Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-12-12

| y
his wife being in the passenger Car befor
he took charge of the engine, of course h
would see and know nothing of her unit
we landed in Harrisburg at seven. l haC
intended to 60 down in the smoking car
as usual, but another fancy, suggested
suppose, by the originator of all evil, seiz
ed me. No need to laugh. Satan, | believe
has quite as much to do with accidents an,
misery and death rs with sin. Why not
However, my fancy, diabolic or not, was
to go down on the engine with Blakeley
| hunted up the fireman, and talked to hin
for an hour. Then went to the engineer
" Blakeley," said, Jones, (the fire
MANI, wants tonight off,
OF! Oh, no doubt! He's taking tc
drink, Jones. He must have been drink
ing when he talked of that. It's imposs
BILE ,
" explained to Blakeley that Jones hat
II sick wife, or IL sweetheart, or something
and finally owned, that | had an uncon
querable desire to run down the road on
the engine, and, that knowing my only
chance was to take the fireman's place, haC
bribed him to give it to me. The fact was
that in my idleness, and the overworked
state of my brain, craved excitement rs
Il confirmed drunkard does liquor.
"Blakeley, saw, was angry and exceed
ingly annoyed, lie refused at first, bul
finally gave away with grave civlity
which almost made me ashamed of my
boyish whim. promised to be the prince
of liremen.
"'Then you'll have to be treated as one
Mr.. Santley,' said Blakeley, curtly. j
can't talk to gentlemen aboard my engine
1t is different from here on the platform
you'll remember. I've got to order and
you to obey in there, and that's all there's
of it,
"Oh, understand! | said, thinking
that it required little moral effort to obey
in the matter of shoveling coal. If | could
have guessed what shovelng coal was tc
cost me. But all day went about think
ing of the fiery ride through the hills
mounted literally on the iron horse.
" 1t was in the middle Of the afternoon
when the train rushed into the station. |
caught glimpse of Jane, on the passen-
ger car, with Charley, magnificent in his
red and green plaid, beside her She nod
deL IL dozen times. and laughed, and then
hid behind the window, fearing her hus-
band should see her. Poor girl! 1t was
the second great holiday OF her life, she
told me; the first being her wedding day.
The train stopped ten minutes. 1t was
neither an express, nor an accommodation,
but one which stopped ut the principal
stations on the route-Selinsgrove, Sun
bury, etc.
~ had an old patched suit on, fl, as
supposed, for the service of coal HEAVIER;
but Blakeley when, came up, eyed it and
my hands, sardoricaly. He was in no
better temper evidently, with amateur fire.
men, than he had been in the morning.
:" All aboardP' he said grutlly- You
take your place there, Mr.. Santley. You'll
put in coal just us | call for it, if you
please, and not trust to your own iudg-
ment.'
His tone annoyed me. 1t cannot re-
qure much judgment to keep up Il fire
under Il boiling pot, and not to make it
too hot. Any woman can do that in her
own Kitchen
He made no reply but took his place
in the little square box, where the greater
part of his life was passed. | noticed that
his face was flushed; and his irritation ut
my foolish Whim was surely more than
the occasion required. | watched him
with Il keen curiosity, wondering if it was
possible that he could have been drinking
rs he had accused poor Jones of doing.
=" 1t strikes me as odd," interrupted Fer
rers, " that you should have not only made
an intimate companion of this fellow
Santley, but have taken so keen an inter-
est in his tempers and drinking bouts.
You would not be likely to honor any of
us with such attention" ="
"No. | have something else to do.
was absolutely idle then. Blakeley and
his family, for the time, made up my
world As for the friendship, this was an
exceptional man, both rs to integrity and
massive hard sense. The knowledge that
comes from books, counts with me but for
little, compared with the education given
by experience, and contact with facts, for
forty years. was honored by the friend
ship of this grimy engineer. But the qles-
tion of his sobriety, that day was serious
one. A man in charge of train, with
hundreds of souls aboard felt, ought to
be sober, particularly, when | was shut up
in the engine with him.
"Just us we started, Il slip of paper was
handed to him, which he read and threw
down.
- Do you run this train by telegraph?
asked, beginning to shovel vigorously.
80 Yes. No more coal.'
40 Isn't that unusual?'
"' Yes. There are two special trains
on the road this afternoon
80 Is it difficult to run train by tele-
graph?' said, presently, simply to make
conversation. Staring in silence at tie
narrow slit in the gloomy furnace, or at
the village street, through which we slow
ly passed, was mOnotonOus.
49, No; not difficult. simply have to
obey the instructions which | receive at
each station
90 But if you should happen to think the
instructions not right?
80 Happen to think I've no business to
think, at all When the train runs by tel
egraph, the engineers are so many ma
chimes in the hands of the controller, who
directs them all from ii central point. lie
has the whole under his eye. Ifthey don't
obey to the least title their orders it is
destruction to the whole
"' You seem to think silent obedience
the first and last merit of railroad nanp'
- Yes dryly. took the hint and was
dumb.
" We were out Of town now. Blakeley
quiekened the speed of the engine. | did
not speak to him again. There was little
for me to do, and was occupied looking
out at the flying landscape. The fields
were covered with II deep fall of snow,
and glanced whitley by, with strange,
unreal simmer. The air was keen and
cutting. Still the ride was tame. was
disappointed. The excitement wonld bv
no means equal dash on spirited horse.
| began to think had little to pay for nv
grimy hands and face. when we slowed
into the next station. One or two passen-
gers came aboard the train. There was
the inevitable old lady, with bundles
and the usual trouble about her
trunk. was craning my neck to hear,
when the boy run alongside with the tele.
gram.
"Ihe next moment, heard Il smothered
exclamation from Blakeley.
- Go back, he said to the boy. Tell
Sands to have the message repeated.
There's mistake
I he boy dashed off, and Blakeley sat-
waiting, coolly polishing bit of shining
brass before him. Back came the how
80 Had it repeated. Sands is raging at
you. Says there's no mistake, and you'd