen that the little girl had lost her self-possession, and
she stood gazing at the approaching train in despair. She had very long
hair, which floated loose down her back, while the flowers lay scattered
on the ground where she stood. The picture she presented then was
pretty, ’tis true, but the situation was awful. My heart grew sick at
the sight. I noticed Harry getting down on the very front of the iron
frame commonly called the cow-catcher; but what good could he do by
that? The engine was within ten feet of the little girl when I saw the
old engineer turn his face away and throw both hands to his eyes, as if
he were trying to shut out the shocking scene that was about to be
witnessed.
“‘Oh! great God have mercy on us,’ he exclaimed, as he turned away.
“Harry placed his foot on the outer end of the longest bar of iron, then
made a desperate leap forward, seized the child by the arm, and both
went rolling down the steep side of the embankment. He made the leap
when the engine was only about six feet from the child, and he must have
made his calculations very accurately, for he only let one foot strike
the ground between the rails, while the other struck the ground outside
of the rails. The slightest miscalculation or the least mistake, would
have been fatal to him as well as her for whom he made the gallant leap.
At the base of the embankment there was a pond of muddy water, bordered
with briars and broken rocks. Harry and the little girl landed in the
middle of the pond, bruised and bleeding from many wounds. The engine
came to a halt as soon as it struck the bridge, and the engineer leaped
down to where Harry lay in the water and lifted him up in his arms. It
was an affecting sight to see the man of iron nerve weeping like a
child.
“‘My brave little hero,’ he exclaimed, as he pressed Harry’s brow to his
lips, ‘are you hurt?’
“‘Not much sir, I believe, though my leg is broken,’ said Harry.
“Poor fellow! he fainted in the arms of the strong man who carried him
up the embankment and placed him on the train. The little girl had a
severe contusion on her temple, caused by falling against a
sharp-cornered rock at the base of the embankment. She was also placed
on the train, and then it was put in motion, and soon was at the
station, and a surgeon sent for, while the wounded children were removed
to a hotel near the depot. The mother of the little girl (a pale-faced,
delicate little woman of great beauty) swooned and fell to the ground
when she saw the bleeding child in my arms. The father of the child took
her from me.
“‘In Heaven’s name pray tell me what has happened!’ said he, as he took
his daughter from me.
“‘She is not seriously hurt, sir,’ said I, and then I told him what had
occurred.
“Harry had regained consciousness before we reached the station, and
when he saw how Lottie was weeping as she held his head in her lap, he
smiled pleasantly. ‘Don’t be alarmed, Lottie dear, I am not seriously
hurt--just one leg broken, that’s all. Wasn’t it lucky that I happened
to be on the front of that engine? Is the little girl much hurt?’
“‘No, I think not,’ said the conductor, ‘she got a slight cut on the
temple.’
“‘Wasn’t she a pretty little darling?’ continued Harry; ‘I fell in love
with her as we rolled down the embankment together; and when I get to be
a man, if she is willing, we’ll go down the path of life together.’
“‘His mind is wandering,’ whispered the conductor.
“Harry overheard him.
“‘Perhaps it is,’ said he, ‘but let it wander as much as it likes, so
long as it happens to stray in that direction. Hush crying, Lottie dear,
I tell you I am not much hurt; I shall be well again in three weeks.’
“The old surgeon arrived, threw off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and
went to work like a man who knew what he was about; and I was struck
with admiration for the man when I saw the skill with which he reset the
broken bones and placed the splints.
“‘There now, we’re all right, my brave little hero,’ he said, smiling as
he finished pinning the bandage. ‘Keep it moist with cold water to
prevent inflammation, and in three weeks this leg will be as good as the
other one. By the by, what’s your name, little man?’
“‘Harry Wallingford, sir.’
“‘Ah, ha! a very nice name, too, it is. And the pretty little girl whose
life you saved is the sweetest little angel that ever touched the
earth!’
“‘Who is she?’ Harry inquired.
“‘Viola Bramlett is her name. She is the daughter of Mr. Bolivar
Bramlett, of New York City, who is traveling in the South for the
benefit of his wife’s health. They have been stopping at this hotel some
three or four weeks, and being called in to see Mrs. Bramlett
professionally, I have had a chance to become well acquainted with the
family; therefore, you see, I speak advisedly when I say that little
Viola is an angel.’
