The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-22

is something that every man will have
to imagine for himself; it is incapable of
being put down in black and white
Without knowing what | was doing, or
why | was doing it, put on my hat and
coat Then walked out OF the door and
ND the track to the mouth of the tunnel.
listened for the crash that must surely
come. / strained my eyes in a vain en-
deavor to penetrate the Turner's black
mouth. / thought of the human lives that
were going swiftly and surely to their
awful death, and / their murderer.
wished | might be in the tunnel when the
monsters met in combat and be the first
to die.
Soon this mood gave way to another
the instinct of self-preservation. l turn
ed about and faced the open country.
Surely, in that wide, illimitable eXpanse
which stretched far away to the east,
there was some place where | might
hide myself-some haven where | might
be secure from the vengeance of the law
/ leaped over the ditch at the side of the
track and climbed the fence. Blindly
stumbled across the swampy bottom, go
ing I knew not nor cared not where, but
simply that | was going.
One I turned and looked back. | could
sec the signal light at the entrance of
the tunnel showing through the black
ness of the night the danger signal, red
Course you," cried out in my despera-
ton. you can show danger nov that it
is too late"
But as / looked there came from the
mouth Of the tunnel a white light, large
and brilliant causing grim shadows to
dance up and down on the glistening rails.
At first | thought | was dreaming but
| looked again, and knew, even in the
face of the utter impossibilty of the
thing, that it was the headlight ot au
engine-the extra" Then, like a crazy
man. laughing one minute and crying the
next, | ran back toward the office. Sew
eral times | FELL but in an instant / was
I'D again and on. / did not ask myself
how this could be; / made no attempt to
reason it out. | knew, simply and only
that the miraculous had happened-that
the two trains had passed each other
without a collision. And so, covered with
mud from my falls in the swamp, / reach
ed the office which a few moments before
I had left bearing with me terrible
burden. The instrument was ticking off
down on the chair and answered
where in the name of God have you
been?" asked Dawson's substitute. 81
thought you had skipped the country.
Don't ask me where I've been. Tell
me how the trains passed in the tunnel. y
You fool" he retorted. ''They didn't
pass in the tunnel l held the extra
here until "a had cleared"
You told me you had let the extra
in"
Eyes, my boy, I did that to teach you
a lesson Dawson told me of your little
scheme. After he left got to thinking il
| over When you called me to get track
of "a | was standing in the doorway.
knew that you would let the train come
| anyway so | didn't trouble myself to an
swer Then the extra came. l thought
| you might be holding the train, so
called you. When you didn't answer there
| flashed over me the possibility of what
might have occurred had / been asleeI
| when you called for 81. You would have
| let them in, as you in fact did. Then
the extra would have wakened me, and
| ] should have called you for track. Re-
ceving no answer, I should have presum-
ed you to be sleeping and let the extra
so. Now you see what your little scheme
might have led to-"
/ Yes" | said. Il see"
| | was too much relieved at the happy
outcome Of the affair to be angry at his
J deception. But / told Dawson what had
! happened, and the next night we aban-
| doned our system and thereafter used
| the old one.