It is over thirty years since my wife and I began the study of Christian Science. We were then members of a church, the services of which were ritualistic, but we were seeking something more satisfying in a religion. It was after my first healing in Christian Science that we realized we had found the "pearl of great price."
One Saturday afternoon it was necessary that I walk from my office —an engineering crew's shack along the right-of-way on a western railroad—to the station to mail a report. On my return I noticed the switch engine, which had been assigned to our use in the work, approaching and traveling in the direction I was going. It was our custom to ride on the engine whenever practicable. I ran and jumped toward the running board of the tender, reaching for the handrail, but I inadvertently got hold of the coupling pin rod, which lies alongside and below the handrail, and as this was loose I was thrown up into the air and was then unable to get a foothold on the running board.
The enginemen were all riding on the pilot of the engine and neither they nor the engineer or fireman saw my plight. I was forced to release my hold and was thrown along the tracks. I was able to get up and proceed to the office and thence home, where my wife removed my torn clothing and found that my arm, back, and right hip were injured. We cleansed the wounds and asked a Christian Science practitioner for help. The healing was almost instantaneous. The wound on the hip closed gradually, and the other lacerations healed quickly. The soreness and stiffness left me and I was able, the next morning, to walk to the local Christian Science church service, a distance of over a mile, and return.
