The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1876-10-03

hDSht-ho1s~- Bot Ail tins passed on y
vaguely through my mind. as one sl
ways thinks mechanically Of his wori
even when his bead and heart sre ful
nj ether things | say vaguely il
reality didn's feei the slightest inter.
; est In II. for thr train must tiirec,i,
pass NE on the other track But when
the ping and pang Of the " heels Oh ,i..
hard froxen track bad got quite clos
mp, and already heard the coupling.
, chain on the foremost car clinking hack
and forth. and saw the light Of il.
signai-l lar tern begin to glide by me n
the snow. | partly turned my head "a
shout Happy. .New-Year 4" to the Eel.
lows on the train.
But there WAS no train oi, the track
and =. the same instant got a ioler I
blow ~ tia. back Til. s,asks Sanc,ti
oefor. MY eyes-Slsp Il Ia, fiat 80
ny tee o'' the traak. asA, s.urg .,ane..
tn ears tegsn TO pass ov,r IN
ii,rc the old cn2int e ilaai. ~ O, her
pause. IL was still a, death in the
room. and faces breathlrss and iivetei
leaned f,r~ard round the table He
hiied the glasses again, pressed dow n
the tobacco In his pipe. and went on:
Oh see, boys. when We SIT here
this way round the table. or stand on
the engine. or even, like poor Hornig
/ here TO day, have la 90 through a
/ squeeze by those examiners, our ideas
come along one after another. slowly
and IN some sort Of order, 50 that one
can take good look at 'em. They
even say we engineers are slower than
other men. becaIse all the quickness
Is gone out OF Us into our engines but.
boys, IN the second or so between the
blow and my lying fat on the ground,
did more thinking than ever did be-
fore or since from Easter Ia Whitsun-
tide
First about home the warm room
and everything in it, and the New
Year chimes and the going to church
IN the morning; then the assistant
station master as he lay under the
cloak on the snow; and then l began
reckoning as distinctly as if was Civ
ing the orders for making up all the
trains, and about the train that was
passing over me. How was it l Was
on the wrong track. the one I'd
been on. coming out on the in
track And then oil at once |
thought. what before in the midst of
my cogitating l had forgotten-the out
ward track had seen as early as noon
already deep buried in snow, and that
was why they were coming out on the
in-track. Then saw plain enough the /
mat az M at...l- thn-a l..
more than ten or eleven freight cars, all !
our own cars, they all went high above !
the rails-they would do me no harm. /
lay fiat enough between the rails. /
But the engines-the ash.boxes Of the .
engines knew all three engines that
still stood fired up at the station as we'll |
as my tobacco-pouch. The 'Wittekind'
was; the :Her%anan.. Hla,. VI eeyshsHfi /
ciful to me, at any rate if it was carry
ing little water aud fire. and the sleep /
crs under me didn't stand up too much;
but under the Sirius one Of the new, !
low built elephants. WAS a dead man.
Ay dead. That wouldn't be the worst /
should he slowly crushed and torn |
into shreds. Which engine wasit, then.
coming there.
All this. you see. boys. ! had
though. between the blow and the ly-
ing flat: but when | was once down all
calculations ceased, and it was just by
instinct l stretched myself out aud held
my breath and made myself thin as an
otter that's trying TO get out from
trap. and counted the aXles that passed
ON over me. Every ping and pang
spoke distinctly out in syllables. a
wretch cd death. a wretch ed DEATH
And now something heavy catches hold
Of me- No, it is nothing yeti only
grazes me. and glides olinking its length
along over me and of, striking a chill
TO my marrow-it is u chain hanging
down. But now il comes, the ground
begins. at first gently, then stronger
and stronger. 10 tremble under me; II
comes very slowly. Then ! saw at the
side that the rails and the snow and the
rolling whecl-shsdows over me grew
ever redder, reider. 1t WAS the engine
fire shining from the ash box. Now l
felt il grow hot on my bare head and
neck. The sleepers yielded under me; the
rails groaned and bent; the ground
shook violently il is on me. II strikes
me violently IN the back, presses forward
God have mercy on me! Then rip.
crack something on me gave way.
Pang pang' rolling! laundering
stamping the engine had passed over
me and off From the free heaven once
more the snos cloud plunged down up
on me
How 20, on my legs l don't know
/ stood there. | shook myself, and saw
the red lights Of the engine disappear
round the curve. They looked to me
like the ewes of veritablc bodily death.
Then felt rny self - SET what the en-
CINE had torn loose aud, behold the
regulation buttons were gone from my
coat behind
Il wen, 10 the nearest switeh-tender
and got a lantern AMI looked Tor the
buttons in the snow but when We were
sitting round the bowl at home, and l
Was putting in first too much rum and
then too much sugar. Louise, wondering.
asked
- Husband. what's the matter with
you You trenhle so aud don't speak
sword
Then my senses aud speeeh came Ia
me aCalu. aud showed Louise the but
tons. and tod her the. story. and. hold
ing mn button twixt frgsr and thumb
said
See. within so much of i horrible
death has Your husband been to-nig ht !.