Now taking a step back, while Peyton is awaiting his own death the noose around his neck is adjusted he takes a look around to find someone who could help him escape, but “nobody was in sight the railroad ran straightaway into a forest for a hundred yards, then, curving, was lost to view”.
Now the reason behind this fantasy is nothing crazy or mind blowing, being killed in such a brutal manner leaves Peyton Farquhar reminiscent of his wife and home. So at this point we are entering part three and Farquar is now entering his Fantasy from the moment he falls into the creek until the moment his fingertips grasp his wife. Another hint similar to the one before is a song that is played each time it seems that Peyton is really going to be free, the lyrics talk about how he’s a “livin man”. Another detail that is conveying a hint of foreshadowing is the voice of the union caption when Farquar is in the water, it’s slowed down and very demonic. Peyton Farquhar only hears “the ticking of his watch.” This distinct reference to time gives the reader a moment to ponder just how many ticks of Peyton’s watch actually occur during the upcoming sequence. We can tell because Bierce goes into great detail about the bridge and the surrounding landscape, and he uses his protagonist’s heightened senses to observe and describe this setting. Ambrose Bierce continuously foreshadows the disruption of time and Peyton Farquhar’s upcoming death. It begins with Farquar and his executioners on the railroad bridge. The setting takes place in a familiar forest on a railroad bridge and beneath it a rushing creek. So knowing that this soldier is a Federal scout from up north is not good for Peyton because he is a Southern Plantation owner so it builds suspense between these two people who have entirely different viewpoints of “what is right”. He also tells Peyton, “The Yanks are repairing the railroads…any civilian caught interfering with the railroad, its bridges, tunnels or trains will be summarily hanged”. The suspense begins when a soldier arrives to Faquars home asking for a drink of water. As the story describes Peyton’s life and work, they tell of how he is “a well-to-do planter, as well as a slave owner who is devoted to the Southern cause” The main character In the story as yu can tell is Farquhar and he is convicted for presumably treason by the union soldiers when he is caught trying to help the Confederates.
Throughout the story, the author uses flashbacks to describe the lifestyle Peyton Farquhar lived. The story takes place in Nothern Alabama during the American Civil War.
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