Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-01-22

direction at the same time by three diff
ferent engines; everywhere they
emerged like great shadows from banks
of mist and snow, and then disappeared
again, and the deep snow deadened it
| all; you could not hear them pass nor
come nor go. The poor switchmen and
yardmen sprung back and forth be-
tween the moving cars, wet to the skin,
/ knee-deep in the snow. You know
pretty well how drilling yard looks
in winter night! 1t is special Prov
| idence that men are not all crushed to
atoms, and all my life have wondered
| that have not heard every other morn
ing of some ones being killed. And
when anything happens, high and
mighty gentlemen get around green
! table in warm room, and take the
| Book of Rules out of their pockets
Well, so it goes, and it will; but if they
would just once in their lives go outside
and look on. they might learn some
thing.
$50 it was a bad night then, and
perhaps some of the boys were anxious
| to get to their New Years punch, for
| the drilling was done IN a terrible hur-
ry. The cars fairly flew back and forth,
and the lights passed by like lightning.
and everywhere was the creaking and
rafting of the buffers as they came to-
| gether, and the men crept under and
between the cars as if the wheels were
| ginger cakes and the buffers feather
| pillows. Prominent among them was
| little, ugly Drill-master' helper-I
never could bear the fellow. for he once
cut me out when was courting-but
had to wonder at his activity when I
saw his signal lanterns everywhere,
| swinging round, across, up, down, for
| ward and back, and heard his sharp
voice calling through the storm.
81 had just called to this man when
saw him dodge between two cars
again. / told him he ought not to be
so outrageously reckless in such wealth
er, when he could hear nothing and see
nothing, and moreover might slip down
any time. But he laughed in my face
and shouted back: You mind your own
business, Zimmerman, and not me. We
must get through before midnight-go
ahead and away he went. go to the
devil shouted after him, and these
words shall not forget as long as /
live, and shall repent them on my dying
bed"
Here the old engineer paused, wiped
his forehead, took draught from his
punch glass, and then continued:
Il heard him again call out Ease
ahead to my comrade, heard the safety
chains rafting, and then a sound-ike
what? Did you ever hear butcher
cut through big bone with an axe?
again the clatter and rattle of the
b,,f4
ran through my bones. Then got the
signal to run forward, and there was
no delay. / was soon fer from that
place at the other end of the yard,
where no one could know what had
happened.
..But now did my work as if I were
dreaming, and when, half an hour later,
we were through, and ran back into
the engine-house, the foreman said to
me: ''Do you know, Zimmerman,
that the drillmaster's helper Porges
has been killed-crushed between the
buffers?' l did not ask many ques-
tions-my heart sunk in me, and how
took care of the engine and got started
for home don't know. As / passed
standing with lanterns and something
N.
l had no questions to ask about it; /
trembled like leaf, and can tell you,
boys, don't know what would not
have given if I had not called to him
half an hour before to go to the devil.
1t was hard task to drive that out of
my head, though it was not so ill
meant-a way of talking that we rough
fellows got into the habit of.
with you young fellows it is still
worse, and it would cure you if you had
felt the remorse that l felt then. Well,
finally I succeeded in getsing my mind
on the bright, warm room at home,
with the felt slippers and Louise and
the baby and the cat and the tea-kettle
singing on the stove, and the bottle of
arrack and the sugar bowl and the
lemons on the table, and gradually
could see it all plainly.
''You may imagine that did not pay
much attention to wind or weather or
road with all this thinking, and only
noticed that the wind was still whirling
and blowing, as walked into the cut
ting near the old oil mill, through
which l could have seen the window in
ten PAGES off that night. I was walk
l
was clear of snow, and because could
see my house from it first.
81 went along quite confidently, for
was coming from the station, and you
know was walking on the track for
the trains coming in, so no train could
run on me from behind, and in front
none was to be expected; moreover, I
would have heard it coming.
T oh
the cutting, which, as you know, is on
a curve, and in which / couldn't see
cars length that night, heard whist
ling behind me. and Immediately after
ward the click, clack of the wheels of
slowly approaching train, as they
struck the rail joints. l knew by the
sound that the engine was pushing the
train ahead of it, for the sound of the
exhaust was much further back than
the sound of the wheels. Thinks /.
that must be the reserve train of about |
ten cars which was standing on the |
track in front of the station, and which |
they are now pushing over to the |
freight depot. All this passed through |
my mind dimly, just as man always |
thinks mechanically of his work. even
when his head and heart are full |
of other things. said to
myself, it is nothing to me anyway,
for the train must pass by me on
the left-hand track. But as the ping, |
pang of the wheels ON the hard frozen |
track had come close to me and / |
could hear the rafting of the safety |
chain on the front baggage-car, and |
saw how the light of the signal lamp |
slipped toward me ON the snow, / |