CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1906-02-22

He lifted his pen 10 Sign on tile n
pirations OF young lifetime when III,
sounder began 10 snap aud sp,iitrr IL
call II WAS the dispatcher. and hT
asked hurriedly II No. 80 was there.
mo. 80 is OIL the " answered Bull
head.
Then came ! train order Hold M.
10 till No ! arrives
Builhcad repeated the order AMI =ss
bnek the q X lie grabbed his IA
and hurried out vf the door to deliver
the new order to the local freight be-
fore il should pull out.
To reach the train Eullh"ad bnd I"
cross the short line tracks. The wind
was securing the Hni-. and ~ li. tack.
eel UP the platform tn. dust swept dead
into him. Al the switch hr sprung
across the rails, thinking or nothing bur
reaching the engine cali of the local
forgetting about the track he was cross
ing Before he could think or see or
Jump u through frci g,it on the short
line. wild from The west. stormin2
down the grade behind Him. Striici,
Bullbead as grizzly would gnai
hurled him, doubling. fifiy feet out %
the spur and siormesi ou iuio The east
without n quiyer out of the orlinnr.
One fatality followed another. The rn
gineer OF the short line tralu did not
see the man he had hit. and with the
niglitnnn lying unconscious in The ditch
the local freight pulled ont for SarklcN
Bullhcsd never knew just how ioie
he lay under the stars. When his head
began to wlirl the wind was blowing
cool and strong on him aud ilir alistit
dust was cddying into his open mouth
IL was only u matter OF seconds. though
1t seemed hours, to pull himself togcth.
CIR and to put up his hand unstea,iily
to feel what ii WAS soaking warm aud
sticky Into his hair; then to realize tiat
he had been struck by short line train
TO think of what n failure he had laicly
acknowledged himself TO be aud Of
what IL was he was clutching 80 tightly
in his right hand the holding order for
No. 80 He raised his reeiing head
There was II drift of starlight through
the dust cloud. but no train In sight:
No 80 was gone With that conscious.
ness came II recollection--be had forgot.
ten to put out his red light.
His red light wasn't out. He kept
rerea ting that to himself to put the
picture OF what II meant before him.
He had started to deliver an order
without putting out his light. and No.
80 was gone-against No. l. n head
end collision staring the freight and
the belated passenger in the face. No.
80 running hard on her order to make
Sackley for the meeting. and No.
running furiously. as she always ran
tonight worse than ever.
He lifted his head. enraged with
himself. enragcd. He thought about
the rules, and he grew enraged. Only
himself he blamed. nobody else--study-
Ing the rules for a lifetime. and just
when 1t would mean the death Of a
trainioad OF people forgetting his red
signal He lifted his head; 1t was sick.
deadly sick. but up II must come. No.
30 gone. and 1t wnbbled. swooning sick
and groggy as he stared around and
tried to locate himself. One thing he
could see. the faint outline Of the sta
tion and his lamp blazing smoky in the
window Bullhead figured second;
then he began to crawl. II he could
reach the lamp before his head went
or again, before he went completely
silly. he might yet save himself anc
No. 1.
1t wasn't IN him to crawl till be
Thought of his own mtstaks. but there
waa spur II tbe sweep of that