Was It A Warning?

not an affair of many minutes . Brooks and I jumped out together , ancl Avent round in front of the engine , where Ave found nothing . The fire , Avhich I saw as plainly as ever [ saAv anything in my life , and which

J 3 rooks saw too , bad disappeared utterly ancl entirely . We Avent up the track half a mile or more , but found no vestige of anything to denote that any fire had been built upon the tract , or anywhere near . Brooks turned to me Avith a Avhite face .

" My God , sir , Avhat was it ?" "I wish I knew , " I said . " Fifteen minutes ago I Avould have taken my oath there Avas a fire , built by some stupid idiot or designing villain , on the track . Now — I can ' t understand it . "

"Nor I—nor I , " said Brooks , slowly ; " you don ' t suppose , sir—" He stopped , confusedly . " Suppose Avhat . " I said , as Ave stepped on board the " Amoskeag" again . " That it ' s a Avarning , or omen of danger ,

sir—This more firmly spoken . " Pshaw 1 " But for all my affectation of contempt , I Avas puzzled and confounded . Yet I tried to convince myself that it was merely an optical delusion and nothing more . But my success was doubtful .

The next morning I could see that Brooks Avas growing nervous and anxious . I , too , was not Avithout a little flutter of excitement at my heart , though I should hardly have cared to own it . It is , perhaps , needless to state that this ni ght ' s

experience corresponded in every particular to that of the one preceding . The same seeming fire had blazed and glittered on the track in front of us . The train Avas stopped again . Again Ave searched around and upon the track for a long Avay ahead ;

again Ave found simply nothing ! I don ' t deny that the lepetition of this mysterious occurrence impressed me with a strange feeling of commingled dread and terror . And Brooks—the man ' s set face fairly frightened me . There Avas little

conversation passed between us that night . I think we both felt too deeply for speech . The third night , Brooks Vane ancl I stepped on board the " Amoskeag" with much tlie same feelings , I think , as men who go knowingly to their own death . As

we passed out of the station at B ., within a mile or two of the fatal place , Brooks turned to me . " Mr . Deane— " he stopped . " Go on . "

" It may seem foolish to you , but I think something will happen to the train to-night . If I should be killed—" " Pshaw ! Brooks , don ' t get such ideas into you head . I—" "I know all you Avould say , Mr . Deane ,

but I'd rather you heard Avhat I've got to say . " Well , I am listening . " " I want , if you survive me , that you should promise to lend my wife a helping hand if she should need one . Her folks

are well off , and will be good to her , I think ; but they are out in Kansas , and it Avill be pretty hard lines for her at first , before she can hear from them , and she'll need friends , poor girl . " He stopped ,

brushing his hand across his eyes . " If she ever needs help , " I said , impressed , in spite of myself ; by his earnestness , and sharing besides , much of his apprehension , " my wife and I will stand by her . She shan't want for a friend while

we live . But don ' t get ' blue , ' Brooks . All this may amount to nothing , " trying to speak cheerfully , but with partial success only . He shook his head moodily , but did not speak . We neared the mysterious place .

I turned my eyes for one moment from the road iu front to attend to some slight duty . I looked back just in time to catch one g limpse of a light—not the seeming fire for Avhich Ave Avatched—but the headlight of a coming train ! The next instant a terrible shock—a deafening crash— -and I knew no

more . I recovered my senses to find myself lying 011 a bed , in a low-ceiled room of a farmhouse , standing not far from the scene of « disaster . Stunned ancl bruised I was , but had sustained no serious injury . In ansAver to my eager inquiries , I learned

that tbe train colliding Avitb mine was a heavy express , which I should have passed at M , the next station beyond . Liquor did it all . Tom Jones , the engineer , who , though known to be a " regular " drinker , Avas still considered trustworthy , had taken the train out of St . A . all right as far as anybody knew , but Avhether he had drank an extra glass , or got crazy