The Opelousas courier., 1905-11-18
f., read the clicking instrument. and a

Nv read the clicking instrument, and a
dizzying sort of fear rose in his mind
lest he should not receive the order
correctly; besides, as there was so
much else that needed his immediate
attention, it seemed he could not wait.
When he had repeated the order to the
dispatcher, the official 20. K" seemed
to squirt from the sounder, it came so
quick, and the dispatcher began CIV
ing the pay-car at Sumner orders to
II to Sturgess.
AS Tommy Endorsed the 20. K" on
the hold order, two belated passeng-
ers began beating on the ticket-win-
dow; demanding tickets and checks for
their trunks. In the insistent rush OF
the moment, Tommy did the fatal
thing he forgotsto turn the hold
signal for the Mail.
He was exceedingly busy through
out the next: ten minutes with tickets
and baggage and when the Mail
rounded a curve with screaming whis-
tie, and brought her string of glow
ing coaches creaking and Kissing to
the platform, his head vas swimming
in a sort of dizzy panic. There was
hurried loading and unloading of bag
gage, the showing Of express pack
ages from a car door into Tommy's
arms, the throwing of a mail-sack
upon the wet platform, and the hinging
of another into the mail-car, the laugh
ter and scramble aboard Of passeng-
ers, a rumble of thunder up in the
black sky; then the train creaked and
Kissed and drew away-prospectively
to crash into the pay-car some two
miles east of S%turgess.
Tommy, wet with perspiration and
the falling rain, began picking up some
fallen packages. AS he rose his eye
caught sight of the green light burn
ing.on the sighal-box. It should have
been. red!
Like a binding flash the forgotten
order rushed upon his memory. 1t
staggered him like a blow, and for an
instant all the blood in his veins
seemed to rise and boil and roar i'll
his ears.
He whirled about, and express-bills
and packages dropped from his hands
as if they had stung him. The rear
of the train were perhaps 100
feet from the platform. Like a crea
ture suddenly snitten with madness,
he rushed after them, Shouting shrilly.
If he could only catch hold Of the
hand-rail and swing himself up and
pull the bell-cord!
90 Father in Heaven! Father in
Heaven, help me" came gasping from
his white lips as he ran.
But the train was running faster
than he. Still, onward he tore along
the ties, shouting and pleading. He
tripped and fell prone upon his face,
rose and slipped and staggered; but
at that moment the world was sud
denly wrapped in fire, and a shatter-
ing peal split downward, as if the earth
had opened to its core. The Eastern
Mail lurehed wildly, there came a bat
tering crash of drawbacks, and the
long string of coaches stopped.
Tommy scrambled to hisieet, for he
had fallen with the electric Shock. His
hair seemed to crackle as with fire;
there was an odd singing in his ears.
Despite the strange happening, how
ever, his mind id not loosen its grip
the paramount idea-the mad ne
cessity of holding the train. Onward,
as fast as his feet could carry him, he
flew, leaped up the rear steps and
through the coaches shouting
for the conductor. He found the blue
coated official by the locomotive.
THE pay-car's coming from Sum-
ner! | got orders for you! Get back
on the siding euick!' Tommy cried.
Jim Dwyer, the engineer, was get
ting up from the fuel deck, looking
dazed and strange. The fireman hung
and soot-streaked against the
banked-up coal in the tender. The
himself seized the throttle.
and put, the drivers on the back
Dwyer crept weakly back upon his
seat and rubbed his forehead like
one just waking from sleep.
"What happened, Andy?'. he said.
Where are We"
Lightning struck the wire and hit
the engine somehow, TOO! We are
for orders back at the depot"
said the conductor. It'll run her back;
guess you're hurt"
Il feel kind of queer all over. Some
thing seemed to hit me here at the
back of my head. But Til be all right
a minutessI guess" said Dryer.
Tommy jumped off with them at the
station and ran into the office. The
telegraph table was splintered and
away from the wall. The in
were torn apart and por-
lions of them were fused and melted
glance revealed what the boy had
escaped. Had he been at the table
the trains order, or reporting
t, he would have met instant death.
His error, strangely, had proved a
marvel of good fortune.
The conductor looked at Tommy's
white face with a s%oftening light in his
own. Il guess God must be taking
Of laundering children like YOU"
ne said. He turned to the engineer.
Jim, how did you come to shut off
steam?" he asked.
Il don't know" replied the engineer,
still rubbing his head. 81 had hold
IF the throttle-lever, and / suppose
he shock must have made me grip and
ERIK the lever, and that shut her off.
The blow, or whatever it was, knocked
off the seat" 81