The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-04-22

of the tunnel. I listened for the crash
that must surely come. / strained my
eyes in vain endeavor TO penetrate the
tunnels black mouth 1 thought of the
human lives that were going swiftly
and surely to their awful death, and 1
their murderer. l wished that I 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 preservation.
turned about and faced the open coun-
try Surely, in that wide, illimitable
expanse which stretched far away TO
the east, there was some place where I
might hide fnyself-some haven where
1 might be secure from the vengeance
of the law. / leaped over the ditch at
the side Of the track and climbed the
fence. Blindly 1 stumbled across the
swampy bottom, going I knew not nor
cared not where, but simply that
was going.
Once I turned and looked back.
could see the signal light at the en-
| trance of the tunnel, showing through
the blackness of the night the danger
signal, red.
Curse YOU" I cried out in my des-
peration, you can show danger now
that it is too late"
But as 1 looked there came from the
mouth of the tunnel white light, large
and brilliant, causing grim shadows to
dance up and down on the glistening
rails. At first I thought I was dream
ing; but l looked again, and knew,
even in the face of the utter impossi-
bility of the thing, that it was the
| headlight of an engine-the extra. ,"
| Then, like a crazy man, laughing one
minute and crying the next, ran back
| toward the office. Several times I fell.
but in an instant l was IN again and
| on. / did not ask myself how this
could be; made no attempt to reason
it out. 1 knew, simply and only. that
| the miraculous had happened-that the
two trains had passed each other with
out a collision. And so, covered with
mud from my falls in the swamp, 1
reached the office which a few moments
| before 1 had left bearing with me a
| terrible burden. The instrument was
ticking off my cali as 1 walked in the
door. 1 sank 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 tun-
/ nell
"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, did that to teach you
a lesson. Dawson told me of your lit
| tie scheme. After he left 1 got thinking
it over. When you called me to get
track for 81 was standing in the door
| way. knew that you would let the
train come anyway, SO I didn't trouble
myself to answer. Then the extra
came. 1 thought you might be holding
the train, so 1 called you When you
didn't answer there flashed over me
the possibility of what might have &C.
CURED had been asleep when you call
ed for "a. You would have let them in
as you in fact did. Then the extra
would have wakened me, and 1 should
have called you for trace. Receiving Nc
answer, should have presumed you t
be sleeping and let the extra go. Nov
you see. what your little scheme might
have led to2''
Yes" / said, 81 see.r
1 was too much relieved at the happy
outcome Of the affair to be angry at hi:
deception But l told Dawson what hai
happened, and the next night we aban.
doned our system and thereafter uset
the old one.