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Updated: May 24, 2025
It was a possibility, that was all; and Donkin's fingers worked the seventeen, the life and death calling, calling on the night trick to the day man at Cassil's Siding.
"Got along far enough to take a station key somewhere?" he inquired casually. "He's made a pretty good job of it as the night operator at Cassil's." Donkin was smiling. "Not yet," he said. "No?" Carleton's eyebrows went up. "Well, let him come in here with you, then, till he has; and when you say he's ready, we'll see what we can do.
It was ten o'clock Donkin's watch lay face up on the table before him the day man at Cassil's went off at seven the chance was that the day man might have come back to the station for something or other! Not much of a chance? No not much!
Between the Gap and Blind River, eight miles from the Gap, seven miles from Blind River, was Cassil's Siding. But there was no night man at Cassil's, and the little town lay a mile from the station.
"Toddles," he said. Regan sat down heavily in his chair. "What?" demanded the super. "Toddles," said Donkin. "I've been trying to drum a little railroading into him on the key." Regan wiped his face. He looked helplessly from Donkin to the super, and then back again at Donkin. "But but what's he doing at Cassil's Siding? How'd he get there h'm? H'm? How'd he get there?"
"I don't know," said Donkin, his fingers rattling the Cassil's Siding call again. "He doesn't answer any more. We'll have to wait for the story till they make Blind River, I guess." And so they waited. And presently at Blind River, Kelly, dictating to the operator not Beale, Beale's day man told the story.
Toddles' head came up with a jerk. A little cry burst from Toddles' lips and his brain cleared. He wasn't at Big Cloud at all he was at Cassil's Siding and he was hurt and that was the sounder inside calling, calling frantically for Cassil's Siding where he was. The life and death the seventeen it sent a thrill through Toddles' pain-twisted spine. He wriggled to the window.
"The second section will have passed Cassil's now," he said in a curious, unnatural, matter-of-fact tone. "It'll bring them together about a mile east of there in another minute." And then Carleton spoke master railroader, "Royal" Carleton, it was up to him then, all the pity of it, the ruin, the disaster, the lives out, all the bitterness to cope with as he could.
And then, besides, Bob was working it faster than he had ever done before when they were practicing. "Hold second" second something Toddles couldn't make it out. Then the "seventeen" yes, he knew that that was the life and death. Bob was going pretty quick, though. Then "CS CS CS" Toddles' brain fumbled a bit over that then it came to him. CS was the call for Cassil's Siding. Cassil's Siding!
It was Cassil's Siding and there was no night man at Cassil's Siding! The switch lights were lighted before the day man left, of course. Everything swam before Toddles' eyes. There there was no help here. And yet yet perhaps desperate hope came again perhaps there might be. The pain was terrible all over him. And and he'd got so weak now but it wasn't far to the door.
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