Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1892-10-15
Wondering what it all meaut yet

Wondering what it all meant, We,
realizing that something must hay,
occurred in which he was an import
ant actor. l closely fixed my eyes upor
him. No sound save the spasmodit
ticking Of the machine and the heavy
breathing of its operator was audible
He sat bolt upright in his chair. hi:
left hand on the arm, his right busy
with the key. His eyes were rivited
on the table before him. For a min.
ute he was busy with his message,
and then silence. And what a silence!
Not a muscle moved, not q sound
could be heard Even the agents
breathing had stopped. He watched
his machine with the gaze of a lynx.
1 stood behind him, my heart throb.
bling with anxiety and fear. At last,
after a silence which seemed ages, the
machine began to click. I watched
him while the message came forth
from the wires 1t was. evidently, a
satisfactory reply, for he did not ap-
pear more agitated. The machine
soon stopped. He rose from his chair
and came towards me- 1t needed no
words to tell me that he had suffered
during those five minutes Great
drops of sweat rolled down his cheeks.
His hands shook through anxiety.
Placing them both on my shoulders
he addressed me thus, in a hurried
and imprisoned voice:
81 don't wonder that you're sur
prised, knows that I was
awfully frightened,-but listen: /
got orders this afternoon to stop the
freight train which just went by here,
on our turnout. l was to detain it
until the Boston express should
arrive, and then allow it to 60 on.
But somehow or other, / forgot the
order, as you know-and didn't
think about it till few minutes ago
''Soon after it went, 1 heard from
B, two stations above here, sayin'
that the express had just left there
for this station. You see it doesn't
stop at A., the one between here
and B. That message reminded
me of my mistake, and the express
and freight have both been running
towards the same station. II the ex-
press had arrived there first. and left
before the freight got there, or they
had not received my message, then
then" he paused in his rapid talk,
and said in an awful voice: ''Then
there'd have been a collision, and I'd
be to blame. But God knows that /
didn't mean to forget to obey that
order" said he impulsively. There
was only one thing to be DONE
telegraph to A., telling them to
hold over the train that arrived there
first. That 1 did. For five minutes,
as you saw. l waited in mortal agony
for the answer to that message. 1t
came just now. Said that neither
train had arrived, and that they'd
hold over the one that got there first
So, thank God, / was not too late,
and that everything is all right
He sank into chair and folded his
arms On his breast Hardly had he
done this when the ticker began
again. He read the message and
then, as the clicking stopped, he
bowed his head on his hands and
sobbed aloud. The. message was
Have stopped express here: will
hold over as directed.
The Boston train reached D.
half an hour late, by reason Of the
'top-oyer at A. Bidding my
friend goodnight, who was now COM
Iletely Gained down. 1 boarded the
sleeper, and soon went rolling towards
life and civilization.
Two weeks later l came across a
country paper from the vicinity in
which my adventure with the ticket
agent TOOK place, and / noticed this
article:
"Much to the surprise of his friends.
dr. John Huss, the popular and
station master of D.. last
week resigned his position, and has
low, we learn, removed to New York.
We wish him much success in his
new quarters "-Amherst Literary