“‘I hope,’ said Harry, ‘that she is not badly hurt.’
“‘Oh, no; she is not hurt much at all--a slight contusion on the temple,
and a few scratches from the briars--that’s all. Her father will be in
to see you directly; he is overwhelmed with gratitude to you; and little
Viola (Heaven bless her!), won’t talk about anything except the pretty
little brave boy who kept her from being killed. She insisted on coming
to see you now, but I persuaded her to wait till your wounds were
dressed. So you see that you may expect soon to be overflowed with
thanks and kisses from the sweetest little darling that the world ever
saw. Ah, you’re a lucky lad, anyway. Good morning; I’ll see you again
this evening; don’t move the wounded leg; keep it perfectly still, and
talk as much as you please to the little angel when she comes to see
you.’
“Then the old surgeon bustled out of the room, and went to visit his
other patients. It was but a little while after Harry’s wounds had been
dressed when Viola came bounding into the room, threw her arms round his
neck, kissing his lips at least a dozen times in rapid succession. Then
she said, with a voice which I thought very sweet and musical: ‘Oh, you
don’t know how much I thank you for saving my life! Papa says that I
should have been crushed to death but for your bravery. He says you are
a real hero, and he is going to divide all his money with you. My papa
has great heaps of money, and he is going to give you half of it, and I
am to have the other half. Now, won’t that be nice?’
“I watched her movements with intense interest, and concluded that the
old surgeon’s description of her charms had not been exaggerated. Harry
gazed at her with such a look of admiration that I was convinced that he
concurred in the opinion expressed by the surgeon in regard to her
exceeding great beauty. Mr. Bramlett then made his appearance, and was
very enthusiastic and profuse in his thanks to Harry for saving his
little darling, as he called Viola.
“‘She is all we have, sir, and if she had been taken from us, it would
have been a fatal blow to our happiness. Words cannot express the
gratitude we feel toward you; and, as soon as you get well, we shall
talk more about it. I am a man of business, and not a man of many words;
therefore, you shall hear from me again when you get well;’ then,
bending down, he gathered Viola to his heart, and as he kissed her
fervently, said: ‘Go now, my darling, and get some choice flowers for
the little brave hero who risked his life to save you. You must be his
nurse, you know, and must keep him well supplied with flowers and iced
lemonade, etc., etc;’ and before the sentence was finished Viola had
skipped off to collect the flowers.
“Very soon she came in with her apron full of roses, pinks and
geraniums, and deposited them in great heaps on Harry’s bed, filling the
chamber with their sweet odor.
“‘Now, Mr. Harry,’ she said, ‘there’s your nice flowers; and, while you
are enjoying their fragrance, I must go and fetch you some lemonade and
ice. Papa is making the lemonade for you, and he told me to give you the
flowers, and then to come for the lemonade.’
“She was gone but a moment, when she returned with a little tray, on
which sat three goblets full of lemonade and ice; giving the first
goblet to Harry, she then gave the other two to Lottie and me. When she
went out Harry said: ‘Eddie, isn’t she the sweetest little thing you
ever saw?”
“‘Yes, with one exception, undoubtedly,’ I replied, casting a side
glance at Lottie. She understood my meaning, and blushed crimson as she
turned her face away.
“‘Of course you think Lottie is the prettiest, and I sha’n’t quarrel
with you about that.’
“I was delighted to see Harry so cheerful under his sufferings, because
it was plain that his wound was paining him. His leg was broken about
three inches above the ankle joint; but thanks to the skillful old
surgeon, no lameness or deformity resulted from it, and in less than
four weeks he was able to walk without crutches. The railroad men from
far and near came to see Harry, and they almost worshiped him. The old
engineer came every day to inquire how he was getting on, calling Harry
his brave little hero. Mrs. Bramlett was unremitting in her attention to
Harry, overwhelming him with grateful thanks. She said that her husband
had concluded to go with us to Memphis, and never to part from us until
he saw us safely landed with Harry’s uncle. The days of Harry’s
convalescence were days of unalloyed happiness to me; for I had nothing
to do but to saunter among the flowers with Lottie, while Harry was with
Viola all the time.”
The queen requested Ingomar to suspend a while. Then the party began to
promenade the deck.