The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-27
| in THE FOG
Warnings Of the Dallas PasssnGs'
and the Former Locomotive
Engineer.

ticket 10 New Orleans. Morning was 20
leave my wife woke me 40 shakin' my
shoulder.
s'Jlm,' she saya. you mustn't 90 on
that boat; you mustn't 90. you mnssn
GOi had a dream lasG night she Gays;
I aaw that boat in q terrible storm; then
cav you In the water. all alone. and saw
You 40 down. It's warnin'. Jim. Don't
you So
well. I laughed at her. tried IN argue
&c cut Of her. bat Il wasn't amy uso. Sh"
wasn't In GOOD health andAand j Didn't
10. You all know what happened to that
boat
Maybe il was n warning said the
red headed man in the corner. who
knowss- And Jet the scientific men will
tell you u was just q e0incidsncs; that
shs was worried about you going and the
worry caused the dream
There might be- something la that.
observed the Dallas passenger. 70 Il
wasn't for the fact that ] often make
long tsips by land and soa and she never
was afgscesd that way before. No. siF. Il
was not coincidence. I don't know what
IL was. but I believe that women see
things somstimes before they happen.
Il balisve that" put In the man by the
window. but I wouldn't confne the
power TO women. Men Get little sltmpses
once In a while Of what's ON ahead. /
feel quite sure about u. for u it hadn't
been for Something Of that sort that came
70 me once the chances are ! wouldn't
be aittins here. TIA rather personal, but
II you think Il win interest," you l don't
mind telling you about b.
go ahead. 20 ahead urged the red
headed man, and Go ahead echoed the
other smokers.
Very WE'LL said the passenger by the
window. But let me get this cigar to
going
He pulled vigorously at q long. black
cigar until his face was almost hidden
by the smoke and then began:
For about fifteen good years OF my
IFe,- he eaid. Il was q locomotive en-
Rineer. This thing-I don't know what
else TO call it-occurrsd during that period.
1T was in the early 'sos and was run
ming a freight engine ON the Memphis
division OF what was then the Kansas
City. sprin gfield and Memphis Railroad.
The division extended from. Memphis
to Thayer and most Of il was in the swamp
region % northeastern Arkansas.
Il had my home NJ Thayer up in the
edge Of the ORaTks. and one Of the prestIest
| and healthiesa sections OF the Mest. Newer
| theIsss my baby was sick. She was the
only child a frail little mornel OF years,
who apemed 90 he always on the edge
Of the other land and who was yet 30
sweet and patent and sunny that every
BODY in tho town loved her.
Sfhsre came a time when the doctor
| said mhs must he taken 10 another climate.
\ a warmer place, somewhere to the South.
| IL would be difficult To hold her through
another winter in Thayer. he said. and 50
sent her with her mother down into
STSs little one did not improve. What
ever benefit she might have received
from the change was lost because she
could not get used 10 my abssnce she
| wanted her daddy and fretted all the
time because I did not come. She grew
worse instead az better. and one day NV
wife sGsidsnly decided to come home.
-s3ha telsgraphed Ine. but the telegram
was held up q, some relay once and
morning in November. not knowing
that thev werc OO the way bark.
I The cosnpanv had been doing an un-
usually heavy business. 10 had been
necessary to put on extra trains TO handle
the traffic and the tratnmen were being
4 pushed TO the limit of endurance. | had
not had q full nights rest for weel1A- and
! with the loss OF sleep and the worry over
my baby vas in . pretty had wsy. men
J tally aud physically.
! cotton, blaok specks danced before nv
/ eyes and the track ahead appeared 10
vibrate like the prongs OF a tuning fork.
Nv work was done automatically. ]
stopped and started my engine. observed
the steam gauge and the signals. con
I trollsd my speed on the grades without
I being fully conscious that ] did 20. NV
mind. or 40 much q Il as there was in
action. vac centred on my baby.
Al Ionesboro We ran into heavy fog.
Through the spreads Of the ~. Francis
| the narrow right OF way Of this road was
borcered on either side hy giant cypress
| trees thai threw a rnelanchoty gloom
even when the sun shoDe brightest. a
gloom which was of courss intensified IN
Rad weather. Fill this dark gorge with
| fog and you have a coalition that is apt
| to play allser tricks with upset nerves.
The chill vapor Rugged US close and
was 80 thick could not see the track ten
yards hsyoDd the front Of the engine.
StiiI / sept my eyes fixed toward the
hidden distance ahead. and gradually.
IN Iooked into the fog. began TO notice
curious motions.
There was not q breath or air stirring
and vet the fog seemed at first to he trern-
bling then it began to twist and wVithe.
to WhirI around I'm circles and rapidly
change In ColOrs from white to gray and
green and black. soon long tendrils.
Ike HDO3flY nWnH8Hs DE8An 10 DEuu ana
turn within the mist. coiling and uncoil-
ing ceaSsleesIy.
-suddenly from out the centre OF this
suuirrning rnase appeared q hbdeous face
a face that reminded mo Of the pictu 90
Of gargoyles on some Old cathedral i'm
Europe. But this face in the fog was
never for two seconds the same. Nou
have no doubt looked at your reflection
in a series OF bent mirrors in q museum
and been amused &C the distorted views
they gave you. The constant changes Of
this face before me were Of thar order.
but they were not amusing.
The countsnanCe. now long and thin
and hollow checked. nov tremendously
broad and squat. nos With chin and fore
head proeruding far beyond a cavernOais
mouth. nos via great. bulging google
syes. again with long writhink. curling
aongue-it took q thousand shape in halt
a. many Seconds, and every one Of them
hidsOus- And elways. no matter what
form u took. fhe kaCe wore a chastity
sEnirking smile. and always two long
twisting arms stretched out before Il
With bsckonIng hands: Come on, Come
on! Come on 10 seemed TO ha saving.