"When you talk like that you
make me feel as if I had to do everything you say."
"Well, you must," said Woburn lightly. "Man was made to be obeyed."
"Oh, you're not like other men," she returned; "I never heard a voice like
yours; it's so strong and kind. You must be a very good man; you remind me
of Joe; I'm sure you've got just such a nature; and Joe is the best man
I've ever seen."
Woburn made no reply, and she rambled on, with little pauses and fresh
bursts of confidence.
"Joe's a real hero, you know; he did the most splendid thing you ever
heard of. I think I began to tell you about it, but I didn't finish. I'll
tell you now. It happened just after we were married; I was mad with him
at the time, I'm afraid, but now I see how splendid he was. He'd been
telegraph operator at Hinksville for four years and was hoping that he'd
get promoted to a bigger place; but he was afraid to ask for a raise.
Well, I was very sick with a bad attack of pneumonia and one night the
doctor said he wasn't sure whether he could pull me through. When they
sent word to Joe at the telegraph office he couldn't stand being away from
me another minute. There was a poor consumptive boy always hanging round
the station; Joe had taught him how to operate, just to help him along; so
he left him in the office and tore home for half an hour, knowing he could
get back before the eastern express came along.
"He hadn't been gone five minutes when a freight-train ran off the rails
about a mile up the track.
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