The Iron Dragon Never Sleeps by Stephen Krensky Read Free Book Online

barely lie down. There was fighting over food and space. There was much sickness everywhere.
    “But worst of all, he said, was the waiting. Days and days and more days to come. Men died all around him. The smell was terrible. The food was so bad he closed his eyes while he ate. Still, there was more waiting.
    “He wondered if he had made a good choice. He had been poor in China, but China was home. Leaving had been hard. This voyage was harder.
    “Finally he reached San Francisco. So much remained unknown, but at least the waiting was over. He would never forget it, he said.”
    It took an hour of digging before they were ready to blast again.
    It’s an upside-down day for sure, Papa
, thought Winnie.
But it’s not over yet.
    As the fuses were lit again, Winnie squeezed her eyes shut and looked away.
    The next explosion peppered everyone with pebbles and dirt. When the dust cleared, there was asmall opening into the tunnel. Two crews rushed forward and enlarged the hole.
    “We’ve found them,” they called out. Everyone hushed, waiting for news from inside the tunnel.
    “And they’re all alive!”
    “Hooray!” shouted Winnie. She felt happy and excited and relieved all at once. She gave her mother a big hug. Then she hugged Flap Jack. And then she hugged Lee.
    He even hugged her back.
    Then they realized they were hugging—and quickly jumped apart.
    The crews stepped aside as the miners emerged from the tunnel hole. One was limping. Another was favoring an arm. Several were carried out on stretchers.
    “Tom! Tom!”
    Lee rushed to the side of a man on a stretcher. He was so covered in dirt that Winnie couldn’t get a good look at him.
    “Eli!”
    “Papa!”
    Her father was being helped out of the tunnel. “Careful there,” he said as they rushed forward. “I think I busted something.”
    The next few minutes were filled with hugs andkisses. Before they were done, it was hard to tell who was wearing the most dirt.
    Winnie had tried to say something, but the words kept getting stuck in her throat. But now she looked at her father, covered in smudges and grit—and she laughed.
    “I think you’re going to need a bath,” she said.
    Eli Tucker smiled—and then clutched his side. “I think we all will,” he said, wincing.
    For once Winnie didn’t mind the idea of a bath at all.

W HAT W INNIE ALWAYS REMEMBERED afterward was the doctor’s office. It had a few chairs, a table, and a sink in the corner. There was an imposing cabinet with a glass front. It had bottles inside. Winnie couldn’t read the labels.
    The room had a funny smell. It made Winnie glad she hardly ever got sick.
    Still, she was happy to go there with her father. She had to wait while the doctor changed his bandages, but she didn’t mind. He was going to be all right soon enough.
    One time Winnie asked the doctor about Lee’s brother, Tom.
    “Tom?” the doctor had replied. “Tom who?”
    “Tom Cheng.”
    “Oh, one of the Celestials.” The doctor shrugged. “Did he die?”
    “Well, no.” Winnie had once seen the bodies of two Chinese workers who had died. They had been laid out and covered with a rice mat.
    “Then he’s probably all right.”
    “Well, how was he when you saw him?”
    “Me? I didn’t examine him.”
    “But he was in the tunnel with my father. He was carried out on a stretcher.”
    “Yes, yes.” The doctor was unconcerned. “I’m sure he was. But I don’t treat Celestials.”
    Winnie frowned. “Why not? They work for the railroad, too.”
    The doctor shrugged. “It’s just company policy. The Celestials have their own ways and medicines. I’m sure he’s doing fine.”
    Winnie wasn’t satisfied. She later asked her father about it. What was the railroad doing for the injured Chinese workers?
    “I don’t know, Winnie. You heard the doctor. They have their own ways. Probably something to do with vegetables.”
    Winnie might have smiled at that when the summer began. She wasn’t smiling