The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-02-26

NMM@@@ 4M#&S8&#
90 20 ahead. Just y they were round.
ing the east curve, the cabooseNjns dig
appearing, "Ms." called me and asked.
us No, AZ III the siding!'' 7 told him
"No:'' that they had lust left the sta
ton, giving the time they had passed.
His reply: my God. has No AS gomez
No. III is pulling out. They will coll
Tide. Can't you get No. 4Sl'' My hair
felt as though in was raising off my
head, chills chased themselves up and
down my spine, and the cold p~erspira!
ton poured down my pallid cheeks as /
rushed with all speed and less grace
from the Office and frantically waved q
white apron I wore and which / tore Off
as / ran, but the Grew of the freight
failed to look back BIS the caboose sailed
round the curve, and my heart almost
failed mt as i realized that the only
hope now was TO catch No. Ill before
they left "M."
i ran back into my Office and sank in.
to a chair, no longer able to stand ON
my feet, scarcely breathing until in d
few-hours il seemed to me, but in
reality-seconds the dispatcher called
me, saying, We've got No. H." Were
v e words SO sweet TO mortal ears? The
tick of that little brass sounder as il
rang those words through the room was
like sweet music, so welcome were they
to me.
How did they get No. Ill? / will tell
you. When / told the dispatcher that
No. 4S was beyond recall, he opened q
window In mad haste and screamed to
the people on the platform below him.
"For Gods sake, stop that trainl'' And
they, realizing that something was ter
ribly wrong, rushed after the rapidly
disappearing train, frantically waving
handkerchiefs and umbrellas. screaming
like madmen, finally attracting the at
tention Of the rear brakeman just as No.
Ill was going ont of sight and hearing.
They backed mp on q siding and waited,
and soon the freight train pulled into
IN. station, the crew as unconcerned
as though they had not Just escaped a
smashup and the possibilities of instant
death o few moments before.
A white faced operator, with trem-
bling lips, leaned out of the window and
asked them, Haven't you forgotten
something's" And the forgotten order
was suddenly remembered, but too late
for them.
The whole crew was of course dis
charged, and well, when those well
come words were licked off that dear old
sounder, telling me that No. Ills crew
and passengers were safe, / lost con-
seriousness and only came back to life in
time to hear the conductor Of No. Ill
say to his engineer: Poor girl. she has
tainted. She is almost frightened to
death" s.rr,s.
Had I not warned the dispatcher in
time for him to catch the passenger
train, there would have been a horrible
collision. and we can only picture to
ourselves the horrors accompanying such
a catastrophe.
My reward was a position with the
company and a handsome gold watch. /
staid with the company but a short
time, however, for / never could cure
myself of the horror ] had of railroad
telegraphing produced by my terrible
experience that wintry day in January,
and as i write this story, sitting here
in my cozy little sitting room by q
bright coal fire, watching the flames
creeping around the black diamonds in
the crate, as / 60 over the scenes and
situations Of that dreary afternoon, I
shudder and wonder if old Father Time
will ever enable me to forget that
dreadful experience, SO that I can speak
OF it all without q shudder ,-North.
west Magazine. 80