Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-01-08
Pontirped from first PFC.

way round, or stand on the engine, or
even. like poor Horning here to-day. have
10 go through a squeeze by those eXam:H-
ers, our ideas come along one after the
other, slowly aud in some sort OF order,
so that one can take a good look at 'em.
They even say we engineers are slower
than other men, because all the quekness
is gone out of us into our engines. But.
boys, in the second or so between the
blow and my lying flat on the ground l
did more thinking than ever l did before
or since from Easter to Whitsuntide.
First about home, the warm room and
everything in it, and the New Years
chimes, and the going to church In the
morning then the assistant station master
as he lay there under the cloak on the
snow; and then began reckoning as dis
tinctly as If | was giving the orders for
making up all the trains, about the train
that was passing over me. How was it,
II was on the wrong track, the one I'd
been on, coming out on the in-track
And then all at once thought. what before
in the midst OF my cogitaIion | had for
ten---the outward track had seen as early
as noon already deep buried in snow, and
that was who they were coming out on the
in-track. Then | saw plain enough the
train as 1t STOOD there couldn't be more
than ten or eleven freight cars, all our own
cars, they all went high above the rails
they would do me harm. | lay fiat enough
between the rails. But the engines-the
ash boxes of the engines l knew all three
engines that still stood fired up at the sta
ton as well as my tobacco pouch. The
'Whittekind' would 90 harmless enough
over me, even though l had been stouter
than | was; the HERMANN too, might be
mercifnl to me, at any rate il 1t was car
rying little water and fire, and The sleepers
under me didn't stand up too much; but
under the 'Silus, one OF the new, low
built elephants, was dead man. Ay
dead That wouldn't be the worst.
should be slowly crushed and torn into
shreds. Which engine was it, then, com
ing thereg
"All this. you see. boys. | had thought
between the blow and the lying fiat; but
when l was once down, all calculation
ceased, and it was just by instinct |
stretched myself out and held my breath
and made myself thin as an otter that's
trying 10 get out from trap, and counted
the axles that passed on over me. Every
ping and pang spoke distinctly out in syl
tables, a wretched death y And now
something heavy catches hold of me No.
it is nothing yeti only grazes me, and
glides clinking its length along over me
and of, striking chill TO my marrow-it
is chain hanging down. But now it
comes! the ground begins, at first gently,
then stronger and stronger, to tremble un
der me; it comes very slowly. Then !
saw at the side that the rails and the snow
and the rolling whee-shadows over me
T.. Al G.,
shining from the ash-boX. Now | felt it
grow hot on my bare head and neck. The |
sleepers yielded under me; the rails |
groaned and bent; the ground shook vio-
lently in the back, presses forward-God
have mercy on me! Then rip, crack
something on me gave way. Pang pang
rolling laundering stamping the en-
CINE had passed over me and off. From
the free heaven once more the snow-cloud
plunged down upon me.
"How got on my legs 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
eyes Of a veritable bodily death Then
felt myself to see what the engine had
turned loose; and, behold, the regula-
tons buttons were gone from my coat be-
hind.
II went TO the nearest switch.tender
and got lantern and looked for the but.
tons in the snow but when we were sit
ting round the bowl at home, and was
putting in first too much rum and then too
much rum and then too much sugar,
Louise. wondering, asked:
Husband, what's the matter with you
You tremble SO and don't speak word
Then my senses and speech came to me
again, and / showed Louise the buttons,
and told her the story. and holding up
button 'twixt finger and thumb. said:
See, within so much OF horrible
death has your husband been tonight
Look ! have the buttons, yet, and
can to carry them till death comes in
mality."
reTbe old ma1 opened his coat and drew |
out two buttons, stamped with the kings !
arms, which ne wore secured by string
about his neck
And now you know why | pited the
poor creature In the a,h-box. | have
told you the story because 1t came up in
the talk, but | don't like TO speak OF 1t,
because the agony of death was in it,
and that's something no man calls to
mind willingly. But bark Il o'clock
Good luck 10 US all for the new wear
and number of hundred thousand To-
connective miles. "-Appleton Journal.