ing
approaching it, and if they will step up the track a piece he will show
them just where the cars left the rails. Ben must of done a lot of quick
thinking that day. He had the bunch over to see the exact spot, and they
all stood and looked over to the ice house and said it was incredible;
and a director from Boston said it was perfectly preposterous; really
now! And Ben kept on reciting rapidly about the details. He said Ed had
come down the seven miles in less than three minutes, which was lopping
a minute and a half off the official time; and that when picked up he
hadn't a whole bone left in his body, which was also a lie; and that
his cousin never could of survived if he hadn't probably had the most
marvellous constitution a man was ever endowed with. He then made the
bunch go over to the ice house to see the other exact spot, and they
looked back to where he started from, and again said it was incredible
and preposterous.

I don't know. Mebbe they wouldn't of thought it preposterous that a mere
brakeman was hurled that far, but Ed was a capitalist now. Anyway, the
president had him into his car for lunch with the party, and they might
possibly of got to talking about other things of less importance, but Ben
wouldn't have any thing else. He made 'em insist that Ed should tell his
version of the whole thing; how he felt when the cars started, and how
the scenery was blurred, and how his whole past life flashed before him,
and the last thing he remembered before he hit the sawdust. And Ben set
there looking so proud of Ed, like a mother having her little tot recite
something. And when Ed had finally lit, Ben made him tell about his slow
recovery. And after Ed got himself well again Ben would go back to the
start and ask for more details, such as whether he hadn't wanted to jump
off on the way down, or whether he had been conscious while going through
the air for nearly four hundred feet.

Ed got little food; but much he cared! He'd come into his own at last.
And suddenly he was surprised by finding a warm glow in his heart for
Ben, especially after Ben had said for about the third time: "I was
certainly a green hand in those days; so green that I didn't begin to
realize what a whale of an occurrence this was." Ed was getting a new
light on Ben.

After lunch Ed's own car got in from Colfax and he had the party over
there for cigars and more talk about himself, which was skillfully led
by Ben. Then the president i