Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-09-21
A Life-Saying Match.

Il
"Well. sir" he begins, .thera,s No,
much in it. It's nigh fifteen wears 90
There wor none o. them block teIecTsfs
and Westin' house brakes, and PulIn,an
cars on the cut then. 1t wor inst sncb
a dirty night as this, when the wind ,ror
up and would ma be said. We had a
pitch in just at the edge of viaduct at
the Junction. The shuntin' ino;n no..
collectin' her wagons, and She got
astride on the facin' -p'ints just as fhe
down slow passenger train came a
/ kockin' into her and blockin' both
roads. Some said it wor all on account
of the signals. Others made il ont as
it wor cos the lockin'-bar wor ont of
order. Any how the Government In
spector could not clear it up, althonob
there were any amount of Engineers and
/ officials down wi plans and sections.
We wor all confusion Luckily none
! was much the worse Some was shook
a bit, and an ovid woman died of the
/ fright. live close to the line. and.
hearing the crash, ruined up TO see
what was amiss. wor just a goin' 10
help to clear up one of the roads when
something quite sudden like occurred
to my moind.
al asked Job Croft: Is the "Scotch-
man" gone up yet?' -
No. said somebody in the dark.
al think il was the station-master !
had a red lamp in my hands, and off
started to stop her. Have you ever seen
her 90 across the viaduct, sir? She
comes down the bank at sixty miles an
/ hour every night of her life. The in
! cline falls one in seventy, so YOU NAV
| guess she's not wastin' time. She lust
! slips down with her fifteen coaches like
well-oiled lightin'. Well, as wor a
! sayin', runs over the viaduct like q
mailman, makes my way through the
tunnel, and when / got into the cuttin'
! the wind brought NE the roar of the
ScOtchman' goin' like a red-hot rocket
through Drabble Dale Station, mile OF
more of. The wind it came through
the cuttin' till had fairly to how'd my
sen on the rails to keep mysen from be
ing a blown away.
twor then my lamp went out. /
wor blown clean out, and in no time thu
'Scotchman' would be "a whippin' dowI
the hill like havalanche of flame.
searched my pockets for match. In my
coat-pockets never a one, although
! generally carries box, and have done
ever since that fearful night. At las
in my waistcoat-pocket / found on,
match-one match, and the wind :
BLOWN through the cuttin' as though
funnel. Imr not saint, sir. but
knowed that the lives in that thunder
in express depended upon that on
match. If she went into the fouleC
line she'd drop over the viaduct int
the river The perspiration covered m,
with cold sweat. / could hear my hear
a thumpin.' For moment / felt a
dizzy like; then pulled mysen togeth
er and throwed my whole life into on,
short prayer.
at wor all done in n moment.
felt then in the cuttin' for crevice
and, thank God! there wor small
openin' where the fogmen shelter wher
they are signalin' the trains on thicl
nights. 1 crept in this ere place.
opens my lamp and put the match in
side the frame. Itrembled lest it shoulC
fail. But somehow wor strangely COO
and steady about the hands | strucl
and huddled around the match. TIL,
wick caught the fire, and l wor just il
time to jump from the hole into the six
foot and wave the red signal to tn
driver of the 'Scotchman' as she rusEet
past faster than the wind. She wo
agoin!! But the driver wor on the look
out, and had seen the red light. All
could see wor the tall lamps on the rea
guards van; but could ear the DANCE
whistle for all the brakes TO be clappet
on. and / card 'cm grindin' on Thu
metals, and there wer a gratin' tina
told me he wor a reversin' the ingine.
stopped"
''Yes, sir, just as she got on the edg
of the viaduct. He had her buffer
plank not three yards from where tn
line wor a fouled.
1.-The sweat poured down my face a
1 made for the junction again, but
knowed I'd saved the train, and
prayed again-not in words, but with
sort of choking gratitude that came III
in big burning Jumps in my throat
Some of my mates gave me this 'er
watch and chain, and was shifted III
by the superintendent to a CANCER
job, but dunna take so much credit t,
mysen, for Providence lit the mattel
that night in the storm. CaSSeWs Nag
dzine.