As time went on, it became more and more evident that the doctor’s prediction with regard to Reddy Magraw was to be fulfilled. He regained1 his strength, but the light seemed quite gone from his brain. The officials of the railroad company did all they could for poor Reddy. When the local doctors failed, they brought an eminent2 specialist from Cincinnati for consultation3, but all seemed to agree there was nothing to be done but to wait. There was one chance in a thousand that a surgical4 operation might prove of benefit, but there was just as great a chance that Nature herself might do the work better.
Reddy remembered nothing of his past life. More than this, it gradually became evident to his friends that his genial5 nature had undergone a change through the darkness that had overtaken his brain. He grew estranged6 from his family, and strangely suspicious of some of his friends, those to whom he had really been most attached. Among these last was Allan. He would have nothing whatever to do with the boy.
“It’s one of the most ordinary symptoms of dementia,” the doctor had explained, when Jack7 questioned him about it. “Aversion to friends is what we always expect. His wife feels it more keenly than you do.”
“Of course she does, poor woman!” agreed Jack. “But he hasn’t got to abusin’ her, sir, has he?”
“Oh, no; he doesn’t abuse her; he just avoids her, and shows his dislike in other ways. If he begins to abuse her, we’ll have to send him to the asylum8. But I don’t anticipate any violence—I think he’s quite harmless.”
It was while they were sitting on the porch one evening discussing the sad situation of their friend, that Allan turned suddenly to Jack.
“Do you remember,” he said, “that first noon we were talking together, you started to tell me of some brave thing Reddy had done, and he shut you off?”
“Yes,” Jack nodded; “I remember.”
“Tell me now, won’t you? I’d like to hear about it.”
“All right,” said Jack, and told the story. Here it is:
Six years before, Reddy Magraw had been one of the labourers at the big coal-chute which towered into the air at the eastern end of the yards; just an ordinary labourer, working early and late, as every labourer for a railroad must, but then, as always, happy and care-free.
It was one afternoon in June that a message flashed into the despatcher’s office which sent the chief despatcher headlong into the office of the superintendent9.
“The operator at Baker’s just called me up, sir,” he gasped10, “to report that second Ninety-seven ran through there, going forty miles an hour, and that the engineer dropped a message tied to a wrench12 saying his throttle-valve had stuck, and his brakes wouldn’t work, and that he couldn’t stop his engine!”
The superintendent started to his feet, his face livid.
“They’ll be here in eight minutes,” he said. “Where’s Number Four?”
“Just past Roxabel. We can’t catch her, and the freight will run into her sure if we let it through the yards.”
“We won’t let it through the yards,” said the superintendent, and went down the stairs three steps at a time, and sped away in the direction of the coal-chute.
He had reflected rapidly that if the freight could be derailed at the long switch just below the chute, it could be run into a gravel13 bank, where it would do much less damage than farther up in the yards, among the network of switches there. He ran his swiftest, but as he reached the chute, he heard, far down the track, the roar of the approaching train. Evidently it was not yet under control. Reddy Magraw heard the roar, too, and straightened up in amazement14. Why should a freight approach the yards at that speed? Then he saw the superintendent tugging15 madly at the switch.
“Thet switch won’t work, sir,” he said. “A yard ingine hit the p’int about an hour ago an’ jammed it.”
“Won’t work!” echoed the superintendent, and stared blankly down the track at the train which every second was whirling nearer.
“Yes,—a runaway,—maybe I can make the other switch,” and he started away, but Reddy caught him by the arm.
“Wait, sir,” he cried; “wait. We’ll fix ’em—throw ’em on to th’ chute.”
“On to the chute?”
“Yes, on to th’ chute. Throw th’ switch there,” and Reddy, grabbing up two big cans of oil, started for the track leading to the long ascent17.
Up the steep ascent ran Reddy, a can in either hand, spurting18 streams of oil upon the rails—up and up—yet it seemed that he must certainly be caught and hurled19 to death, for a moment later the great freight-engine reached the structure, which groaned20 and trembled under this unaccustomed weight. Up the incline it mounted, the weight of the train behind it urging it on. Half-way up, two-thirds, almost upon Reddy, where he bent21 over the rails, a can in either hand, never pausing to look back.
From under the pounding drivers the smoke flew in clouds—the oil was being burned by friction22. Yet down the rails flowed more oil; the drivers were sliding now, the speed of the train was lessening—lessening. The engine was racking itself out, its power was spent, it had been conquered. For an instant it hung poised23 on the incline, then slowly started down again. The crew had managed to set the hand-brakes, and these held the train somewhat, but still it coasted back down that incline at a speed that brought the watchers’ hearts into their throats. The wheels held the rails, however, and a quarter of a mile back on the main line it stopped, its power for evil exhausted24. And just then Number Four whistled for signal, and rumbled25 slowly into the other end of the yards. The superintendent drew a deep breath of relief and thankfulness as he thought of what the result would have been had the runaway not been stopped in time.
“Was Reddy hurt?” asked Allan, who had listened to the story breathlessly.
“Hurt? Oh, no; he come down th’ chute, put th’ empty oil-cans back in their places, an’ went t’ work ag’in.”
“But didn’t the company do something for him?” persisted the boy. “Wasn’t he rewarded?”
“No,” said Jack, puffing26 away at his pipe with a very grim face; “but th’ superintendent was promoted.”
“The superintendent?”
“Yes; he got his promotion27. Y’ see, in his report of th’ accident, he somehow fergot t’ mention Reddy.”
Allan flushed with a sudden generous anger.
“But,” he began, “that wasn’t—”
“Honest?” and Jack laughed a little bitterly. “No, maybe not; but what could a poor feller like Reddy do about it? Only,” he added, “it’s jest as well fer that superintendent he didn’t stay on this division. Th’ boys would ’a’ given him some mighty28 lively times. We’ve got a gentleman fer a superintendent now. He don’t try t’ stale nobody else’s thunder—he’s given Reddy a square deal this time.”
Truth to tell, Reddy’s family was being better provided for than it had ever been—the superintendent saw to that; and Reddy himself was receiving the best medical attention to be secured, though it seemed more and more certain that even the greatest skill would be unable to restore his memory.
It was long before sleep came to Allan’s eyes that night, so excited was he over Jack’s story of Reddy’s exploit, and so indignant at the injustice29 that had been done him. He was thinking about it still, next day, until, of a sudden, he was forcibly reminded that he also possessed30 an enemy who was watching eagerly for an opportunity to injure him, and who would pause at no treachery.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
regained
|
|
| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
eminent
|
|
| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
consultation
|
|
| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
surgical
|
|
| adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
genial
|
|
| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
estranged
|
|
| adj.疏远的，分离的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
jack
|
|
| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
asylum
|
|
| n.避难所，庇护所，避难 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
superintendent
|
|
| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
gasped
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
gasp
|
|
| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
wrench
|
|
| v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
gravel
|
|
| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
amazement
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
tugging
|
|
| n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
runaway
|
|
| n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
ascent
|
|
| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
spurting
|
|
| （液体，火焰等）喷出，（使）涌出( spurt的现在分词 )； （短暂地）加速前进，冲刺； 溅射 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
hurled
|
|
| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
groaned
|
|
| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
friction
|
|
| n.摩擦，摩擦力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
poised
|
|
| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
exhausted
|
|
| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
rumbled
|
|
| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
puffing
|
|
| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
promotion
|
|
| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
mighty
|
|
| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
injustice
|
|
| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
possessed
|
|
| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |