"for de land sakes, perfessor, hurry up! heah's de stupenduousness conglomeration dat eber transcribed dis terresterial hemisphere!" exclaimed a stout, jolly looking colored man a few seconds after the crash of the wreck had ceased echoing.
"what is it, washington?" asked a mild mannered elderly gentleman, with long flowing hair and beard, who, with the negro, had been walking in a field close to the railroad.
"i doan perzackly know, perfessor, but it seems like there was a discontinuation ob de transportation facilities, when some sudden construction on de elongated tempestuousness attached to de railroad made de cars go bump! bump! bang! smack! crash!"
"washington! washington! when will you stop using words that don't mean anything!" cried the old man, hurrying forward. "i presume you mean there has been a railroad wreck?"
"that's it, perfessor. de extenuatin' circumstances ob transmigration—"
"that will do, washington!" said the aged man, somewhat sternly. "you must stop talking, and act. this is no time for foolishness. there may be people hurt. come along and let us see what we can do."
"yes, sah!" replied the negro, calming down.
then the two hurried down along the track, piled high with the debris of the runaway freight train.
"my! my! this is a terrible wreck!" cried the old man, as the two climbed over the mass of wreckage.
"hi, perfessor!" called the colored man, suddenly. "i've found something!"
"what is it, washington?"
"it's a boy, an' he dead!"
"oh, that's too bad!"
"an' heah's another, an' he's dead! dis catafterme is de most—"
"now, washington, remember what i told you. no big words wanted at the present time. where are the boys?"
"here, perfessor," and the negro showed the old man where mark and jack were lying, close together on a pile of sand. the professor bent over them. he felt of their hearts and listened to their breathing.
"here!" he cried, suddenly. "they're not dead! they're only stunned!
maybe we can save them! hurry, washington, and carry them to my cabin.
you take one and i will bring the other!"
"you don't need to carry any ob 'em," answered the colored man. "dis chile is strong 'nuff, i reckon, to tote dem two boys," and, suiting the action to the words, he stooped down, put an arm around each of the prostrate forms and lifted one on each shoulder. "'bout face! forward march!" he cried.
with the old man following, the negro made his way along a path that led over the fields, until he came to a long and rather narrow shed built on the edge of the woods.
"be sure no one is in sight before you go in!" cautioned the old man, as he opened the door, which was fastened with several padlocks. "it would never do to have my secret discovered now."
"nobody in sight, master!" exclaimed the colored man, as he turned, with the two unconscious boys on his shoulders, and gazed about "de coast am clear."
"then hurry inside and we will see what we can do for the poor lads. i fear they are seriously hurt."
the negro slipped in as the old man held the door open, hurriedly closing it afterward, and bolting it on the inside.
"put them on my bed," went on the gray-haired man. "then hurry back to the wreck! there may be more people hurt, whom you can aid. don't stop to talk, but hurry back. i will see to the boys."
not very willingly the negro left the shed. when he was gone, and the door was securely fastened after him, the old man went over to where mark and jack lay, both still unconscious.
"poor lads!" sighed the old man. "i hope i can save them."
he went rapidly to work. loosening the clothing of the boys he soon found that no bones were broken. then from a medicine chest he took several bottles. in a tall glass, such as druggists use for mixing prescriptions, he put several liquids, and stirred the whole together. then he moistened a little cotton in the preparation, and placed the white stuff under the noses of the lads, holding it in place with cloths. he had about completed this when a knock was heard at the door.
"who is there?" he cried, starting up in alarm.
"mr. washington jackson alexander white," was the answer.
"give the countersign!" demanded the old man, sternly, making no move to undo the bolts that held the door tight.
"de north pole, an' long may it stand!" was the rather odd reply.
"right! enter!" said the professor, opening the door to give admittance to the colored man.
"did you find any more victims of the wreck?" asked the old man.
"no, sah; mr. perfessor amos henderson, i did not," answered washington.
"just plain professor will do," said amos henderson, quietly. "you needn't give my full name every time."
