West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-07-26

east OF Goose River After hc had sign,
Ell Bullhead asked him about the dcpot
fire at Bear Dance that had been 40.
ing over the wires for two hours. re-
minded him OF the slow order for the
No. culvert and ns the rude visitor
slammed the door behind him held his
hand over the lamp. Then he sat down
again and turned over his letter OF res.
isnation.
10 make 1t binding Il lacked only his
signature - James Gillespie Blaine
Lyons-now himself OF the opinion OF
,Nery one else ON the West End that he
was just natural born blooming fool.
He lifted his pen 70 sign or the as
pirations of young lifetime when the
sounder began % snap and sputter his
call. IL was the dispatcher, and he
asked hurricdly II No 80 was there.
mo. 30 Is on the v" answered Bull.
head.
Then came "A train order. Hold No.
30 till No. 1 arrives"
Bullhcad repeated the order and got
back the o. Il. lie grabbed his hat
and hurried out OF the door To deliver
the new order 10 the local freight be-
fore II should pull out.
To reach the train Bullhoad had To
cross the short line tracks The wind
was securing the iats. and Ms he tack
I'd up the platform the dust swept dead
into him. At the switch ne sprang
across the rails, thinking OF nothing but
reaching the engine cab OF the local
forgetting about the track he wns cross
ing. Before he could think or SEQ or
jump through freight on the short
line, wild. from the west, stormlng
down the grade behind him, struck
Bullhead as n grizzly would gnat,
hurled him. doubling, fifty feet out on
the spur and stormed on into the east
without quiver out of the ordinary.
One fatality followed another. The en-
gineer OF the short line train did not
see the man he had hit. and with the
nightman lying unconscious In the ditch
the local freight pulled out for Suckley.
Bullhead never knew just how long
no lay under the stars. When his head
began 10 whlrl the wind was blowing
cool and strong on him and the alkali
dust was eddylng into his open mouth.
II was only matter of seconds. though
II seemed hours. TO pull himself togeth-
to feel what II was soaking warm and
sticky into his hnir; then To realize that
he bad been struck by n short line train,
10 think Of what failure he had lately
acknowledged himself TO be and OF
what II was he was clutchlng 80 tightly
In his right hand the holding order for
No. 80. lie raised his reeling head.
There was drift OF starlight through
the dust cloud. but no train I'm sight;
No. 30 was gone. With that conscious
ness came rccollection-he had forgot
ten to put out his red light
His rel light wasn't out lie kept
repeating 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.
30 was gonc-ngoinst No. /, head
end collision staring the freight and
the belatcd passenger IN the face No.
go running hard on her order TO make
Sackley for the meeting, and No 4
running furiously, as she always rnn--
tonight worse than ever
He lifted his head, cnraged with
himself, enragcd. lie thought about
the rules. and he grew onragcd. Only
himself he blamed. nobody cIse-study-
Ing tie rules for a lifetime, and Just
when II would mean the death OF n
tralnload Of people forgetting his red
signal. He lifted his head; ID was sick,
deadly sick, but up IL must come. No.
30 gone. and II wabbled, swooning sick
and gr0ggy as he stared around and
tried 10 locate himself One thing no
could see. the faint outline Of the sta
tion and his lamp blazing smoky In the
window. Bullhcnd figured a second;
then he began TO crawl II he could
reach the lamp before his head went
Off again, before he went completely
silly. he might yet save himself and
no. l.
1t wasn't In him 10 crawl TIL he
thought Of his own mistake but there
was "A spur In the sweep OF that
through his head. Ills brain, he knew,
was wabbling, but he could crawl, and
he stuck, falntlng TO that one idea and
crawled for the light OF his lamp.
II II bare hundred feet across to
the Y. Bullhead taped every foot OF
the hundred with blood There was
no one TO coll on for help; he Just
In bitter self reproach. They traced
him. next morning when he was past
the telling OF 1t, and his struggle look
cd the track Of wounded bear. Drag
Ing along one crushed leg and half
crazcd 10y the crack on his forehead
Bullhead climbed 10 tire platform
across and dragged himself to the
door. He can tell yet about rolling his
broken leg under him and raising him
self to grasp the thumb latch. Not un-
I'll he tried 90 open Il dld he remember
II was a spring lock and that he was
outside. He felt In his pocket for his
keys but his keys were gone
There were no rules TO consult then.
No way on earth OF getting into the
Office Ia time TO DO anything; TO drag
himself TO the lunch room, twice furth-
er than the station. was out Of the
question. But there was way TO
reach tho key Ia spite OF all bad things,
md Bullhead knew the way. fIo strug-
gled fast around 10 The window. Rais-
lng himself with a frightful twluge ON
one knee, he beat at the glass with his
fist Clutching the sash. b. Grcw him
self up with n hand and with fho other
tore away the muntln stuck his head
AMI shoulders through the opening. got
his hand OH the key and called the lrst
station east. BlaisdcIl. with The 10.
Life and death that call meant the 10.
the disp0tcher's call. Hanging over the
key. stammering the 10 over the wire
and baptlzing the call IN his own blood
that Is the way Bullhead learned TO
be railroad man.
For Blalsdell got him and his warn
ing and had No. on the siding just as
the froiRht tore around tho tgeaf curve.