Woodville Republican., 1889-11-30

the cars could not move without motive
power, where was the engine2
There was about foot OF space be-
tween my body and the tricks of the
cars, and cautiously raised my head
tri6e and glanced down along my body
in the direction from which the cars
were coming
Horror of horrorsl The engine was
on that end Of the string Of cars, push
ing. them, and only two cars intervened
between it and my trembling self
was paralyzed with horror for mo-
ment. The ash-pan on all locomotive
engines is beneath the body Of the
monster, and is invariably only about
six inches from the rails. 1t would be
impossible for it to pass over the body
of a child, much less that of a good
sized boy, without mangling, scraping
and tearing it to pieces
realized this with chill of terror,
but what to do l could not think. 1t
really seemed as if there was nothing
could do-that had no choice in the
matter, but would be forced to lie there
and be mangled-scraped-torn to pieces
beneath that awful ash-pan, and | invol-
UNFAIRLY closed my eyes and shuddered.
The cars were moving at a rapid rate
of speed now, and as my eyes came open
again, the rear end of the first of the
two remaining cars was just passing
over me.
The forward end of the last car passed
rapidly, and the other end approached.
1t would be followed by the tender,
then the engine, under which was the
ash-pan, which would mangle my poor
body in another moment.
The horrible thought nerved me to
desperation, and, as the end of the car
reached me, l threw up my hands and
clutched the dly-moving trucks with
grip made trebly strong by terror.
was jerl1ed with such suddenness
and force that my arms were nearly
pulled out of their sockets, but l held
on with an energy born of despair, and
was dragged along with the car, my feet
humping against the ties at rate
which threatened to relieve my shoes of
their heel-taps if not my feet of the
shoes themselves.
But retained my hold. To lose my
grasp and fall upon the track would be
certain death-death in a particularly
horrible form, and / shuddered and
gripped the trucks with renewed en-
ergy.
AS onward was dragged, made at
tempts to draw myself up upon the
trucks, but it was beyond my power and
l could only grip them tighter and wait.
Would the cars never stop?
Onward and still onward I was
dragged, across two cattle-guards, whore
the wagon-road crossed the railroad, and
for fifty yards farther, when just as
was on the point of having to lot go my
hold-it really seemed as if could not
retain M grasp moment longer-I no
ticed that the speed of the cars was di'
minishing.
Little by little they slackened up,
slower and slower they moved, but not
until they had come to dead stand-still
did dare let go my hold and crawl out
from under the car.
This l did and then sank upon the
ground beside the railroad track, utter
ly unnerved- almost fainting. And my
arms and legs, how sore they were II
was two weeks at least, before they re
turn to any thing like their normal con
dition of usefulness.
The train took tho cars-which were
loaded with shelled corn-away with it,
and as / stood in the middle of the track
and saw the old red caboose disappear
around the curve in the deep cut quar-
ter of a mile to the east of the little sta
ton of Wyckles, l thought, with shud
der, of the narrow escape which hat
had from a horrible death, and I regis
tered a vow to never, never again toucf
tobacco in any form.
And have kept my VOWS. A. d
Cox, in Yankee Blade.