Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-05-22
The only sound aoas his breathing.

No help came. He raised his arms
frantically above his head. and his
cries cut the wind. Desperate at last,
he threw himself fiat, to lie outside the
rail to save oil 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 a
choke in the throat at his ear. and he
was flung like n drawbar through the
dark. Shockley had passed 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 g
lamp. Chris looked wildly around fol
his yardmaster, called out. called
Shockley's name, listened. No scream,
no groan, no cry, no answer, no sound,
but just tire steady pounding Of the
wheels over the contact. The little
switchman screamed again In frenzy
and, turning. raced stumbling up the
track to the cab. He swung into 1t and
by signs made the engineer shut on.
He tried to talk and only stammered a
lingo Of switch pidgin and the name Of
Shockley. They couldn't understand It
all, but they shut of with faces pinch
ed and sallow, threw open the furnace
door and. grabbing their lanterns. ran
back. The fireman, Oh his knees, held
his lamp out under the flat that span.
ned the contact. He drew, shrinking.
back and, rising, started on the ruI,
for the depot to rouse Callahan.
It Avas Callahan who pulled the pin
moment later. Chris shivering like a
rabbit at his side. 1t was Callahan
who gave the slow pull ahead order
that cut the train in two at the frog
and Callahan who stepped, wavering,
from the gap that opened behind the
recedng fiat-back from something be-
tween the rails-back to put his hands
blindly out for the target rod and un'
s,.adily upon 1t. He heard shockley
ixMlthing.
Some carried the headlight back, and
some tore the door OF box car, and
they got him on. They carried him un-
evenly, stumbling, over to the depot.
They laid him on Callahan's mattress
in the waiting room. and the men
stood all about him, but the only
sound was his breathing, and inside
under the lamp the receiver. clicking,
clicking, clicking. Of Bucks and the
company surgeon coming on special
ahead of 80.
They twisted tourniquets into his
uuivering flesh. and with the light dy-
ing In his eyes they put whisky to his
lips. But he turned his head and spit 1t
from his mouth. Then he looked from
face to face about him-to the engineer
| and to the fireman and to little Chris
and to Callahan-and his lips moved.
Chris bent over him. but try as ne
would he could not catch the words.
"Block-block." said Shockley's lips.
And Shockley died.
They lifted the mattress into the bag.
gage room. Callahan drew over 1t a
crumpled sheet. A lantern left burned
ON the checking desk, but the men. ex-
cept Chris. went their ways. Chris
hung irresolute around the open door.
The special pulled in. and with the