The Argosy, January 1906 — page 149: what you’re looking at

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

BLOCK TOWER SEVEN. ool toward Coldspring. As he approached the sleeping Merriweather, he observed that the brakeman had shut the siding switch, so as to give the passenger train a clear track, and had doubtless sat down. here to wait for its passage so as to open the switch again for his own train. The passenger train approached swiftly, its whistle shrilly announcing its coming when but a few rods away. The sound awoke the brakeman with a start. Dan saw him jerk up his head, stare wildly about, and finally stagger to his feet as he saw the forefront of the passenger engine rushing along the track towards him. Dan had stepped aside for the train to pass, and the ex- pression of Merriweather’s face sur- prised him. In a flash the brakeman’s_counte- nance became as colorless as chalk, his jaws fell apart, and although the linger- ing echo of the locomotive whistle drowned other sounds, Dan knew that a wild yell had been emitted from the man’s throat. Merriweather dashed forward toward the switch which had been left un- locked. The passenger engine was al- most upon the frog, yet. the brakeman seized the lever to throw the rails over! “My God, the man is mad!” cried the signalman, and forgetting all else but the immediate peril, he bounded toward the spot. That switch was properly closed; but- Dan knew what had happened. Aroused so suddenly by the whistle of the com- ing train from his slumber of exhaus- tion, Merriweather had become con- fused. A freight engineer, after thirty odd hours’ continual strain, has been known to forget how to stop or start his loco- _ motive. Merriweather staggered up, be- lieving that he had not properly turned the switch before falling asleep beside the tracks! & In a moment more the fatal mistake would have been made, and the passen- ger train, turned into the side track, would have collided with the freight. But before the lever was dragged over, and before the forward trucks of the onrushing locomotive caught the switch rails, Dan had flung himself upon the stooping brakeman. The latter was borne to the ground by the weight of the signalman’s body, the lever shipped back into place, and the train sped by in safety, while the two men grappled for a moment in the shallow ditch. Francis, who had seen the incident, came running back and dragged them to their feet. Merriweather, his eyes bloodshot and staring, all a-shake like a palsied man, gazed in wonder after the train disappearing safely along the westbound track. ““ Did—did I do it, after all?” he gasped. “ You most certainly did!” observed~ the car inspector. “ But if it hadn’t been for Mr. Crompton here, you'd have sent that train to kingdom come.” “JY thought—I dreamed I hadn’t thrown it,” stammered Merriweather, wetting his lips, still a picture of horror. “Well!” grunted Francis, staring at him. “ Youd better get a night’s rest —even if you’re docked for it—before you go much farther, young man. That was a narrow squeak. = Dan was so greatly moved himself that he was obliged to sit down for a few minutes to recover his strength. A catastrophe had been avoided by so narrow a margin that the thought of it, in his weakened state, made him posi- tively giddy. Merriweather, indeed, recovered first. He wrung Dan’s hand warmly. “* Another moment, sir, and I’d have had something on my m.nd that would have given me nightmare for the rest of my life,” he said, and shuddered. “And—how about. the directors?” suggested the signalman, wiping his brow. * Hell! ” exclaimed Merriweather in disgust. “ Did you ever hear of a direc- . tor who cared about anything but divi- dends? ” This was rather a sweeping state- ment; but Dan was not in a mood to challenge it. The determination of the managers of the road to move freight as cheaply as possible was at the bottom of the business, and usually is at the foun- dation of a railroad wreck. Francis finished the inspection of the comicbook