Evening star., 1900-04-21

had been adopted by the officials, to suit
our own convenience. So far as we could
see, there was in the new system not sim
gle flaw. No possible contingency could We
devise with which it could not successfully
cope. But such a contingency did arise
and 1t shall ever be to me an object lesson
OF the limits to human conception. We
Went on with our new sche me for a month,
sleeping when We chose and staying awake
When We chose, when our system was
suddenly exploded.
ON the particular night in question the
operator at the other end of the tunnel was
attending festival in a neighboring VIII
Iag+, and his place was filled by the dav
man Of this fact l was unaware until
a1terWard About ! O'Clock | got out nv
lunch basket and had just made half moon
IN a piece OF pie when heavy freight train
drnted around the curve and whfstled for
me signal. AS usual. l called the man at
tht other end, Receiving no answer |
pulled the signal to white and the train
rolled slowly into the tunnel As the engine
passed the office 1 heard a lump of coal
strike the door. Some of the trainnen we've
IN the habit of throwing off old paners and
magazines for my perusal, and usually took
tniS way TO attract my attention Believing
itils 10 be the case now. l picked up the
lantern and stepped out of the office TO look
Tor the papers. But found nothing Think
ing the momentum of the train might have
earned them along, | walked up the track
Per perIaps 1llty feet but could see nothing of
the papers Then returned to the office 7
had pcen out perhaps two minutes hut IN
that time the mischief had been done IT.
tan hghts OF the freight We're just enter
ing the tunnel when | again called Daw
son. This time he answered
NO; ot IS IN the tunnel" I told him on
the wire. Don't let anything in east
a NY & COO. he tieked back, and the dots
f, ana oashes came to me like the death
warrant to condemned culprit: "I inst
Iet an extra go l called you, but couldn't
raise you, so let them in
| flashed over me. He had called wbile e'i !
was out looking for the papers. Failing to
raise me, he had lived up to the Letter Of
our tn system and sent the train through the
1uhnei. Ana now-what? Why, two iron
nenos, guided by human hands. were re-
IentIessiy bearing down upon each other IN
| the heart of the mountain and no mower
on earth could stop them
The sensation which / then eyna-,ano.a
10 something that every man will have to
imagine for himself: 1t is fncapable or he
HraI,;. l,s pu9 doWn IN black and white. Without
Sho"ihs What 1 was doing. or why / was
qolhg II. L put on my hat and coat. Then
| l walked out of the door and up the track
70 the mouth of the tunnel l listened for
! tne crash that must surely come I strain
! ed my eyes in a vain endeayor IN nenatra.o
| the tunnels black mouth. 1 thought of the
! human hVes that were going swiftly and
So,,sli nursiy 10 thelr awful death. and 1 their
murderer; l wished that l 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
L
| and faced the open country. Sureiv In
That wide. illimitable expanse which
| stretched far away TO the east there wa G
some some place where l might hide myself
some maven where l might be secure from
| the vengeance of the law. | leaped over
| ne d1tch at the side OF the track and
| cInhoed the fence. Blindly / stumbled
| across the swampy bottom, going 7 knew
| was going. 'Aa'
| once turned and looked back 7 cou,d
| see the signal light at the entrance of the
| the night the danger signal, red. -
| curse you. l cried out in nv despera
| too late" - 10
| But as I looked there came from the
| mouth of the tunnel a white light. large
ana priihant, causing grim shadows to
| uance up and down on the glistening rails
| At first l thought I was dreaming: but /
\ looked again, and knew, even in the face
OF the utter impossibility of the thing that
| 1t 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 fell, but
! IN an instant | was up again and on
| aid not ask myself how this could be:
MADE no attempt to reason II out. l knew
| simply and only, that the miraculous had
happened-that the two trains had passed
covered with mud from my falls in the
swamp, l reached the office which a few
moments before 1 had left bearing with me
terrible burden. The instrument was
| ticking on my call as I walked in the door
sank down on the chair and answered
mere In the name of God have Won
been?" asked Dawsons substitute 81
thought you had skipped the country"
| Don't ask me where I've been Tel
me how the trains passed In the tunnel >