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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from The Octopus by Frank Norris: the reach of danger. He set his teeth and, throwing open the
fire-door, stoked vigorously for a few moments. The indicator of
the steam gauge rose; his speed increased; a glance at the
telegraph poles told him he was doing his fifty miles an hour.
The freight engine behind him was never built for that pace.
Barring the terrible risk of accident, his chances were good.
But suddenly--the engineer dominating the highway-man--he shut
off his steam and threw back his brake to the extreme notch.
Directly ahead of him rose a semaphore, placed at a point where
evidently a derailing switch branched from the line. The
semaphore's arm was dropped over the track, setting the danger
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