A DANGEROUS RIDE 323 



on a girl down at Newcastle. So he says to me this 

 morning, ' Bill, I hain't seen her for a week, and I 

 can't stand it no longer. You take hold o' things and 

 I'll run right down and come back Monday morning.' 

 So he left me, and I tell you what, when I hear these 

 instruments pounding away so fast that I can't under- 

 stand half they are talking about, it shakes my nerves 

 up awful. "When I get a ' call ' it's just as likely as not 

 to come so fast I can't take a word of it." 



There was quite enough in the greenhorn's informa- 

 tion to set us soliloquizing on what might happen dur- 

 ing Sam Wright's absence. Wouldn't it have been 

 more considerate to let his girl wait rather than run 

 the risk of launching a carload of people into Eter- 

 nity ? Of course it would ; but a man troubled with 

 " girl on the brain " has no spare room in that locality 

 for the consideration of unpleasant possibilities. 



Our soliloquy was here interrupted by one of the 

 instruments clicking so vigorously that it drowned the 

 noise of the others. We were sure it was a call for 

 this station, because of the agonized expression that 

 crept over the greenhorn's face as he tried to make 

 out the fast coming message. While he could take 

 some of it, there was evidently more of it that he 

 couldn't take. So at last he was forced to ask the 

 sender to " slow up." As it was now near our train 

 time I asked him if the message he was taking had 

 any reference to our train. 



