This was followed by two short blasts, that showed she had seen my
red-light and was going to stop. "My God!" I thought. "Has she been
warned?" So soon as the train whistled the men went out leaving me
helpless on the table. I heard the whistle of the air brakes and knew
the train must be slowing up. My anxiety was intense. Presently I heard
her stop at the tank, and then, in about a second, I listened to the
liveliest fusillade that I had ever heard in my life. It was sweet music
to my ears I can tell you, for it indicated to me, what proved to be a
fact, that a posse were on board and that the robbers were foiled. One
of them was shot, and two were captured, but "Bill," the leader,
escaped. They had their horses hitched to the telegraph poles, and as
"Bill" went running by the office I heard him say, "I'll fix that d--d
operator, anyhow." Then, BANG! crash, went the glass in the window, and
a bullet buried itself in the table, not two inches from my head. I was
not exactly killed, but I was frightened so badly, and the strain had
been so great, that when the trainmen came in to release me, I at once
lost consciousness.
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