"all right, perfessor," went on the colored man. "i didn't find no mo' pussons entangled in the distribution of debris. dere was a lot ob railroad men dere, but dey wasn't hurted. dey was lookin' fer two boys what was ridin' on de train when it went kersmash."
"i hope you didn't say anything about these lads, washington."
"not one single disjointed word, perfessor. dis chile knows when to persecute de essence ob quietude an' silence."
"there you go again! how many times have i told you not to try and use big words, washington? use simple language. i take it you mean there were no others injured in the wreck?"
"perzackly."
"it is a miracle how these boys escaped instant death," the old man went on.
"i reckon as how it were owin' to de fack dat dey struck in a bank ob soft sand dat concussioned de fall," explained washington.
"you mean the soft sand saved them?"
"dat's de correctness ob it."
"i think you are right," the old man continued, as he fastened the door securely. "the shock of the sudden stopping of the runaway train, as it reached the end of the siding and crashed into the bank, probably threw the lads up in the air, and they came down in the sliding sand where we found them. otherwise they would surely have been killed. as it is they have had severe shocks."
"are dey goin' to die, perfessor?"
"i hope not, washington, but i must see to them."
amos henderson went over to the bed on which the two boys were stretched out, each with the piece of cotton soaked in the preparation over his mouth and nose.
"i am using a very powerful remedy," the old man muttered. "if they are not too badly hurt they will recover. ah, yes, there is a little color in their pale cheeks."
he bent over the boys. as he had said, jack's face was tinged with a light pink, and mark's eye-lids were moving slightly.
"they are coming around all right," exclaimed the aged professor. "hurry, washington, and get some hot beef broth ready. put the kettle on to boil and make some strong tea. they will want something to eat shortly after they recover their senses."
the colored man, humming softly to himself, began moving about the shed. it was a rough looking place from the outside, but, within, was fitted with many comforts. there was a gasoline stove, a table, several chairs, a bed, and a large case full of books. but the queerest sights of all were on the walls.
they were literally covered with cog wheels, levers, handles, springs, pieces of machinery, patterns, models, and strange devices. the room had two doors. one was that by which the old man and the negro had entered. the other was behind the bed, and was clamped and fastened with so many bolts and bars, with locks similar to those on big safes, that it would seem a rare treasure was concealed behind the portal.
the old man gave no heed to the wonders that surrounded him. instead he gave all his attention to the boys. he sat down beside the bed and watched them as their breathing became stronger. from time to time he felt of their pulses, and nodded his head as if satisfied.
"is the beef tea ready?" asked the old man, after a half hour had passed.
"it am, perfessor."
"then turn down the flame a bit so it will keep the stuff warm, and come back into the work shop with me. i want to get that last bolt in the engine."
"are dem young gen'men all hunky-dory?"
"they are coming on nicely," was the old man's reply. "they will recover consciousness in half an hour and we can feed them, and give them some medicine. come along, washington."
the two passed out through the much-locked door behind the bed, the undoing of the fastenings taking some time. as the portal swung open it disclosed a long shed which seemed to be occupied with a big, strange object.
the old professor and the negro had not been gone more than five minutes before jack opened his eyes. he turned over on one side. as he did so mark slowly lifted his head.
"hello!" cried jack, faintly.
"what's the matter?" asked mark.
"matter? what? where?" inquired mark, sitting up.
"here! everywhere!" replied jack, raising himself slowly on his elbow.
"all i remember is a terrible crash. now look at all those wheels.
wheels! wheels! wheels! i wonder if they can be in my head?" and he
tried to smile.
"no, they are real wheels, and they are on the walls," announced mark.
"then where in the world are we?" went on jack. "in a machine shop or a railroad wreck?"
"looks like—" began mark, when he was interrupted by a voice calling:
"hurry up, perfessor! de boys has awakened from de unconsciousability!"
and, to the astonishment of jack and mark, the old man and his negro helper hurried from the inner room and stood in front of the bed.
