Page:George Collins - A Strange Railroad Wreck.pdf/49

Rh "accident report" coming from one of the telegraph sounders attracted her attention, and she quieted herself long enough to listen. It was the regular telegraphic report of the accident signed by the conductor of Forty-nine, being sent from Allenburg office to Pittsburg [sic]. She almost held her breath when the sending operator came to that part of it where the names of the killed and injured were given. The cold, relentless brass sounder would not spare her; it continued to speak—

"The killed: Fireman James McDonald; Brakeman Charles Green; Brakeman Joe Fleming———"

With a scream the frenzied girl jumped to her feet, and running to the office door, rushed outside. Dawn was just breaking, but the little town of Lewistown was still asleep. Pacing up and down the track in front of her office, the unfortunate operator acted like one mad.

"I killed him! I killed him!" she sobbed. "If I had not slept I should never have taken that order! And I thought Joe was on Forty-seven! Oh, how did that engineer get by a red light?"

Then, as the thought came to her suddenly, she ran up the track a dozen steps and looked at the top of the semaphore tower. It showed a white light! Yet the breaking of day showed the wooden arm in a perfectly horizontal position, indicating danger, and