Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-04-16

the door. and stood on the step, while he
stood in the doorway. There was the
Danger.light. There was the dismal
month of the tunnel. There were the high
wet walls of the cutting. There were the
stars above them"'
"Do YOU see it?' asked him, taking
particular note of his face. His eyes
were prominent and strained; but not
very much more so, perhaps, than my
own had been when directed them ear
nestly towards the same point.
"No," he answered at is not there"
Agreed" said l.
We went in again, shut the door, and
resumed our seats. l was thinking how
best to improve this advantage, if it might
be called one, when we took up the con-
versation in such matter-of-course way,
so assuming that there could be no serious
question of fact between us, that l felt
myself placed in the weakest of positions.
"By this time you will fully understand,
SIR he said, '.that what troubles me so
dreadfully is the question What does
the spectre mean?"
/ was not sure, l told him that did
fully understand.
"What is its warning against ?" he said.
Illuminating, with his eyes on the fire, and
only by times turning them on me.
"What is the danger? Where is the
dangerp There is danger overhanging,
somewhere on the Line. Some dreadful
calamity will happen. 1t is not to be
doubted this third time. after what has
gone before. But surely this is a cruel
haunting of me. What can l do?''
He pulled out his handkerchief, and
wiped the drops from his heated fore
head.
eff telegraph Danger on either side OF
me. or on both, can give no reason for
it," he went on, wiping the palms of his
hands. 81 should get into trouble, and do
no good. They would think was mad.
This is the way it would work Message:
Danger! Take care = Answer: What
Danger? Where P Message: .Don't know.
But for Gods sake take care = They would
displace me. What else could they do ?"
His pain of mind was most pitiable to
see. 1t was the mental torture of con-
scientious man, oppressed beyond endur-
ance by an unintelligible responsibility in
volving life.
when it first stood under the Danger
light" he went on, putting his dark hair
back from his head, and drawing his
hands outward across and across his tenn
Piles in an extremity of feverish distress,
s'why not tell me where that accident was
to happen it must happen Why not
tell me how it could be averted,-if it
could have been averted? When on its
second coming it hid its face, why not tell
me instead: She is going to die. Let
them keep her at home? II it came on
those two occasions. only to show me that
its warnings were true. and so to prepare
me for the third, why not warn me PLAIN
ly now? And /. Lord help me a mere
poor signal-man on this solitary station I!
Why not 60 to somebody with credit to
be believed, and power to act?"
When / saw him in this state, l saw
that for the poor mans sake, as well as
for the public safety. what l had to do for
the time was to compose his mind. There
fore, setting aside all question Of reality
or unreality between us / represented to
him that whoever thoroughly discharged
his duty must do well, and that at least it
was his comfort that he understood his du-
ty, though he did not understand these
confounding Appearances In this effort
succeeded far better than in the attempt
to reason him out of his convictions. He
became calm the occupations incidental
to his post, as the night advanced, began
TO make larger demands on his attention !;
and left him at two in the morning. l
had offered to stay through the night, but
he would not hear of it.
That more than once looked back at
the red light as l assembled the pathway,
that did not like the red light, and that
should have slept but poorly if my bed
had been under it, see no reason to con.
4 ceal. Nor did like the two sequences Of
the accident and the dead girl. see nc
reason to conceal that. either,
But what run most in my thoughts was
the consideration, how ought to act, hav-
ing become the recipient ofthis disclosure.
i had proved the man to be intelligent,
vigilant, painstaking, and exact; but how
long might he remain so, in his state OF
mind? Though in subordinate position,
still he held most important trust, and
would l Qor instance) like to stake my
own life on the chances of his continuing
to execute 1t with precisionp
Unable to overcome feeling that there
would be something treacherous in my
communicating what he had told me to
his superiors in the Company. without
first being plain with himself and propos-
ing middle course to him, ultimately
resolved to offer to accompany him (other-
wise keeping his secret for the presently to
the wisest medical practitioner we could
hear of in these parts, and to take his opin-
ion. A change in his time of duty would
come round next night. he had apprised
me, and he would be off an hour or two
after sunrise, and on again soon after sun
set. had appointed to return according
~.
Next evening was lovely evening, and
walked out early to enjoy it. The sun
was not yet quite down when traversed
the field-path near the top of the deep cut
ting. would extend my walk for an hour
| said to myself, half an hour on and half
AN hour back, and it would then be time
TO 60 to my signal mans box.
Before pursuing my stroll, l stepped TO
the brink, and mechanically looked down,
from the point from which had first seen
him. ] cannot describe the thrill that
seized upon me, when. close to the mouth
of the tunnel, saw the appearance of a
man, with his left sleeve across his eyes,
passionately waving his hand.
The nameless horror that oppressed me
OasSp0 in a moment for in n mOment I