Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-04-25
TEN MINUTES LATE.

LIN M1llV ~ LID Liza i IL,
In 80 there wasn't a ikelier fellow
on the line than George Kirke.
He was the son of q poor man, and
his mother was dead. His father was a
confined invalid of the rheumatic order.
and George played the dutiful son to
him in way that would astonish the
young men of to-day. 7s .f gse- S.
Somehow, nobody knew exactly how.
George had managed to pick up q good
education, and he had polished it off,
SO to speak, by two years course at q
commercial college. 9au f3d aaa gaz
Kirke began on the Stony Hill rail-
road when he was about twenty-one or
two years old. First, he was brake
man. This railway business is regu-
lar succession, and, generally speaking,
q man has to work his way up. 1t ain t
often that he gets right up to the digni-
ty of conductor at one step, with the
chance to pocket teni cent scrips, and
with the privilege of helping all the
good looking and we'll dressed ladies
out of the cars, and letting the homely
ones, with babies and bandboxes in
their arms, stumble out as best they
may. t EHH
George did his duty SO well that he
was soon promoted to fireman, and.
after he had learned the workings of the
machine, he was made engineer and
given an engine.
This engine was one Of the newest
and best on the line, and was called the
Flyaway, and George was mighty proud
of her, you may we'll believe. tga#
l tell you, sir, your true engineer
one as is out and out for the business.
and feels his responsibility takes as
much pride in his engine as the Jockey
does in his favorite race-horse, and
would sit up nights, or neglect sweet
heart, to keep the brasses and flagrees
of his machine SOS you could see your
face in EN-. .r. I'll
There was another man wanted
Georges chance. There's generally
more than enc after every paying job.
Jack Halliday had been waiting for
some time to be engineer of the Fly
away, and when he lost it he was mad
enough to pull hair. He was brakes
man, likewise, and had been on the
road full two years longer than Kirke,
and it would seem that the chance real
~ belonged to him, yet he was quar-
relsome, disagreeable fellow, with indie
pendence enough to have set an emper-
or up in business and still have had
some Left. sslaI.si ejl 10 tzom ia emile
When Jack realized that George had
got the inside track of him, his anger
was at white heat. He cursed Kirke,
and cursed the company and old Whate-
~, the uperintendent, and things gen.
orally, until it seemed a pity that there
was not something else to curse, he was
In such fine cursing erder.lq. 8 .fr 50
There was more than one thing which
made John Halliday down on George
Kirke. George had been his rival in
many respects, and particularly where
the fairer creation was concerned.
George was great favorite with the
girls, for he was handsome and gener.
Gus. and good natured, and Jack was
sarcastic, and always on the contrary
side, and the girls avoided him, as they
always should such a man.
We always expected that i'll would
come to George, from Jacks bad blood
against him, and we warned him more
than once. but he always laughed, and
reminded Els of the old saw that 6 bark
ing dogs seldom bite" which is true ia
the main.
And, as the time went on, until two,
three, four months had passed since
Kirke's promotion, and nothing had
occurred, we forgot all about our appre-
tensions of evil, and If We thought of
the matter ct all, we though We had
wronged Halliday by our suspicious.
It was a dark night in November,
with considerable fog in the air, and
strong appearances of rain.
1 was at GolOsha, the northern termi-
nus of. our road, looking after some
repairs on defective boiler, and was
going down to New York on the 7:5O
train-Kirke's train.
About seven there came a telegram
from old Whately, whose summer resi-
dence was nearly midway between Go
losha and New York, and the old heather
had not yet forsaken il for the city. The
telegraph operator came into the house
where Kirke was at work-for he was
always at work-and read it to him.
Klrke made note of it in his pocket
book.
Pay train on the line Will meet you just
west of Leeos at 1915 Shunt on to the siding
at Deermg Gut, and wait. WHATELY.
K1rke's watch hung on nail beside
the clock. 1t was fancy of his always
to hang it there when he was off the
train, SO that he could make no mistake
in the time.
He glanced at the clock, and from 1t
to his watch. Both indicated the same
hour-7:15.
"7:15," said Kirk, meditatively, ssand
we leave at 7:50, and the pay train
meets us at behring's Cut at 1915,