Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1906-11-14


down this spur and down that and the
other, like stones from a catapult, aud
the tough connected, smut faced, blear
eyed yard engine coughed and snorted
and spit shower of sparks and SCOT
and cinders up into the Christmas air.
She darted and lodged and jerked and
backed up and down and across the
lead and never for fraction of Sec
ond took her eye Off Shockley's lamp
shiyering and changing and bucking
with steam and bell and air, but al
ways with one smoky eye on Shockley's
lamp, until % was wrecked clean to the
eaboose and the switch engine shot
down the main line with the battered
way car in her claws like hawk with
a prairie dog.
Then there was only the westbound
freight, 90, to make up with the Fort
Rawiins stuff and the Cherry Creek
steel, which was "rush," and a few
ears of ties flung on behind ON general
principles. 1t was quick work now
sorting and moving the bridge steel
half an hour for an hours work, with
the north wind waking at the clatter
and sweeping bank of cloud and sand
across the valley. Shockley and Chris
and the goat crew put at it like black
ants. There was releasing and setting
and kicking and splitting, and once in
awhile flying switch dead against the
rubrics, and at last the whole train of
steel was in line clean as the links of
a sprocket and ready to run In on the
house track for the caboose.
For that run Chris set tie east house
track switch, crossed the track and
swung great circle with his lamp for
the back. To get over to the switch
again he started to recross the track.
In the dark his ankle turned on lump
of coal He recovered lightly, but the
misstep sent his other foot wide, and
with bit of jolt Rubedo's new shoe
slipped into the frog
Up the track he heard roll of
stormy coughs from the engine gather
ing push to shove the string of flats
down. They were coming toward him,
over the spot where he stood, on his
signal, and he quietly tried to loosen
his heel
The engines drivers let go, and she
roared steaming oath, and Chris
could hear it, but he was glad, for his
heel would not work quietly out of the
frog; it stuck. Then the engineer, un-
ruffled, pulled ut his sand lever, and
his engine snorted again, and her driv-
er tires bit, and slowly she sent the
long train of steel down on Chris
switch. He heard the frosty hanges
grinding on the face of the rails as he
tried to loosen his foot
Coolly, first like confident man In a
quicksand, soon with alarm running
into fright; but there was time enough.
The head car was four or five lengths
above the switch and coming very,
very slowly, heayylike and squeaking
stiffly under its load, yet coming, and
he wrenched harder. but his foot stuck
Thch hc yelled FOX Slockley. slocA-
ley had gone over to open the caboose
switch Shockley couldn't hear, and he
knew it. and he yelled again.
The sweat broke over him as he turn
ed and twisted The grip Of the frog
seemed to stifle him. Half the time
was gone. The near truck wheels
screeched two car lengths away, and
the switchman played his last card
Time and time again Shockley had told
him what to do If that moment came In
the night-had told him to throw his
lamp in the air like a rocket But Chris
had forgotten all that till the fiat drop
| thn fnn N front n
him. Then he threw his lamp like a
rocket high into the night.
No help came. He raised his arms
frantically above his head, and his
cries cut the wind. Desperate at last
he threw himself fat, to lie outside the
rail to save all but foot, but the frog
held him and crying horribly he strug-
gled back to his feet, only to sink again
half crazy to the ground. AS his senses
left him he was hardly aware of a
stinging pain in his foot, of a wrench
at his leg, an instant arm around his
neck and his yardmaster's voice in his
ear.
Jump screamed Shockley.
Chris scrambled frantically on the
deadly rails, unable to jump, felt him
self picked from the ground, heard
choke in the throat at his ear, and he
was flung like a drawbar through the
dark. Shockley had passed a knife
blade from vamp to sole, slit the Rus
slams clumsy shoe, jerked his foot
from it and thrown him bodily into the
clear.
Chris staggered painting to his feet.
Already the steel was moving slowly
over the switch He heard the sullen
pounding of the trucks on the contact
A lantern, burning yet, lay on its side
near the stand 1t was Shockley' S
lamp. Chris looked wildly around for
his yardmaster, called out, called
Shockley's name, listened. No scream,
no groan, no cry, no answer, no SOUND,
but lust the steady pounding of the