Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-02-28
TEN MINUTES LATE.

In ~ there wasn't lkelier fellow
OH the line than George Kirke.
He was the son of poor man, and
his mother was dead His father was
confirmed invalid of the rheumatic
order, and George played the dutiful
son to him in a way that would aston
ish the young men of to-day.
Somehow, nobody knew exactly
how, George had managed to pick up
good education, and he had polished
it off, so to speak, by two years
course at a Commercial College.
Kirke began on the Stony Hill Rail
road when he was about twenty-one
or two years old. First, he was a
brakeman. This railway business is a
regular succession, and, generally
speaking. a man has to work his way
mp. 1t amt often that he gets right
up to the dignity of a conductor at one
step, with the chance TO pocket ten
cent scrips, and with the privilege of
helping ali the good-looking and we'll
dressed ladies out of the cars, and let
ting The homely ones, with babies and
bandbGXes in their arms, stumble out
as best they may.
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 Mas called
the Flyaway, and George WAS mighty
proud Of her, you may well believe.
| tell you, sir, your true engineer
one as is out and out for the business,
and feels his esponsibility-takes as
much pride in his engine as the Jockey
does in his favOrite race-horSe, and
would sit up nights, or neglect his
sweetheart, to keep the brasses and
tilagrees OF his machine SOS you could
see your face III EN-.
There was another man wanted
Georges chance. There's generally
more than one 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 been on the road
full two years longer than kirke, and
ii would seem that the chance really
belonged to him, yet he was quarrel
some, disagreeable fellow. with indie
pendence enough to have set an EN-
peror up in business and still have had
some left.
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
Whately, the superintendent, and
things generally, until it seemed a
pity that there was not something else
to curse, he was in such fine cursing
order.
There was more than one thing
which made John Halliday down on
George kirke. George had been his
rival in many respects, and particu-
larly where the fairer part of creation
was concerned. George was "A great
faYorlte with the girls, for he was
handsome, and generous, and good
natured, and Jack was sarcastic, and
always on the contrary side, and the
girls avoided him, as they always
should such Il man.
" = h' " y "a ptClti lUdl III NOulu
come to George, from Jack bad blood
against him, and we warned him more
than once, but he always laughed, and
reminded us of the old saw that
barking dogs seldom bite" which is
true IN the main.
And, us the time went on, until
TWO, three, four months had passed
since ktrke's promotion, and nothing
occurred, we forgot all about our APP
prehenslons of evil, and if we thought
gI the matter at all, We thought we
had wronged Halliday By our sus-
piciOns.
IL was dark night III November,
with considerable tog il the air, and
SIlnng appearances of rain.
was at Golosha, the northern ter
minus of our road, looking after some
repairs on defective boiler, and | was
gong down TO New York on the 80
t.aln-kirke's train.
About seven there came a telegram
from Old Whately whose summer
residence was nearly midway between
Holosha and New York, and the old
heathen had not yet forsaken il for
the city. The telegraph operator came
INTO the engine house where kirke was
al Work-fOr he was always at work -
ana read 1t 10 him. hirke made a
note a 1t in his pocket-book.