Evening star., 1908-01-12

eagerly, he exclaimed: so you found no
evidence of insanity? None whatever /
replied. but you must remember that
you might be perfectly sane and yet have
the most pronounced trouble with your
eyes, while on the other hand you could
be as mad as a March hare with eyes
that were normal in every respect But,
continued, for the man had interested me
so deeply in spite of myself, that / had
forgotten even my rapidly cooling lunch,
what do you mean by the delusion being
sane, and what is it that led you to come
here to consult me?'
The man hesitated, half rose from his
chair, then reSeated himself and said.
Perhaps if you can spare the time /
had better tell you the whole story and
then at least it will be off of my mind
and you can give me some advice 1t
seemed that my patient was a loco
motive engineer, an engine driver who for
ten years or so had been employed on a
western road. He was forty-five years
of age, was married, had two children
and, as he did not drink and was capable
and industrious, he had, until lately. en-
1oyed the full confidence of his employers.
one of his daily duties was, 1T appeared,
To take a late train out from the city
to neighboring fashionable suburb.
This train was largely patroniZed by
the theater-going community, and as
many of the directors of the road lived
there one or two of them were very apt
to be among the passengers.
X 1:
"All had gone well until one moon
light night when rounding a curve in a
cut which extended almost to the sta
ton the engineer was Mortified to see an
aged Twhite-bearded man, clad in an old
blue army oyercoat, directly in front of
him, walking deliberately across the
track He closed abe throttle, pushed
Ina h. IL
Signaled with one short blast of his
whistle for all brakes.
He was just too late. however. The
cowcatcher caught the man and threw him
forward and to side and the train,
at a greatly reduced rate of speed,
passed over his PROSTATE body. As.
however, the cars We're heavy passenger
coaches and as the tracks were damp
and slippery the train had travelled some
little distance from the accident before
ii finally came TO a standstilI Opening
the throttle again. the engineer was back
ing the train when his fireman, who was
a connection Of his, asked him what the
matter was and whxt had happened
Happened" he cried, happened l ran
over an old man in a blue overcoat and
have killed him. .Wherc. exclaimed the
fireman, i was looking out of the cab
window and saw no man either with an
overcoat or without one.' Farther back.
explained the engineer, just at the end
of the curve. He was standing at a
little bridge by the side of the track
and started across just as we reached it.
Nonsense rejoined the stoker. you
know that the curve is in n cut and that
there is no bridge there. Alec, you must
be mad or drunk
by this time they tad recovered the
ground and as there was no body found
and no bridge in sight the engineer was
convinced that it had been an Illusion
and they finished the run with no further
discussion of the matter.
THE next night. however, the same
thing happened. The blue-coated man
again rushed from the bridge, and again
the engineer stopped his train and once
more backed it roupd the curve in his
vain search for the body of his victim
the little stream of water and the bridge
ON the way home the fireman entreated
his chief most strenuously to ask for u
months leave and TO take rest. He re-
minded him that he had had no vacation
for five years, and told him that he was