wide platform. The P. &
T. C. road crossed at right angles at one end of the platform, and one
operator did the work for the two roads. There were two lamps over my
desk--one on each side of the bay window--and one was out in the
waiting-room. I also kept a lantern lighted to carry when I went out to
trains.

All through the early part of the night, I heard sounds of revelry and
carousing, accompanied by an occasional pistol shot, up in the town, but
about half past eleven these sounds ceased, and I was congratulating
myself that my night, would after all, be uneventful. About twelve
o'clock, however, there arose just outside the office the greatest
commotion I had ever heard in my life. I was eating my midnight lunch,
and had a piece of pie in my hand, when I heard the tramp of many feet
on the platform. It sounded like a regiment of infantry, and in a
minute there came the report of a shot, and with a crash out went one of
my lights, a shower of glass falling on the table. Before I could
collect myself there came another shot and smash out went the other
light. I dropped my pie and spasmodically grasped the table. The only
lights left were the one in the waiting-room and my lantern, which made
it in the office little better than total darkness. All the time the
tramp, tramp on the platform was coming closer and closer, and my heart
was gradually forcing its way up in my mouth. In a moment the
waiting-room door was thrown open, and with a wild whoop and a big
hurrah, the crowd came in. The door between the office and the
waiting-room was closed, but that made no difference to my visitors;
they smashed it open and swarmed into the office. One of them picked up
the lantern, and swaggering over to where I sat all trembling with fear,
and expecting that _my_ lights would go out next, raised it to my face.
They all crowded around me and one of them gave me a good punch in the
ribs. Then the one with the lantern said, "Well, fellows, the little
cuss is game. He didn't get under the table like the last one did. Kid,
for a tenderfoot, you're a hummer."

Get under the table! I couldn't. I would have given half my interest in
the hereafter to have been able to crawl under the table or to have run
away. But fright held its sway, and locomotion was impossible.

For about five minutes the despatcher had been calling me for orders,
and in a trembling voice I asked them to let me answer and take the
order. "Cert," said one of them