--- a/SmallInteger.st	Sat Oct 27 08:50:24 2018 +0200
+++ b/SmallInteger.st	Sat Oct 27 08:54:51 2018 +0200
@@ -94,6 +94,58 @@
      - SmallIntegers cannot be created with new"
 
     self error:'instances of SmallInteger cannot be created with new'
+!
+
+fastFromString:aString at:startIndex
+    "return the next SmallInteger from the string starting at startIndex.
+     No spaces are skipped.
+     Raises an error, if the index is out of bounds,
+     Returns garbage if the argument string is not a valid integer.
+
+     This is a specially tuned entry (using a low-level C-call to atol).
+     It has been added to allow high speed string decomposition into 
+     numbers, especially for mass-data (reading millions of numbers)."
+
+%{   /* NOCONTEXT */
+     if (__isStringLike(aString) && __isSmallInteger(startIndex)) {
+        char *cp = (char *)(__stringVal(aString));
+        int idx = __intVal(startIndex) - 1;
+        long atol(const char *);
+
+        if ((unsigned)idx < __stringSize(aString)) {
+            long val = atol(cp + idx);
+            RETURN (__MKINT(val));
+        }
+     }
+%}.
+     self primitiveFailed.
+
+    "
+     SmallInteger fastFromString:'hello12345' at:6
+     SmallInteger fastFromString:'12345' at:1
+     SmallInteger fastFromString:'12345' at:2
+     SmallInteger fastFromString:'12345' at:3
+     SmallInteger fastFromString:'12345' at:4
+     SmallInteger fastFromString:'12345' at:5
+     SmallInteger fastFromString:'12345' at:6
+     SmallInteger fastFromString:'12345' at:0
+
+     Time millisecondsToRun:[
+        1000000 timesRepeat:[
+            SmallInteger readFrom:'12345'
+        ]
+     ]
+    "
+
+    "
+     Time millisecondsToRun:[
+        1000000 timesRepeat:[
+            SmallInteger fastFromString:'12345' at:1
+        ]
+     ]
+    "
+
+    "Created: / 27-10-2018 / 08:52:32 / Claus Gittinger"
 ! !
 
 !SmallInteger class methodsFor:'bit mask constants'!