The Topeka state journal., 1906-04-14


bound run, and as they had paid US
the particular compliment OF return
trip We were minded to give them thei
best OF II even against No. I, which was
alssas rather sacred on the sheet
IRIS say. was pretty generally under
stood, Tor ven it was all over there
Was no criticism whatever on Black
burns Intention OF milking a meeting
point Tor the two trains, as they then
stood at OsE'alienss siding
Between Ames and Rosebud, twenty
miles apart, there ara two sidings-
Q sFalIon 8 west Of the river, and Salt
ROCKS east. There was no operator
at either plaee. The train that leaves
Anes westbound Is in the open far
twenty miles, with only schedule rights
or a dispatclTer's tissue between her
and the worst of it. At o'clock that
morning Blackburn wired an order to
Anles for No. / to hold at OsFa11on for
Special z02- a minute later he sent an
order for Special 202 to run to O. Fallon|
regardless of No. 1. At least he thought
he sent such an order, but he didn't
He made a mistake.
When he had fixed the meeting point
BLACKBURN rose94rom his chair and sat
down by the steve I lazily watched.
him till falling into a doze as eyed
him droWsily, he began to loom up in
his chair and to curl and twist toward
the roof like signal column. Then
the front legs Of his chair struck the
floor and with a start woke just as he
picked up the order book
The first suspicion had that any
thing was wrong was an exclanati ton
from Blackburn as he stared at the
book Putting it down almost at once.
and holding the page open with his
left hand, he plugged Caliahan's house
wire and began drumming his CALL
Callahan's Aye, aye" came back in
side of a minute, and Blackburn tap
ped right at him, "Come down. And
F4zaor fr n kzs~ 7saf
There was aus interval; then Gala
han asked. WHATS the matter? 20
[ got up and walked over to the
water tank for a drink. Blackburn
again pressed the key and repeated to
Callahan precisely the words he had
used before. Come down.
Hls face was drawn. into the very
shape Of fear, and his eyes, bent hard
on me, were looking through me and
through the shivering window know
it noW-and through the storn1ing
night, horror set. into the canyon of
the Peace river.
The sounder broke. and he turned
back, listened a moment but it was
like man listening, listening; then
with an effort plain even to me he
pushed the chair from behind him, still,
walked across the Office, pushed open
the door of Callahans private room
and stood with his hand on the knob,
looking back at the lamp. It was as
If he still seemed to listen, for he stood
undecided a moment then he stepped
into the dark room and closed the door
behind him. leaving me alone and
dumb with fear.
The mystery lay, knew, in the or
der book. Curiosity gradually got the
better of my fright, and walked from
the cooler ever to the counter to get
courage and showed the train register
around noisily. I crossed to the dis
patchers' table and made a pretense OF
arranging the pads and blanks. The
7--4
he had left 1t under the lamp. With
my eyes bulging. I read the last two
orders copied in it.
c. and E. No /. Ames:
No. l, Eng S71s viii hold at ORAL
Ions for Special s202
G. and E. Special -2O2, Rosebud:
Special 202. Eng. 636, will run to
Salt Rocks regardless of No. l..
Salt Roeksl / glared. at the words
and the letters of the words.
I reread the first order and read
again the second. Q.Fsllon7s for no. 1.
That was right O'Fa11onfs It should
be for the Special 202. OF course, to
meet her. But 1t wasn't: it was the
first station east of OsFallon's he had
ordered the special to run to- It was
q lap order. My scalp began to creep.
A lap order for the Irving special and
the No. passenger and it doomed
them to meet head on som eWhere be-
tween O'Fa1lon's and the Salt Rocks,
in the Peace river canyon.
My mouth went sticking dry. The
sleet outside had deepened into a hail
that beat the west glass sharper, and
the window shook again in the wind.
I asked myself, afraid to look around.
what Blackburn could be doing in Cal
Iahan's room. The horror of the wreck
impending through his mistake began
to grow on me. / know what I suf-
fered; I ask myself now what he suf-
fered, inside. alone. in the dark.
Young as was I realized that night
| the meaning Of the career to which my
little ambition urged me. The soldier,
the officer, the general, the statesman n,
the president may make mistakes, do
make mistakes that cost a life or cost
10000 lives They redeem them and
live honoreG. It is the obscure dis
patcher under the lamp who for a
single lapse pays the penalty of eternal
disgrace. I felt something of it even
then, and from my boys heart, in the
face OF the error. in the face Of the
slaughter, I pitied Blackburn.
Callahan's room door opened again.
and Blackburn came out Of the dark.
had left the table and was standing
in front Of the stove. He looked at
me almost eagerly; the expression of
his face had completely changed. I
never Ia my life saw such q change IN
so few minutes on any mans face, and.
like all the rest It alarmed me. It was
not for me to speak il had been able,
and he did not He walked straight
over to the table. CLOSED the order book.
plugged CaIIahan's house wire again
and began calling him. The assistant
superintendent answered, and Black
burn sent him just these words:
You need not come down"
I heard Callahan reply with a ques-
ton: What is the matter?"
Blackburn stood calmly over the key
/ but he made no answer. Instead, he
repeated only the words, you need not
come down.
Callahan. easily excita Bile always,
was wrought up. Blackburn, he
asked over the wire iuapatientIy, What
in Gods name is the matter - But
Blackburn only pulled the plug and cut
| him out and sunk into the chair like q
man Wearied.
Mr.. Blackburn I said, my heart
| humping like an injector, Mr.. Black
burn % He glanced vaeant1y around;