The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-06-18
RUNNING AROUND A DEPOT.
How 4 TRAIN GOT PAST a sLHHPY
TELEGRAPH OPERATOR.
The Order Which He Failed to Full.
fiI-An Accident Averted-W
the Chief DiSpatcher Said.

The Order Which He Failed to Full.
nl-An Accident Averted- h
the Chief Dispatcher Said.
Percy, Wyoming Territory, can hard
" be called a city. 1t cannot boast OF
an opera-house, sewers, aldermen, daily
papers, the electric light, or n dog
hound. Outside of the section house
and q small affair called q station there
are no bui. dings to speak of, if one cares
to speak the truth. Not so very long
q a man named Allcn-Winfeld Scott
Allcn-was stationed there as night OPP
orator, and one Sunday evening, after
said Allen had been up late, instead OF
wooing the drowsy god whose name
looks very much like morphine" in
print, he received n message from the
dispatchcr's Office in Laramie, telling
him to hold "No I" for orders. He read
a novel. The arduous labors of the day,
however. had told upon the frail con-
stitution of Winfield and just as he
reached that point in the volume in
which Gwcndoline had consented to bid
defiance to her stern and unyiclding
parents, and clope with her W and
ownest Gerald McCloskey, the tired
operator dropped of to sleep, showing a
lack of sympathy for the heroine that
could only be excused on the ground of
extreme fatigue. Meanwhile his red
lamp within had gone out. 1t was but a
weak and sickly light at best, and the
poor thing p obably felt so bad at being
hung out in the cold alone by itself that
it concluded that life was not worth tho
living-at any rate it crooked and as
trains do not stop at Percy unless sig
nailed, the reader can get ready for a ter
rible collision, with the accompanying
crash of engines, noise of escaping steam.
the shrieks of the wounded, etc. x
No. 7 came laundering along-a long
train of loaded freight cars with a half
dozen emigrant coaches in the rear, filled
with men, women and children en- route
for the Golden Gate. Engineer Mathi-
son. as he nearcd the station, glanced in
quiringly at the signal-post for the red
light which he half expected to see
there, but all was dark. The long train
swept by and disappeared in the black
night. Allen still slept; the thunder of
the passing cars had not broken, in the
slightest degree, mis- slumbers, or the
regularity of his snorcs. * *
For the last hour the chair on which
Allen sits has been throwing out distress
signals. The sleeper has tilted it back
until his whole weight rests on the rear
limbs, which, after sundry squeaks and
groans, gave way. Allen gives way at
the same time. The floor, on which he
alights, doesn't. AS the overworkcd
brass FOUNDER and four-ace manipulation
gathers himself up from the floor and
gazcs ruefully at the ruins of the only
char there is in the building, he becomes
conscious of the fact that the instrument
on the table is sounding his ''call" with
startling rapidity. He grasps the keys
and REPLIES 81"
"Whc-c is number sever"
"IIasn't arrived yet" replied Allen.
care you sure 2"
Eyes; don't think it could getty with,
out my hearing it, do you ?"
Have you been ASLEEP"
NO"
"Got a rcd light out r
eyes"
"How does it happen, then, that tho
operator at Fort Steele reports the arrival
of number seven at that place p
Allen was paralyzcd-partially Ht
rushed to the door aud found no red
light-only a lantern.
He took in the whole situation in !
second, and, selling the key once moro
replied: .
BLAMED if I know. No. 7 hasn't
passed here tonight. If she's at Steele
she must have gone around by the over
land stage road, it runs within a few
rules of here, you know"
There had been no accident. No. 1(
had orders to meet No. Z at st. Mary's,
but had been delayed Mt Fort Steele b!
a hot box until after the arrival of thai
train.
Allen packed his grip, and every time
a train from the east hove in sight got
ready to turn over the office to his sue
cessor, who, however did not put in an
appearance. One day Chief Dispatcher
Baxter came along. He took Allen to
one side very confidentially, and he made
up his mind that the official Ak was about
to fall. Baxter said:
Don't 60 asleep again while on duty,
and for goodness sake don't let any more
trains 60 around over the old stage road.
The alkali mud cats the paint off the 10.
cnmotivc wheels, and the amount of coal
required to pull up some o. these hills is
simply awful. The next time an en-
ginccr tries to give you the slip by taking
that road, just take l horse and follow
him up. You can catch him, because
the r7adbed is so Uneven that he can't
make very good time. When you catch
him, kill him, and I'll send a casket and
the coroner up on the first train. The
company will pay all The bills. EhH'
Allen said he would. Laramie Boom