The Bienville Democrat. [volume] (Arcadia, Bienville Parish, La.) 1912-1980, 1921-06-16

ment Of the big stantardtime clock
on the wall. hammering out the sec
onds that might mean life or death
to two or three hundred innocent pe0-
pie.
In horrible suspense the six minutes
pulled themselves out to an eternity
for that little bunch Of us in the dis
patcher's office who could DO nothing
but wait. On the stroke of ten-eigh-
teen, the time when Five was due at
Grow Guch on her schedule, Tarbell
tuned his relay to catch the first faint
tappings from the distant day-statlOn.
Another sOunder was silert. There
was hope in the delay, and Morris
voiced it.
Hes there, and he's too busy to
talk to us" he suggested, in hushed
voice; and DiSbrow, the car-record
man. added: "That'S It; it'd take a
minute or two to get them in on the
siding
The second minute passed, and then
third, and yet there was no word
from Bertram. "CaIl him." snapped
the boss to Tarbell but before the eX-
cowboys hand could reach the key,
the sounder began to rattle out Il
string of dots and daSheS; ragged
Morse it was, but we could all read it
only too plainly.
TOO late-mule threw me and |
had to crawl and drag a game leg
Five passed full speed at feminine
teen-I couldn't make it.
saw the boss hands shut up as
though the finger nails would cut into
the palms.
"That ends it." he said, with sort
Of swearing groan in his voice; ana
then to Tarbel: You may as well
call Kirgan and tell him to order out
the wrecking train. Then have Per-
kins make up relief train while
you're calling the doctors. Van Britt,
you 60 and notify the hospital over
your own office wire. Have my
private car put into the relief, and
see to it that it has all the necessary
supplies. And you'd better notify the
underwriters, too"
Great JOaSh. but it was horrible
for US to be hustling around and max
ing arrangements for the funeral while
the people who were to be gathered
w and buried were still swinging
along live and well, half Of them in
the crookings among the Timber Noun
tain foothills and the other half
somewhere in the desert stretches be-
low Sand Creek
Tarbell had sent Disbrow to the
phone to call kirgan, and Mr.. Van
Britt was turning away to 60 to his
own office, when the chair in the cor
ner by the car.recOrd table fell over
backwards with crash and Durgin
came staggering across the room. lie
was staring straight ahead OF him as
if he had gone blind, and the sweat
was running down his face to lose It.
self in the struggling beard.
When he spoke his voice seemed
to come from away off somewhere,
and he was still staring at the blank
wall beyond the counter-railing.
did did l hear somebody say
you're sending for the undertakerS?'
he choked. with a dry rattle In his
throat; and then, without waiting for
an answer: "While you're at 1t, you'd
better get one for me . there's the
money to pay him." and he tossed a
thick roll of bank bills, wrapped around
with a rubber band, over to Tarbell
at the train desk.
Naturally, the little grand.stand play
with the bank roll made a diversion,
and that is why the muffled crash OF
pistol shot came with startling
shock to everybody. When we turned
to look, the mischief was done. Dur
gin had crumpled down into a mis-
shapen heap on the floor and the sight
we saw was enough to make your
blood run cold.
You see, he had put the muzzle Of
the pistol into his mouth, and-but It's
no use: | can't tell about it, and the
very thought of that thing that had
lust q minute before been man, ly-
ing there on the floor makes me see
black and want to keel over. What
he had said about sending for an extra
undertaken was right as right. With
the top Of his head blown off, the
poor devil didn't need anything more
in this world except the burying.
Somebody has said, mighty truth
fully, that even death in the family
doesn't stop the common routine; that
the things that have to be done will
20 grinding on, just the same, whether
all of US live, or some of US die. Dis.
brow had jumped from the telephone
at the crash of Durgin's shot, and for
lust a second or so we all stood around
the dead dispatcher, nobody making a
move.
Then Mr.. Norcr0ss came alive with
Jerk, telling Disbrow to get back on
his job of calling out the wreck wagons
and the relief train, and directing
Bobby Kelso to 90 to another phone
and call an undo .taker to come and
get Durgin's body. Tarbell turned
back to the train desk to keep things
from getting into a worse tangle than
they already were in, and to wait for
the dreadful news, and the boss stood
by him.
This second wait promised to be the
worst of all. The collision was due
to happen miles from the nearest wire
station. the news. when we should