I hardly heard his last words—I was already rushing and shoving my way through to that door.
At first it stuck a little, but gave pretty soon when I put my whole back and shoulder into it—only then I had to hang on and catch my balance to keep from tumbling out. The car was at a crazy cant that invited a sudden drop into…right enough, the clouds had broken and were letting half a moon out into the night sky, which gave me just enough light to see the snow…looked like it was drifted pretty deep…a long downward slant of the white stuff.
As soon as I could feel sure those big bumpy pockmarks in the snow beneath me marked where things falling out of the dangling baggage car and caboose had broken the surface, I let myself drop down. Broke through a thick crust of ice and landed almost waist-
