wenty
passengers injured more or less. Several considerably more. Express
messenger expected to pass out. Just a nice, cosy little wreck with
no--no spectacular features, as you might say."

"Well, come on! How did it happen?"

"Freight train taking a siding and went to sleep at it. Our engine
bumped the other engine and they both went smash. Hot coals and steam
and so on got busy. It was about five in the morning. Just getting
lightish. Everyone snuggled up in bed. _Biff! Wow!_ I landed out on the
floor on my hands and knees. Everyone yelled. Car turned half over and
sat that way. Doors got jammed. We beat it out by the windows. I was a
Roman Senator with a green berth curtain wrapped about me. Afterwards I
sneaked back and pulled out my shoes and overcoat. Always sleep with my
shoes under my pillow, you see. Good idea, too. If I hadn't had them
there I'd never have got them. Couldn't get my bag out. Car was on fire
by that time. Three others, too. They saved all but the one I was in and
the express and baggage cars. After awhile a wrecking train came and
then a lot of us walked to a village about a mile and a half away and
had breakfast and went on to Cincinnati about noon."

"Gee! But, still, you know, I don't see how you got burned."

"Well, things were pretty hot. Some of them got burned a lot worse than
I did. Had to pull some of them out the windows and through the roofs.
Women, too. Lucky thing our car had only two in it. Two women, I mean.
Things were fairly busy for awhile."

"Must have been. The engineer was killed straight off, eh?"

"Ours was. The other one managed to jump. Firemen got off all right,
too. The other fireman. Ours got caught and scalded like the dickens.
Saw the engineer myself." Don frowned and shuddered. "Nasty mess he was,
too, poor fellow. Let's talk about something else. I don't like to
remember that engineer."

"Too bad! But, say, you were lucky, weren't you? You might have been
killed, I suppose."

"Might have, maybe. Didn't come very near it, though. First wreck I ever
saw and don't want to see any more. Funny thing, though, I didn't mind
it at all until I was on the train going to Cincinnati. Excitement, I
suppose. Then I came near keeling over, honest! What do you know about
that, Timmy?"

"I guess anyone would have. How bad is your burn?"

"Not bad. Hurts a bit, though. It's the inside of the fingers and the
palm. It'll be all right in a few days, I guess. Doctor chap s