The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-27

Bullhead took things uncomplainingly,
but he watched close, and was determined
to fight IL the brute discovered his letter
of resignation. When the trainman could
think OF no further indignities he took his
orders. TO meet Number One at Sackley.
the second station east OF Goose River.
After he had signed. Bullhead asked him
about the depot fire at Bear Dance that
had been going over the wires for two
hours. reminded him Of the slow order for
the Number nine culvert, and as the rude
visitor slammed the door behind him held
his hand over the lamp. Then he sat down
again and turned over his letter of resigna-
ton.
To make it binding it lacked only his
slgnature-James Gillespie Blaine Lyons
now himself. OF the opinion Of every one
else the West End; that he just
natural born blooming fool. He lifted his
pen to sign off the aspirations OF young
lifetime when the sounder began TO snap
and sputter his call 1t was the dispatcher.
and he asked hurriedly if Number Thirty
was there.
Number Thirty is on the Y" answered
BulIhead.
Then came train order. "IIold Number
Thirty till Number One arrives
Bullhead repeated the order. and got back
the o. Il. He grabbed his hat and hurried
out of the door to deliver the new order to
the local freight before it should pull out.
To reach the train Bullhead had TO
/ cross the short line tracks. The wind was
securing the flats, and as he tackled up the
I platform the dust swept dead into him. At
/ the switch he sprang across the rails,
thinking of nothing but reaching the en-
/ CINE cab of the local-forgetting about the
! track he was crossing. Before he could
think or jump a through freight on
the short line, wild from the West, storm
ing down the grade behind him, struck
Bullhead as a grizzly would a gnat-
hurled him. doubling. fifty feet out on the
! spur-and stormed on into the East with
out CULVER out of the ordinary. The engi-
neer OF the short line train did not see the
1 man he had hit, and with the nightman
! lying unconscious in the ditch the local
I freight pulled out for Sackley.
Bullhead never knew just how long he
lay under the stars. When his head be-
gan to whirl the wind was blowing cool
and strong on him, and the alkali dust was
eddying into his open mouth. 1t was only
a matter of seconds, though it seemed
hours. to pull himself together and to put
up his hand unsteadily to feel what it was
soaking warm and sticky into his hair;
then to realize that he had been struck
by a short-line train: to think of what a
failure he had lately acknowledged himself
to be. and of what it was he was clutching
so tightly in his right hand-the holding
order for No. 30 He raised his Keeling
head there was drift of starlight through
the dust cloud, but no train in sight; No.
so was gone. With that consciousness
came a recollection-he had forgotten to
put out his red light.
His red light wasn't out. He kept re-
psating that to himself to put the picture
Of what it meant before him. He had
started to deliver an order without put
ting out his light. and No. 30 was gone:
against No. la hssd-end collision staring
the freight and the belated passenger in the
face. No. 30. running hard on her order to
make Sackley for the meeting, and ], run
ming furiously. she always ran--to-night
worse than ever.
He lifted his head, enraged with himself:
enraged. He thought about the rules, and
he grew enraged. Only himself he blamed,
nobody else-studying the rules for life
time and just when it would mean the
! uedtn Oh tralnlOau OF people forgetting
his red signal. He lifted his head: it was
sick, deadly sick. But up it must come.
| Thirty gone, and il wabbled, swooning
sick and gro~gy he stared around and
tried to locate himself One thing he could
see, the faint outline of the station and his
lamp blazing smoky in the window Bull
head figured a second then he began to
crawl. If he could reach the lamp before
his head went off again. before he went
completely silly, he might yet save him.
self and No. /.
1t wasn't in him to crawl till he thought
of his own mistake; but there was a spur
in the sweep of that through his head. His
brain. he knew, was wabbling but he could
crawl; and he stuck fainting to that one
idea, and crawled for the light Of his lamp
1t is a bare hundred feet across to the Y
Bullhead tapped every foot Of the hundred