The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1910-02-26

compartment.
BY the time the train had reached
Anstetten It had picked up five young
girls, three small groups of people,
and four unhappy looking couples.
I'VE reach Linz in twenty minutes.
do we not? They walt there fifteen
minutes for lunch"
long to go hungry. However as we
are little late the train will prob
ably not make so long stop"
I'VE might at all events have the
heat turned on"
Pardon me, my dear lady, but the
lever you were about to grasp Ia the
danger signal"
"Ah l might have brought about
strange result"
mot so dreadful after all. AS you
see 1t would simply be penalty OF
fifty gulden."
Il hardly know why, but | always
think that I would like to give the sig
nal once. Just to see what would hap
pen.
That idea. fancy, occurs to most
OF US; to me, at any rate, whenever
travel by train. It Is the same when
! cross n bridge, | always wonder
what would happen II were to jump
over; or If | were to say something
unheard OF, something wildly sensa.
tional, when am out In society"
II have the same feeling. precisely
"Then-if you like, Frau Hofrathin
Two souls with but single
thought let us put It to the test"
But think OF the consequences.
You would be arrested and impris-
oned, and then-imagine the panic OF
our fellow passengers. BY the way,
could they tell who had given the
signal?"
Il rather think the machinery reg
listers that. But, really, this would
be the best possible opportunity, and
| am curious to the limit. There is
the station master to prefer charge
against me and for me to Fay the
penalty, for that is all there Is to It. !
will simply tell him that | intended
to turn off the heat and made a mis-
take. So" and before the young
woman could prevent him he had
pulled the lever.
shrill whistle and a jerk, the
wheels creaking and groanirH beneath
the grinding pressure of the breaks
another jerk. and the train stopped
Passengers rushed to the windows.
guards ran from carriage to carriage,
Then suddenly followed a binding
crash
The local had, as usual, been do
layed, and behind 1t came rushing on
the Orient express, which was due
in Linz a few minutes after the local.
and preceded 1t from there on. The
guards. startled by the danger signal.
thought only of discovering where
help was needed. and in the excite
ment and confusion no one had re-
membered the danger that threat
ened and no precautions had been
taken to flag the train.
Owing to the heavy, impenetrabie
fog. and also to the fact that the
local had come to a stop Just around
curve, the engineer Of the Orient
express had first seen 1t when only
few yards distant, and though he
blew his whistle and applied the
brakes, the express dashed into the
train ahead at almost full speed. FIJI
teen dead. more than forty severely
injured!
The examination disclosed nothing
dehuite. so much was certain. that
the danger signal had been given. by
whom and why remained mystery.
Some thought that perhaps a passen-
ger had seen the Orient express COM
| ing, and had thought thus to avoid a
| possible collision.
Edgars friends wonder that he,
once the gayest OF the gay, Is now so
! often sad and melancholy. You
know" they say, he was in that ter
| rible railroad accident near Linz, and
was the only one In the rear carriage
| TO escape with his life. That Is why
| he is always so unwilling now t.
1 trave! by train"