St Anthony High School - Tattler Yearbook (St Anthony, ID)

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T H E TATTLER iiitnn miimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiNiiiiiiiiiiimmiiiiimimmiiiiiiiiiimiiimiiiiiiimMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiimMiiiiiiiiimmiiiiimimiiiiimiiiiiimiiiiiiimiiiimmimiiimiiiiiir Under the Wheels HE glaring eye of the oncoming locomotive far up the track cleaved a path of light through the darkness and glinted along the rails. 1 climbed the embankment and waited for a ride into town. On every side of me stretched miles and miles of sage-brush covered sand dunes, which, except for an occasional settler, were inhabited only by snakes and lizards. The night was quiet ; only a faint wind stirred my hair and brushed my cheeks. I seemed the only living thing in that expanse of desert except for the monster which was fast approaching. I he engine puffed by me and 1 strained my eyes in the darkness to see the steps of the cars. Looking over my shoulder in order to see the ladder when it approached, I sprinted alongside, then as a car went by I grabbed for the steps. My fingers fastened on the iron rod, but 1 had under-estimated the speed of the train. Around between the cars I swung, and one hand was wrenched loose. 1 here I dragged, face upward, one hand gripping the iron rung and my feet bump- ing along the ties on each side of the rail. I tried to pull myself up, but my strength was inadequate. The train sped on. It seemed every minute that my hand should be jerked loose, and I would be ground to bits under those crush- ing, grinding wheels. Being helpless to aid myself, I was dragged along in the darkness. The only ones who could help me were unconscious of my existence, and all I could do was to hang on till my strength gave out, then drop beneath the wheels. One mighty effort I made, however, turning slightly at the risk of losing my hold. 1 drew myself up until my hand reached the side of the car, then a sudden lurch of the train threw me over again, and I fell back nearly ex- hausted. One hope 1 had, but so small that I counted on it little ; occasionally the train stopped for water at the tank below. I clung desperately on and gradually I ceased to feel my battered feet and ankles and became unconscious of my strain- ing arm u I heard only the click, click-click, click-click, click of the the wheels of the train. 1 seemed to take a childish fancy to this noise. Time ceased. A shriek penetrated the blackness, and 1 awoke to a vague understanding that I had some hope left. The clicks became slower and slower, the shriek continued, then finally with a hissing of air they both stopped. I dropped across the rail, rolled over and slid with scattering of gravel down the embrankment. F. C., ' 20. Page Twenty-four