, 1866-12-30
DlCKeRS'S CHRISTMAS STORY.
Mugby Junction.

A =
rious tone 4s lie leaned against The Static
wall. lie Was thick,set, ruddy-faced ma
with ceal-blaek eyes. the whites or viii,
we're not white, but brownish- -Tellow A.
apparently SCARED and scanned. a. If tht
lad been opcrated upon. They were ey
tGss s. hea worked hard In looking throuc
T'nd and weather: He was dressed In
enort b!ock pea Jacket and gFimy white ca,
Fs1 trousers, and wore on his hrsd 4,
o!aek cap. There was no sign OF lcyity
nus Mee- HIS look WAS serious even TO sat
ness. ana there Was an air Of responsib,!It
That he epoke In earnest.
es: Sir. have been for, firc-and.twcnt
years locomotive cngiuc-driycr: and in al
That time, I've only killed zercn men an
ooys. Ihe:e,s not many VI mY matcs ca
-steadluess and keeping your eyes open.
What docs IL. When say seven men an,
ooys, ! mean my snatcs-ftokess, pc tors
and 70 forth l don't count passcngcrs.'
tiMs. h9w az 5.. nc become AZ ensine.drtver.
:, ay % %:nthes,' = he SAID, "Tasa . whcelwrigh
by the side OF the railway which runs Sc
twi1t Leeds and 6elby. II was the seconf
railway ibid down in The kingdom, the see
ond after the Liverpool and Manchester
%Ae7e Mr. Husklason was killed, as you ma,
By. We Young 'uns used to run out to ioal
turned handles, and making ~ It re. ro
and thought 10 myself woaiJ a
9e inc thing. to be an engine
dary: da,ye5: and hare the control Of won
ucrlal machine like that. Before the ratj
way, the driver VI tile mail coach Taa the
biggest man kuew. thought Should
Ike 10 br lie driver Of coach. We had J
Picture in our cottage OF George the Tnlrd
N N ,'' rea cnat. always mixed up the drive,
Nth tue King. only be had a low-cruTne,] s
9road.hT:nmel hat, which the King haduif
4n my idea, the King couldn't bc ! rrenter
nan than tho diver Of the mail coach. j
had alToys fancy to be head mar, OF some
Ana. Nhen went to Leeds once. and saw
= man c9nductins orchestra, thought i
should like to be tue conductor Of 4 oFches.
tfa. When went homo l made mrsnlf ),
nston, and went about the fields condnctnr
orchestra. 1t wasn't there, OF course. Int
Pretended it has. al another time, msn
s+aas 49, Mnp ana spea knc trumpet, on the
sage outside show. took ray fancy,
and thonsht should like to be Elm. Buf
Ehen TAG train came, the engine driver mi
them all In the shade, and was resolved fo
DC = en=inc-dEiyer. It wasn't lon. before
th"nmh nMu 10 40 something to earn my own living,
1ied suddcnIy-he was killed by thutdcr a n j
lightning while standing nndcr q tree ont NJ
Tue Ta,n-and mother couldn't keen us ali.
Inc day a.ler my fathers burial 1 walked
gown a. 70 the station, md said 1 wanted 10
!auEncd a Lit, said was for beginning eariy.
oat That IVES no. qnite biz enough ret. He
gave INC penny, aud told nc to 20 HON
ana grow. aud come again In ten reavs' time.
d'd ut dream Of danger then. II couldn't
oc eftslne.drtTer, ,Fas determined to hare
something to do abos1t engine; so, as I
could get nothing else, went on board a
lumber steamer. and broke up Goals f}r the
SloHer- That WAS how began, From that
bcca1ne . stokcr. first on bua7d so,t. aul
lhen On locomotive. Then, aficr Two years
ses!lce BECAME driver cn the very line
winch Passed OUT cottage. 5fy mother and
my brothers and sisters came uut m lont ~
NE, tlt Arst day drove. 1 was xntchfrur
LOT then' aud they WAS wa. chin. f,r me- n1,i
they waved their hands und hoo.a'd. nnd
waved my hand to them. / had tue steam
s"d m9i "! ~, and was going at q rsttlin. pace,
aho !afc proud was that minute. Ncrcr
was SO 1'Fuud In my life!
hen man hus liking fora flung II 's
as good LIS betns clever. In very shorI
Inn lime * became one Of the best drivers on The
It, ynu SIC, end liked it. No, l dlau't knoxr
much about the engine scientifically. ns you
ca!l ": bu' could put her to rights il auy-
tang wcnt out of gear-that Is 10 sar IF
therc vas hntling broken; but i couldn't have
scAplai1ca - low the steam worked inside.
