The Watchman And His Lamp

A watchman was stationed at a railroad level crossing.

His duty was simple yet critical: to wave a lantern armed with a light,

warning approaching motorists or engineers about an oncoming train.

One tragic night, a fatal accident occurred despite his presence.

In court, he was asked insistently:

“Did you wave the lamp that night?”

And he replied repeatedly,

“Yes, I did wave the lamp, sir.”

He kept affirming that he had indeed swung the lamp

—yet something essential had gone wrong.

After the trial, when asked by a friend what happened, the watchman clarified:

“Yes, I waved the lamp—but I never had time to light the lamp.”

Later, his wife reassured him, reminding him,

“Honey, you did all you could. You swung the lamp.”

He responded, sadly: “I didn’t light the lamp.”