Page:Cy Warman--The express messenger and other tales of the rail.djvu/194

182 that she must have overheard the quarrel between the superintendent and himself, his anger rose against the innocent young woman; and the other official, seeing their embarrassment, quit the room by a side door.

"Mr. Goodlough, you've made a great mistake," said the girl.

"Have I?" shouted the train-master, "and do you expect a salary for correcting me?"

"Look at your sheet. You 've—"

"What?" yelled the man, "do you mean to—"

"For heaven's sake, man," pleaded the girl, "see what you 've done—look at the clock—there 'll be a collision in less than ten minutes. You 'll be a murderer if you fail to save those trains."

"You 're about as crazy as they get," said the despatcher; and really she looked like a mad woman, with her big eyes burning in her pale face. Of a sudden she turned, darted out of the office, and ran down the stair as an actress quits a burning hotel.

"She'd be a bird in a telegraph office," muttered the train-master, going back to his