Starting engine Is Just like drawing a dron
Of i,tn. You turn handle aud OF a,e ,roes.
lhsn oa turn The handle the othcr way. nut
on luz t,raEcs, aud you stop her. There is
~! Huch more IN 1t, 20 far. 1t Is M troof
penn. se.cnt!ile and knowing the priocipIe Of
ne engine lnside; no good at all Filters.
who know all the .us and outs Of The enrine
make the worst drivers. That's we'll know
lhcy knvW loo mich It's Just rs l'ye hcar.i
oi mau with regard to his inside If hr
knew ~hat complicated lnacllioe II Is. he
y. mouIo ~ nesef eat 1r drink, Or dance, or run,
th,n.s. 50 it is with filters. But Us az nre
ahead. @e so
But starting a engines one thing and
s,s at1slns Ut Aer is another. Any one, a chlid
u niost' can tuin On thc steam aud turn 1t of |
engine we'll on The road, 10 morc than II
u. h.n't every one who can ride horse proper
y. II Is much the same thing. If vou rai. |
iop hos=e right OF for milo or two Van
.aIe ..i; the wind out Of him, aud for the ne1t
~. !: 2l t"o you must let him trot or walk,
60 y Is with engine. il you put on too /
n!uch .. Steam, to ret over tho ground nt the
s.afl, you exhaust the boiler, al1i thru you'll |
!, nave 10 crawl along till your fresh wtter
Dels ui'. Tic great thing in driving Is, to 70
no5 I;',1 n.y.; 10 let youF water get too low,
kettle. If you nil it up when it's unoul
nat empty. it soon comes to the bo,i
again bn1 If you don't fili 1t up until The wa.
.st e. 1lyaily out. It's long limo in coming to
rms ooll ,:s'H. Another thing: you should
oests o.', nlakt spurts, unless son are detained
an4 lose f!nlc. lou should 20 up a i1clfnn
aAd down incline ut the SANG pace. Sonr.
.I,I ta,ues crlScF wi1l waste his steam. and
Nhco ne comes to hill he has scarcely
enough ,as? to drag him up. When yo,l'rr iu a
,c n e,,,a .,'at soss by Its and starts, you may
slne. !bat Kind Of driving 1r,sntens pas.
vnser Dreadful. When The train, after rat
.tliie along, suddenly etackcus speed when II
" l.n near L station, it may be III the miJJIc
T. .uhhGl, tile passengers think there Is
1ansc1; nut generally It's because the
'saser has u tn usted his stcam.
drove the Brighton exp, css. four or FIVE
sass oclt'Et como here, and tie afnua,s-
.la' -. r. tcc passenEcrs who had annual tick
r. said they knew wien was on
ns 9ngihe, because they was MT jerkcd.
Ia va.itaea W. USED to say as they came on 10
~ ana wAcn the guard told them ycs,
uey sala, All right, and touk their seats
[ustc comfortable. But the driver ncyer
!, ;ets e., 60 ~ ,nueL as shilling the guard comes
. ~ ~ aa .nal, anu ne dues nothing much.
g" ever think OF the driver. dare say thrv
nink the train goes alum, Of ltse1f; yri If We
"a NJ Keep sharp lookout, ,kno1 our duty,
M 40 H. they might nh 70 sm1si. at any mo.
aeht- Used to make that journey to
;. iEn1on. ~ dny.two minutes. The papers
y Il little too strong. had TO watch
saals al the Way, one every tso miles, so
wy me AID my stoker were on the stretch
y tne time, doing two things At oace-at-
sndins to the engine and l','lin; out I've
,lven. on th's linc. elshtyoue msles and
danger i'll speed if you have good rnad,a
ood engine, and not too many coachcs be-
M :, No. we dou't call them car1isses, wc
III 1hcM scoaehes.'
"; oscillation means danger. Ifyou'rc
'er in coach that oscillates much, tell OF
AZ tic ilrst station, and &c: it coupled up
loser. Cnaches when they re too loose art. |
pt to jump. or swing off the rails; and its
ulte rs dangerous when thcy're coupled up
aouel foF the buffers to work casy, passsn-
cts arc frightened in tunnels, but THERE'S
Is danger, Low, in tunnels than anywhere
gnalltd clear.
"A t,ain eau be stopped wonderful quick,
rem When running express, i. the guards !
Il with the driver and clap on Eli tIe
F1kes promptly. Much depends ut.ou The i
nxFds: Qnc brake behind Is u :;asd as two ;;
i1uni. The engine, you see, ioscs weight
ss,e bu1rs her Goals and consumes Ier
atcs, but the coaches behind don't alter. !
have good deal Of trouo1c with young J
Yards. III their aa1iety to perform their
ltics, they put on the brakes too soon, so
lat sometimes VIC can scarcely drag the |
mn into the station; ~hcn tl,cy Erow older
1t they arc not go uu1ioas, and don't nut {
!em on SOON enough. Its no use to say,
hen nn accident happens, that they did \
IT put IN the brakes in time; they swear {
ley did, and you can't prove Tint they J
:. =. Do ! think that the tapping Of the wheels
1on't know exactly; should not like 10 !
;. It's not often that the chaps lind any !
Ing wrong. They may sometimes be halt I