THE HORSE-SHOE CURVE.
THERE are, in Pennsylvania, among the short, broken ranges of the Alleghanies, many scenes, which might rival those of Switzerland in beauty and grandeur.
Fred, as he stood, one bright morning, at the window of one of the Pittsburgh and Ft. Wayne cars, was strangely impressed with the mountain scenery, though he was an Eastern lad, and no stranger to hills and hilly country.
For hours he had been looking out into the clear, frosty sunshine, and away up to the snow-covered summits of the surrounding mountains. He fancied he saw rainbows on the crisp edges of the snowdrifts; for the sunlight was dazzling in its brightness, and the snow-crystals were slowly melting. He noted the fringes of icicles hanging to some of the jutting rocks; he watched the stir of busy life in the valleys far below him; he saw the little farm-houses, with queer Dutch ovens outside, fields and gardens, blue smoke curling up among the trees, but all so far down that it seemed like a picture to him.
At last the boy wearied of these, and exclaimed as he discontentedly rubbed the coal-dust from the window,—
"Father, I wish there was something new to see. I'm tired of the mountains."
"Coming to the Horse-shoe, soon," said the conductor, who had been standing in the opposite corner, balancing himself and whistling meditatively for some moments.
"Coming to what?" inquired Fred's father, while the boy sat down to listen.
"The Horse-shoe, we call it. A curve in the mountains, up here-a few miles. It may interest you to see what can be done in the way of building railroads."
"Thank you," said Fred's father, while Fred himself turned to the window with renewed interest.
Presently the brakemen began swinging themselves off the platforms, as if watching for something, which caused the young traveler to ask,—
"Are we almost there?"
"Almost," replied the obliging conductor. "You will see the place in a moment. The track is laid on the side-hill. A deep gorge is on the right, and a solid wall of rock on the left. It took some hard digging and blasting to get a ledge wide enough for the double track you can see yonder." Fred looked, and saw, a little distance ahead, a line of hills, one of which turned back upon itself in a curve so sharp and sudden as to look in shape like a 'horse-shoe’, while the iron track seemed to wind along its concave wall like a thread.
Fred shuddered a little as he noticed how very deep the valley was, and how steep its stony sides; and it is not strange that a little thrill of awe and terror crept through his mind as he thought of the dangerous result of a broken tie, a misplaced rail, or an unsafe axle.
He noticed, too, that the rails were but a foot from the edge of the precipice, and gave a little sigh of relief on seeing that a sturdy switch-tender had turned the heavy train to the inner track as they neared the dangerous place.
"How can we go round there without running off?" exclaimed Fred excitedly.
"By taking care to go slowly," answered the conductor. "The man at the engine must watch his work every moment. If he should forget his duty even once, the train would probably be thrown down the rocks by its own weight and speed."
Being now at the place, Fred was intent upon the scenes without,
"Hurrah!" he shouted, "another train on the other side of the curve."
"No; it is our own locomotive. It has turned, and is going the other way; and this long train will soon follow," said Fred's father.
"Railroad men do wonderful things," said Fred. "That was a grand sight, but I was glad we were on the inside track, away from the edge, and close to the rocks."
Mr. H. felt that the boy was impressed with what he had seen, and said cheerily,—
"Yes, Fred; that was a strange place, and it was a very narrow path way to pass so safely. DO you think we can find a lesson in what we have seen?"
"Hardly," was the doubtful reply.
"The narrow road behind us has made me think of another 'narrow way' which you have heard of, and are trying to follow, I hope. For a few years I can take your hand and help you. After that time, you must be your own engineer, and guide your own train. What will be necessary then?"
"To go slowly, as we did a few minutes ago, and to think as I go along," was the wise reply.
"What more?"
"Not forget, and grow careless."
"Something more."
"To keep from the edge of the path, I suppose.'
"Ah! Yes. There is always a valley of temptation at the edge of the straight and narrow way.
It is never safe to venture to the edge. Better take the inside track. And now, how can we surely do this?" Fred was puzzled now, though generally ready to answer his father's odd questions. At last, after remembering what he had just seen, he exclaimed earnestly,—
"Why, if there was a rock along the narrow way, I should think you meant to keep close to it," and the boy waited for his father to explain.
"There is a Rock, Freddy, one that is so strong, and safe, and sure, that you can always be safe when near it. I mean the Rock Christ Jesus.'
If I knew my boy, would always do this, I would not dread to think of his growing to -be a man." Fred looked up into the fond fatherly eyes, and _ said, softly,—
"I'll try."
And he looked down into the valley and up at the walls on the other side more thoughtfully than before. The lesson was short, but as the conductor, who had listened unobserved, went on with his work, he said to himself, "Go slowly, take the inside track, and keep close to the Rock." And so two lessons were gathered and learned from a glimpse of the Horse-shoe Curve.
Selected.