Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-04-09


BY signs Dad told him what to do
and then, getting on his knees, crawl
ed straight into the dash Of the white
jet-crawed into 1t and got the cab
on his shoulders.
Crouching an instant. the giant mus.
cles Of his back set in n tremendous
effort. The wreckage snapped and
groaned. the knotted legs slowly and
painfully Strengthened. the cab for Il
passing instant rose In the mir, and In
that instant Neighbor dragged Georsie
McNeal from out the wise Of death and
passed him. like pinch bar, to the
men waiting next behind. Then Neigh
Dor pulled Dad back, blind now and
senseless. When they got the old fire.
man out he made pitiful struggle to
pull himself together. He tried to
stand up but the sweat broke over
him, and he sank in n heap ut Neigh
bor's feet.
That was the saving Of George Nc
Neal, and out there they still tell you
about that lift Of Dad HamiltOn's.
We put him on the cot ut the hos
pital next to his engineer. George.
dreadfully bruised and scalded. came
on fast In spite Of his hurts. but the
doctor said Dad had wrenched n ten
don in that frightful effort. and he lay
there a very sick and very old man
long after the young engineer was up
and around telling Of his experience.
"When we cleared the chutes ! saw
white signals. thought" he said to me
mt Dads bedside. 81 knew we had the
right of way over everything. 1t was
hustle anyway OH that schedule. Mr..
Reed. you know that-an awful hustle
with our load. never ch0ked her
notch to run the yards. Didn't mean
| to do It with the Junction grade to
| climb just ahead Of us. But looked
out again, and. by hokey. thought I'd
gone crazy. got color blind-red sig
nails! OF course thought must have
been wrong the first time looked. I
| choked her. I threw the air. dump
ed the gravel. Heavens! She never
felt it! couldn't figure how we were
wrong, but there was the red light. l
yelled, Jump. Dad! and he yelled.
Jump, SON. Didn't you, Dad?
"He jumped. but | wasn't ever going
to jump. and my engine going full
against q red lamp. Not much.
"I kind Of lodged down behind the
head: when she struck 1t was blff. and
she jumped about twenty feet up
straight. She didn't? Well. 1t seemed
like it. Then it was biff. biff. blff, one
after another. With that train behind
her she'd have gone through Beverly
hill. Did you ever buck snow with Il
rotary, Mr.. Reed? Well. that was
about it, even to the rolling and heav-
Ing. Dad. want to lie down? I.e' me
get another pillow behind you. Isn't
that better? Poor Musgrave" he add
ed. speaking Of the engineer Of IS, who
was instantly killed. HE and the IRE
man both. Hard lines, but Id rather
have 1t that way, guess. II | was
wrong. Eh, Dad"
Even after George went to Work
Dad lay in the hospital. We knew he
would never shovel coal again. 1t cost
him his good back to lift George
loose, so the surgeon told US, and
I could believe 1t, for when they got the
Jacks under the cab next morning, and
Neighbor told the wrecking gang that
Hamilton alone had lifted 1t SIX inches
the night before on his back the
wreckins boss fairly snorted ut the
statement, but Hamilton did just tht
same.
"Son," muttered Dad one night u
George, sitting with him, II want yo'
| to write letter for me"
"Sure."
"Ivs been sending money to my DO!
back east" explained Dad feebly. y
told you he's in school"
| II know, Dad"
81 haven't been able to send an!
] since I've been by, but I'm going q