The Cairo bulletin., 1907-06-15
THE RED SIGNAL
LIGHT

cussion about those signals" said the
TAI engineer A feller would be peg
gins along about as milea an hour
with heavy train n come up again
The signal al DAnyers Cfoasin' all
atandn.
Now. Danyers Crossn' was bad
spot to get stopped. N 1t didn't tend
to smooth anyone's feelins 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 pro-
| tracted session Of the stove commit
tee. Farmer Bailey and his two chill
dren We're killed at Danvers Crossin'
/ durin' that winter n 1t was only
natural that their departed spirits
should get back by tamperln 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
begin until after negotiations with the
railroad company by Baileys relatives
for damage claims had become dead
locked.
But | wouldn't fall for any such
thingamaiigs in mine, However, the
signals up that way continued to play
hob with us, n reports n complaints
at the main Office didn't bring any inn
proyement. There was reign of ter.
ror among the train crews.
i 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 EN-. | wasn't thinkin' /
much about spooks or spirits, bur just 1
merely payin attention to business
4 was shakin EN- 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 rajahs crown. kept
steam on just as long as possibly
could, thinkin that the signal would
-nrn TO white. But II didn't, n came
70 dead stop.
From what could see the track In
he block ahead was just as clear as
/ politicians conscience However. |
lad to wait the required ten minutes
before procedin Well, sir, the Ian
yuage | used about spooks n auto
natic block signals in general while
We We're standin' there would have
terrified milk.
All of a sudden down behind a
lush near the tracks was splashin',
vallerin' sound, as II some one had {
Tipped d made false step in the {
itch. Immediately | thought it all
art of my duties to go down there
4 investigate. Mebbe | might see
'armer Bailey's shade m talk him
ut Of this foolishness Of tryin to get
ep tamperin' with our signal system
Il ran down the bank toward the
ush The spook saw me comm first
i evidently not wishin' to be inter.
iewed, started to leg 1t across lots,
lie in full pursuit
III beat any Marathon cross-country
ice you ever saw, my contest with
rat shade He was pretty swift on
Is spindles n I'm no sellin platter 4
yself. |
Il was closin' the gap on him pretty
lpidly n | was just mad enough to !
We that ghost good slap on the halo
hen ! caught up to him. Comm to a
tile brook crossin' the lot the spook
ecided not to take the Liverpool an
? stopped SO suddenly that | nearly
ent through him. (
Well, | says. swingin him aroun',
ne pleasure is all mine. You can
No, he returned In voice
rangely familiar but that belonged
no spook, it's all mine. saw it
ct. You Just hike back to your train
move on. ga
Il just felt as cheap as a fur over GO
at in hades. There I'd been chasin IL
e superintendent Of signals. th
You see The company had been es
FIN little test just to see who was
10 n up 10 snuff on the automatic m
snals TO find out what engineers ca
ire observin' the signals properly 20
course they hadn't thought IL neces- VI
ry to take us into their confidence as
except for the super's false step es
wouldn't he wise vet +"