Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

5 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

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A gnost! gasped the woman. Go on." "Yes, two ghosts," he said. One was a female figure; the other a man, or the appearance of a man; and they passed the line yonder by the tunnel. What's the matter ? Lucy had turned as white as a sheet, and sank down upon the bench in temfied silence. After a minute or two she again looked up. Her face was ashy pale her eyes were staring into vacancy. The child she held in her arms uttered a plaintive cry, and she roused herself to quiet it. Well ? she said, hoarsely. Ye frightened me, that ye did," said the signalman. I never thought ye believed in ghosts any more than me. Howsomdever, poor old Jack he sees them, and he makes nc 0SS the line to find out whether they were the appearances he had seen before, ye remember ? "Yes, yes, I see it all now. Ob, father, father, I've killed you! It's a judgment on me." fi "You're off your head a bit to-night, I believe," remarked the signalman, not very sympathetically. "What had you to do with it. He never knew ye runned away. Bill told me. He saw ye. Ah, he did." "And told father? It killed him. Oh, father —poor father "Killed him! No. The train killed him. He was huntin' for these 'appearances' and the 'fast goods' -that very one as is a comin' up presently- Joe Brown was drivin' it-come out of the tunnel and knocked poor Jack over. He didn't suffer, poor chap. It was all done in a wink like. It wasn't your fault, Lucy." The honest guileless man even then attempted to console the woman who had so ruthlessly wrecked his life, and who had caused her father's death. Don't touch me," she almost screamed. I tell you I killed him. There was no ghost. Frank and I crossed tha line many a time, and we did it that night too." (J t! -• »a This fact took time to penetrate to'George's brain. I Stubborn things, like facts did, as a rule, take time to reach his mind if they were unconnected with the railway and its signals. But in a moment or two he perceived that the "appearances" were due to Lucy and her lover. George Collier turned away, and looked out at the door of the signal-box. He was not in a mood for love now. CH AP • • It was a lovely night, nearing the witching hour. The stars glittered overhead, and winked through the gathering moisture. The moon was setting already, and only a faint gleam was in the sky. All was blue—a beautiful sapphire blue-and not a breath of air was stirring. There w. s a noise of some kind borne to the signalman upon the air. It came from the direct&n of the "shops" some distance away, and had not Collier vv^S.t'un that nobody was likely to bring out a locomotive at thatjSoifo, that an engine was slowly coming up the jine. He listened for a second or two longer, and the 1 noise increased in ever-rising loudness. He hurried down the steps to the metals, and lay down upon the permanent way, with his ear upon the rail. "Good God!" he muttered, "there's something coming up, and I've had no warning. It's not a special; it isn't fast enough. It ain't a I goods;' iL's not heavy enough. It's an empty engine, I'll be bound! An empty engine! There was nothing very alarming in an engine without a train; such engines are known on the railway as empty," but the time and the mysterious manner of its slow approach, quite unannounced, puzzled the man. It's curious, by "Jingo! he said, as ho rose and ascended the steps. Then taking his lamp he left his signal at danger, and leaned out as far as he could to get a look a4* the intruder, and hail the driver. There way no mistake about it- An engine was coming along the line, tender first, at a slow speed, but increasing its pace as it pro ceded, as the signalman's practized ear doteeted a< so n as the locomotive camo round the curve. is the matter inquired Lucy, Anything wrong, George r" He made no answer, and she relapsed into Silence and distressful thoughts. Collier was hanging out his lamp. The engine came on, unheeding the red danger signal in the lantbcrn Mid on tie semaphore. It approached with a gliHng,chos'ly motion; the great wheels rovol dug-almost noiselessly it seemed. No steam issued from the valves; no whistle sounded through the troos and awoke the echoes from the hill behind th- m. A thin stream or smoke and steam r;+■ r>-T\ the funn l, and the Phantom f" -» — Lng ne gi'Scd on, I in ver tacv the like of this," said the terrified signalman. "It doesn't look natural. Who's below r' he shouted, as the engine approached, the beat of the huge connecting rods being imperfectly audible No t-nswer was retiirnel. The huge machine glided on majestically, and n ver slackt m d speed, nor was any whVle sounded, The signals were dead against; the driver. "Hallo!" shouted Colli-r, leaning oat of the w -till up, man. StoP!" There was no reply. W,th unabated, even with increasing Spe. d, the engine passed on dark and weird in the starlight, and disappeared in the shadow of the tunnel. There was a lad lying on the footplate. The engine was a runaway from the shed. So much George Collier saw-no more. CHAPTER XfV. A TERRIBLE RIDE. HE had scarcely time'to warn the next box, when, he he;), d the fast goods" approa hing. A sudden. thought occurred to him. He was sure that the goods had( two engines attached, and the pilot, as he knew, went no farther than N If he could get it detached, the runaway might be caught btfore any mischief was done. He blocked the line at once and callcd Lucy. Can ye stand by the instruments for a bit 2" ho asked. "Ye used to know them." I remember them well," she answered, seeing that something was wrong and she might help. "Ye I can signal well enough." I nen wait there till I come back," he said. Mind the child put him on the floor." "It's a girl, George," she said, as she laid the infant in the coiner, well wrapped in a shawl. .1 It She's fast asleep now." Scarcely had she turned when the fast goods drew out of the tunnel, and pulled up in ^response to George's signal, Here we are, stopped again," shouted the man Who wsia driving the foremost engine, ox "pilot.

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