Year: 1876

clap of the approaching train. 1 noticed,
too, that the engine was pushing the
train before it, because the stroke OF the
engine was much farther behind than
the rolling of the wheels. L thought,
All | that is the reserve train of some
twenty pair of wheels that stood yonder
ahead on the track, and that they are
shunting over to the freight-house. But
all this passed only vaguely through my
mind, as one always thinks mechanically
of his work even when his head and
heart are full of other things. L say
vaguely in reality 1 didn't feel the
slightest interest ia it, for the train
must directly pass me on the other
track. But when the ping and pang OF
the wheels on the hard frozen track had
got quite close up, and 1 already heard
the coupling-chain on the foremost car
clinking back and forth, and saw the
light of its signal-lantern begin to glide
by me on the snow, 1 partly turned my
head to call out Happy New Year 7 to
the fellows upon the train.


"But there was no train on the track;
and at the same instant l got violent
blow in the back. The sparks danced
before my eyes-slap II lay flat on my
face on the track, and, pungl pung
the cars began to pass over me-"


Here the old engineer made another
pause. 1t was still as death in the room,
and faces breathless and riveted leaned
forward and round the table. He filed
the glasses again, pressed down the to-
bacco in his pipe, and went on:


"You see, boys, when we sit here this
way round the table, or stand on the en-
gine, or even, like poor Hornig here to-
day, have to go through a squeeze by
those examiners, our ideas come along
one after the ether, slowly and in some
sort of order, so that one can take q
good look at 'em. They even say we
engineers are slower than other men, be-
cause all the guickness is gone out of us
into our engines. But, boys, in the
second or so between the blow and my
lying fiat on the ground, 1 did more
thinking than ever did before or since
from Easter to Whits1ntide.


"First about home, the warm room
and everything in it, and the New Years
chimes, and the going to church in the
morning; then the assistant station
master as he lay there under the cloak
on the snow; and then 1 began reckon
ing as distinctly as if 1 was giving the
orders for making up all the trains,
about the train that was passing over
track, the enc I'd been on, coming out
on the in-track2 And then all at once
1 thought, what before in the midst of
my cogitating 1 had forgotten-the out
ward track had seen as early as noon
already deep buried in snow, and that
was why they were coming out on the
in-track. Then / saw plain enough the
train just as it stood; there couldn't be
more than ten or eleven freight-cars, all
our own csrs, they all went high above
the rails-they would do me no harm.
/ lay flat enough between the rails. But
the engines-the ash-boxes of the en-.
gines 1 knew all three engines that
still stood fred up at the station as well
as my tobacco-pouch. The Wittekind
would go harmless enough over me,
even though had been stouter than
was; the Hermann too, might be mer.
ciful to me, at any rate if it was carry
ing little water and fire, and the sleep
ers under me didn't stand up too much
but under the 'Slius, one of the new,
lew-built elephants, was dead man.
Ay dead2 That wouldn't be the worst
1 should be slowly crushed and torn into
shreds. Which engine was it, then,
coming there


"All this, you see, boys, / had thought
between the blow and the lying flat
but when was once down, all calcula.
ton ceased, and it was just by instinct
stretched myself out and held my breath
and made myself thin as an otter that's
trying to get out from a trap, and count
ed the axles that passed on over me-
Every ping and pang spoke distinctly
out in syllables, "A wretch-ed death, g
wretch ed death 7 And now something
heavy catches hold of me No, it il
nothing yeti only grazes me, and
glides clinking its length along over me
and off, striking chill TO my marrow
it is a chain hanging down. But now il
comes the ground begins, at first gent
ly, then stronger and stronger, to trem
BILE under me; it comes very slowly
Then / saw at the side that the rails an6
the snow and the rolling wheel-shadowt
over me grew ever redder, redder. Il
was the engine fire shining from the ash
box. Now felt il grow hot on my bare
head and neck. The sleepers yielded
under me the rails groaned and bent
the ground shook violently; it is on me
It strikes me violently in the back
presses forward-God have mercy oi
me- Then rip, crack something OF
me gave way. Pang pang rolling
laundering stamping the engine hat
passed over me and off. From the fre'
heaven once more the snow clouS
plunged down upon me.


"How 1 got on my legs / don't know
I stood there, 1 shook myself, and say
the red lights of the engine disappea
round the curve. They looked to M
like the eyes of veritable bodily death
Then felt myself to see what the engin
had turned loose and, behold the reg
ulation buttons were gone from my coa
behind.


ct went to the nearest switch-tende
and got q lantern and looked for tn


buttons in the snow but when we wer
sitting round the bowl at home, and


was putting in first too much rum an


then too much sugar, Louise, wonder


ing, asked:


Husband, what's the matter wit


W ~. 4