The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1907-05-24
the Red Signal.
Light

C4uS NE IL luCIG WASH a lou Oh us
cussion about those signals" said the
fat engineer. "A Teller would be peg.
glng along about As miles an hour
with a heavy train N come up again
the signal at Danvers Crossin all
standin'.
Now, Danvers Crossin' was bad
spot to get stopped, n it didn't tend
to smooth anyone's feelin's to lay
there the required time for automatic
signals n find everything all right.
of course, there was only one ex.
PLANTATION. Spooks.
"Oh, yes, We decided that at a pro-
tracted session of the stove commit.
tee. Farmer Bailey and his two chill.
dren were killed at Danvers Crossin'
durin' that winter n it was only
natural that their departed spirits
should get back by tamperin' with the
signals and set the operatin' depart
ment of the road by the ears.
What seemed to make the spook
theory more plausible was that the
tampering with the signals did not
Oegin until after negotiations with the
abroad company by Bailey's relatives
For damage claims had become dead
locked.
But I wouldn't fall for any such
thingamajigs in mine. However, the
signals up that way continued to play
1ob with us, n reports n complaints
At the main office didn't bring any i'm
provement. There was a reign of ter
ror among the train crews.
Il was comm east one night with
first Sc, the livestock express, n only
had just as much time as the law al
lows to get in n make the export
steamer with 'em. | wasn't thinkin'
much about spooks or spirits, but just
merely payin attention to business.
Il was shakin' 'em along right lively
when comm along there by Danvers
Crossin' the red light on the signal
pole was shinin' as brightly as the big
ruby in the rajah's crown. l kept
steam on just as long as I possibly
could, thinkin' that the signal would
turn to white. But 1t didn't, n came
to a dead stop.
From what I could see the track in
the block ahead was just as clear as
politicians conscience. However, l
had to wait the required ten minutes
before procedin'. Well sir, the Ian
guage l used about spooks n auto
matte block signals in general while
we were standin' there would have
sterilized milk.
"All of a sudden down behind a
bush near the tracks was a splashin'
wallerin' sound, as if some one had
slipped n made a false step in the
ditch. Immediately I thought it a
part Of my duties to go down there
n investigate. Mebbe l might see
Farmer Baileys shade n talk him
out of this foolishness of tryin' to get
hep tamperin' with our signal system.
Il ran down the bank toward the
bush. The spook saw me comm first
n evidently not wishin' to be inter
viewed, started to leg it across lots,
me in full pursuit.
1T beat any Marathon cross-country
race you ever saw, my contest with
that shade. He was pretty swift on
his spindles n I'm no sellin' platter
myself.
81 was closin' the gap on him pretty
rapidly n | was just mad enough to
give that ghost a good slap on the halo
when | caught up to him. Comm to a
little brook crossin' the lot the spook
decided not to take the Liverpool an
he stopped so suddenly that l nearly
went through him.
"'Well,' says, swingin' him aroun',
the pleasure is all mine. You can
ono he returned in a voice
strangely familiar, but that belonged
to no spook, it's all mine. l saw 1t
first. You just hike back to your train
n move on
81 just felt as cheap as fur over
coat in hades. There I'd been chasin'
the superintendent Of signals.
. "You see the company had been
tryin' little test just to see who was
who n up to snuff on the automatic
signals to find out what engineers
were observin' the signals properly
OF course they hadn't thought 1t neces'
sary to take us into their confidence
n except for the super's false step
we wouldn't be wise yet"