Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-05-25
es and running much as you saw it
last NIGHT. The wind was q blowin'

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in gusts that would strike the 10
comotivc like big wave striking
the ship, and almost throw her over
1t was so dark, too, that 1 couldn't
hev seen Crazy on the other side O.
the cab but for the lantern, and wen
he opened the furnace door. But
had to get along all l could. 1t
wouldn't do to slow up, as was run
min for meetin point.
Just before you get to the curve a,
Devils Run, there's a short stretch
of straight track. Soon as 1 struck
that l began to look for the light in
Charleys window, which was the
other side Of the run. Strainin my
eyes through the dark just at the
point of the curve, l saw light
swinging backwards and forwards
slowly across the track. You know
L was a-tellen' you as everything
went crooked that night Soon as
saw that light | knew what it was
all in mint. 1t came on me with
a rush, like. My hair stood OH end.
l blew brakes. l screams to the fire.
man, "Crazy! Devils Run culvert's s
gone, by the livin' God!' He jump
cd n sot the tender brake, and slid
the wheels in flash. The brake men
behind didn't answer. They were
dozin in the cars, 1 reckon. 1 blew
brakes agin with blast to wake the
dead, and threw her over. The
drivers groaned and groaned under
me, but the rails was sleety and
slippery, and | was forging ahead to
gulf five hundred feet square down
and a hundred and fifty human lives
behind me. was tellin' ye as No.
20 that night was dead square agin
goin' ahead; but when / threw her
back seems like she knew her biz,
and how much laid on her doin' of it
well. Women, again, is ingines.-
Grabbed, crooked, cantankerous GUS
ses wen they don't want to, but where
it's works Of goodness or mercy call
on EN- and they're right there. No.
20 took hold on the reverse with a
grit I never see in no engine afore.
She put all there was in her into
every turn, and the whole affair took
less time than I'm a-tellin' Of it till
the danger was by.
Wen we stopped within twenty
feet of the light, which was swing
in still backwards and forwards,
slowly across the track, l sez to Cra-
zy, "Who's got that lantern?"
Knew it couldn't be the trackman,
for we'd just met him three miles be-
low, and 'cept him there was nobody
near'n ten miles at that time ofnight.
SO l gifts down from the machine
and runs up the road. AS l comes
up I sees little figure in white. 1t
was still a swingin' of the light,
backwards and forwards, slowly
cross the track. He was in his night
gown, just as he got out Of bed,
hadn't no hat, and was barefoot.
The sleet had froze in his hair and
his nightgown was stiff with ice. l
comes up to 'lm-well l was took
that way l couldn't speak. An he
KEEP swlngm' the light, backwards
and forwards, slowly across the track,
and he sez to me, he says, "You and
mes pards, isn't we?" l looks at
i'm a mint His eyes was open and
looked queer. He was dead-fast
asleep. Crazy ketches me or I'd
gone over, which it were my knees
seemed weak like. Then l sets on
the rail and Crazy picks up the child
m huggin of i'm up busted right out
cryin', he did.
The conductor and some of the
men got out of the cars, and come
where we was. 1t was ssleetin' still,
m growin' bitter cold. The boys
carried the baby into the baggage
car, where there was a stove, and
took off his night clothes and wrap
ped i'm up in blankets and great
coats. There was a doctor on the
train, and he ses if we kin git i'm
back to bed without wakin' of I'm
up, p'raps it wouldn't hurt i'm; but
if he was to wake, what with the
wet m the cold, m the fright, like
as not it might kill i'm. So the boys
takes i'm up to carry i'm to the
house, and l follered along, but l
couldn't hev carried kitten. The
doctor he tells 'em to be keerful and
not wake i'm, for 1t was as much as
his life was worth. SO Crazy takes
i'm, and two of 'em holds a blanket
over i'm to keep the sleet off, m one
goes ahead with a lantern, and two
or three more about with lanterns,
SOS to light the way. Wen we got
to the break it was just as l expected.
Track, road, culvert, everything gone,
clean as if cut out with knife. The
water was pitchin' down the run six
feet deep, carryin' big rocks and
boulders that bounced and bumped
from side to side and up into the air,
clear out Of the water 1t was awful
to look at. How the child got over
the gap, which was at least twenty
feet wide, don't know. A tree he'd
come down and lodged crossways,
and I suppose he must hev gone over
on that. Wen we come to it we was
most afraid to try it, for if you slip
ped off the log it was all day with
you. l didn't like to trust the boys,
and l ses to Jake, "Crazy, you won't
drop the baby, will you?" He points
down into the break and ses, 'Lath-
am, we'd all been down there, every
mothers son of us, but for your little
pard, Id drop my soul first
Well, we got i'm home safe at last,
Mary was asleep when we got to the
house, and scared as bad rs me when
she heard what was up. We put i'm
back in his bed and sure enough he
never walked up. Next mornin' they
threw trestle over the break and
trains was runnin' agin. But the
doctor stayed with us. Jest out of
his own head, you know, but he
seemed anxious. Seemed as though
he took to the child. Don't wonder
at that, neither. Most everybody did.
I watched by i'm all that night,
and towards day got out all his old
Christmas things and set EN- on to a
table near the bed, where he could
see EN- the first thing. But a fever
came on i'm, m wen he woke up he