The Argosy, August 1905 — page 123: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

» Phree oo rwru * s ‘— t to say that one of my pur- was of necessity a can-opener. Whenever I felt hungry I would take a ean, trusting to luck whether it was salmon or beef, and open it, eating all I wanted. When I was hungry again I judged about six hours had passed. When I was sleepy I lay down to rest, and when I awoke, according to my eal- ewation, about eight hours had passed. So it was, according to my calculation, I had been rumbling along about three days. I was growing stiff and cramped, and wished I could run about and ease up my muscles. Then there came some more jolts and jars. We were shifting or being put into another train. I didn’t care. I knew we were going to San I rancisco. Again there came the steadiness of onward motion, and the speed seemed greater than before. We had gone on thus for two meals, my only clock and calendar, when there was a terrific shock that hurled me against the front end of the ear, and then another,and a crunching, grating sound, and before I could realize-what had hap- pened the car swung to one side, swayed from right to. left, and then turned turtle. I heard the splintering of wood, but the weight of the cotton as the car stood on its head almost killed me, and I be- came unconscious. When at last I recovered conscious- ness I was not lying under the cotton in the top of the car, but ontop of it. The cotton had been disarranged, and the car was light. I crawled to the edge of the load and found that the strain from rolling down some embankment or falling from a trestle had sprung the door. One bale of cotton was missing. IT reached out and got my jute bag, with what was left of my eatables, and worked my way down to the door. I lost my hold on the cotton and slipped. I fell on the missing bale of cotton, which had fallen under the door. The air was warm and dry. I took a few deep breaths to fill out my lungs after the stifling air of the car and then looked about Me. cars lay there, mine alone right 8 A ~~ Se = ay a. a = > > * a % q ‘9 Pa . ¥ L VW [ nhAL [Olse Ca $a —— a5 side up. One was on its side and He third was completely upside down. There had evidently been a rear-end collision, for the back of the last car was smashed. ‘The platform was gone and the iron ladder twisted into “all kinds of shapes. The track was about fifty feet above me, and the bank down which the cars had plunged was torn and plowed up by the weight of the loads. Iclambered to the top and gazed upon the veriest scene of desolation it had ever been my lot to look upon. There was not a house in sight, not a barn— nothing that looked like a habitation. Acres of withering grass was all I could see, waving in a wind that was hot enough to bake it without the aid of a blistering sun. I looked as far as I could see in every direction and could not make out a sign of anything alive. ‘“ Well,” L said to myself, “I am no worse olf if I ean reach some kind of town and learn where lam. This is not Louisiana, that is certain. It’s a cinch I’m in Texas.” I stood for a moment longer contem- plating the scene. “Tunny they left the cars,” I said. ‘But there’s nobody here to steal the cotton. I suppose they will send a gang. Now, then, which way to the nearest station? If I go back I am going far- ther away from Mackinville. If I go forward I draw nearer Arizona.” Forward I started, my jute bag over my shoulder. It was some lighter than it had been. I wondered what I should have done if the stuff had not lasted till I reached San [rancisco. I trudged on and on and grew parched with thirst. I saw no signs of water until I had gone perhaps five miles. Then I perceived a few trees ahead, and -trudged on joyfully, for the lines on which they grew told me they were be- side a little stream. And I found it so. I diseovered a shady spot under a tree right at the side of a brook, and sat down to eat. First I quenched my thirst, and then I opened a can of beef and a can of tomatoes. Putting salt and pepper on these, L made a first-class meal and drank my fill of the sweet water. Pes fo ‘ ee es a -