Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-02-13

Jane was IN the habit OF coming with
Charley down to certain point of the
road every day, that Blakely might see
them as he dashed by.
"And when | found out this habit, it
occurred to me that / could give Blake
| ly great pleasure. How often have |
cursed my meddling kindness since.
January 25th was the child's birth day
/ proposed to Mrs. Blakely that she
and Charley should board the train
which her husband drove. unknown to
him. and run up to Harrisburg, where
he had the night off, There was to be
a little supper at the Lochiel House.
OF course the whole affair was at my
expense mere trife, but an affair Of
grandeur and distinction which fairly
took James breath. She was a most in
nocent, happy creature: one ofthose
women who are wives and mothers in
the cradle. When Blakely found her
| she was thin, pale little tailoress-a
machine to grind out badly made shod-
dy clothes But three years Of marriage
and petting Of Charley had made her
rosy and plump and pretty
The little Highland suit was bought
complete, to the tiny dirk and feather
and very pretty the little fellow looked
in it. | wrote down to order stunning
supper to be ready at eight. Jane and
the boy were to go aboard the train at
Jersey Shore, a queer little hill village
near which they lived. Blakeley ran
the train from Williamsport down to
Harrisburg that day. His wife being
In the passenger car before he took
charge Of the engine, Of course he
would see and know nothing of her
until we landed at Harrisburg at seven
[ had intended to go down in the
smoking car as usual, but another
fancy. suggested / suppose by the orig
inator of all evil, seized me. No need
to laugh. Satan, | belive, has quite as
much to do with accidents and misery
and death as with sin. Why not? How
ever my fancy, diabolic or not was to
go down on the engine with Blakeley
hunted up the fireman, and talked to
him for All hour. Then | went to the
engineer.
Blakeley,' l said, Jones (the fire.
man) wants tonight Off
"'Off9 0, no doubt He's taking to
when he talked Of that. It's impos-
sible.'
81 explained to Blakeley that Jones
had a sick wife, or a sweetheart or
something, and finally owned that I
had an unconquerable desire to run
down the road on the engine, and that
knowing my only chance was to take
the freman's place, had bribed him to
give it to me- The fact was that in my
| idleness and the overworked state of
my brain [ craved excitement as a con-
frmed drunkard does liquor.
Blakeley, [ saw, was angry and ex-
ceedingly annoyed. He refused at first,
but finally gave way with great civility,
which almost made me ashamed of my
boyish whim. / promised to be the
prince of firemen.
"Then you'll have to be treated as
one, Mr.. Santley,' said Blakeley, CURLY
l can't talk to gentlemen aboard my
express It's 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.
go, understand I said thinking
that it required little moral effort to
obey, in the matter of shoveling coal.
If [ could have guessed what
that shoveling coal was to cost
me! But all day went about thinking
of the fiery ride through the hills,
mounted literally on the iron horse.
1t was in the middle of the after
noon when the train rushed into the
station. [ caught glimpse of Jane on
the passenger car, with Charley, mag
nifcent in his red ana green plaid, be-
side her. She nodded a dozen times
and laughed, and hid behind the Win
dow, fearing her husband should see
her. Poor girl It was the second
great holiday of her life, she had told
me, the first being her wedding day
The train stopped ten minutes. It
was neither an express nor an accomo-
dation train, but one which stopped at
the principal stations on the route
Selinsgrove, Sunbury, etc.
81 had an old patched suit on, fit, as
suppose, for the service of coal
HEAVIER; but Blakeley, when I came up,
eyed it and my hands sardonically. He
was in no better temper, evidently,
with amateur frenen than he he had
been in the morning
'All aboard!' ' he said gruf1y. You
take your place there Mr.. Santley
You'll put in coal just as I call for it, if
you please, and not trust to your own
Judgment
. His tone annoyed me. 1t cannot
require much judgment to keep up a
fire under a boiling pot. and not to
make it too hot. Any woman can do
] that in har own kitobop
He made no reply, but took his
place in the little square box where the
greater portion of his life was passed.
| noticed that his face was flushed, and
his irritation at my foolish whim was
surely more than the occasion required
[ watched him with keen curiosity,
wondering if it were possible that he
had been drinking, as he had accused
poor Jones of doing"
1T strikes me as odd," interrupted
Ferrers, that you should have not
only made an intimate companion of
this fellow, Santley, but have taken so
keen an interest in his tempers and