The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1878-03-22
Select Story.
ACTRESS AND ENGINEER.
A TALE OF THE RAILROAD WAR.

her at Broadway Varieties Theatre. The
way of it was that star of small magni-
tude at the place liked to ride on my engine.
lie said it was to have a taste of the life
| of common people, and to have taste of
excitement of punging into the blackness of
unknown space, while the engine crushed
the glowing coal as food, and its cream was
like a devil de!ying time and space. | took
a more practical view of it, and as he al
ways rode in workman's jacket for comfort
he said, | thought it was to go easy, in case
he forgot to buy his ticket, as he sometimes
did. He was done with Phila1el phia aud
Pittshurg,no he said, and gave me friend
ly ticket to his theatre, and let me behind the
scenes to talk to the girls. Nell Brooks was
Just splendid. | give her real name, not
her stage one. She was small, and while
only engaged in character parts she could
and did dance as well as the best of them.
She was not kicker, which is only prac-
tice from early childhood to strain certain
muscles out of all common need, but she was
Just the neatest, sweetest, livelest little win-
some fairy that ever firted transparent mus
lins before looking eyes, or made beardless
youths crazy over glimpses of pink legs.
Then, her great hazel eyes talked all of the
time, and said cam / sweet? isn't this
motion delicious, don't you love me p And
the ripe red lips said, without words: "What
would you give to kiss me ?" and every toss
of the brown curls, that never saw a curl pa
per or hot iron, said "Ah, don't you wish
you could % and all the while, the swaying
form, like that of song bird on bough,
seemed to say: DO just run after me and
love me-
She could sing to-, could Nelly, and act,
in that sort Of pretty, baby way that is be-
yond criticism, and was so smart that if she
ever forgot her part, she could put something
in Just to fit, and made even the actors laugh
and do better than the author did it.
That first night, how pretty she was ! A
little star of gilt and French glass shone at
the part of her brown hair, on her forehead,
and she moved so quick as to gather light in
it, until you thought she wore diamonds.
Her superb neck and arms would bear more
e cuts of the scissors on her dress than most
that if it had been cut to the waist you would
only have seen child.
Her dress that night was white, thin as a
North river fog worn over blue silk that had
silver spots on it, and slashes in the thir
. white where the blue broke out and all un
der the blue was mist again, that reminded
me of how the spray aud ioam used to SWEEP
and swirl over the pink coral when was OF
the Missouri, way down the coast at Pana
ma How she danced, how she sang, ant
how bewtched was with it all
/ loved her as selfish, experienced maj
of thirty can, who has been used to thu
beauties of South America and Mexico. Sh
loved me as a maiden always loves her frs
idol.
Then July came, and l don't deny that
- was in for the strike, and member of tn
RS A. B, c., or Grand International Society, Q
American Commune, or whatever name tn
co public like. My game was a big one, and
rs rs was opposed to any strike that was of les
ne size than all the best workingmen in tn
United States. | was not a fool, and dl
On not go in for six dollars for putting bricE
'u top of each other for eight hours ; but
rly was for the old eighty dollars mouth f
conductors, and not fifty, and for dolli
NV and half for fremen and brakemeH, AT
not dollar, and | was everlasting down {
Frs the ten per cent reductions, because just OF
more of them would leave us just nothin
and our board and washing to get of blac
| thickets and rainy days. In fact, | made d
poor pay my excuse for not marrying Ne
ly.
At last it came, hot and heavy, and {
"freights" warned off, but passengers
run for a bit. The game was to strike t
company very hard in the busy season, b
to discommode the general public as little
possible. They only wanted temporary ca
advances, and then let the companies Ia
slow and sure revenge, singly, on the lea
ers and men, for years to come. was fol
French revolution all oyer North Ameri'
Their game would be ten cents in the doll
up, until such times as the companies CT
discharge enough old hands to break I
;, combination and then, percent them do
= to fifty cents day, or even to twenty.fC
cents, or shilling, as have heard of o'
%. the sea. had no fear, for l knew all
It. signs and signals of the A. b @. and
- passenger trains were to be passed throul
even if the company officers were aboa
nj, them. was safe from the company,
, they didn't dare risk an order OF call ira
In of" from our headquarters, by discharginI
n. man who could make speech to strikers
IN. five different languages. Every odd mig
or now, we went special, and made no stoI
re re our little water station. Then changes
CO. CO. one train not to stop at all. So it wa
Ar. could only see her Sundays, or glimpse
Ie !. "a a wet umbrella, as we flew past in the da
ON o., or back in the day train. 1t was a rough
n night, wind blowing smoke right strai
ess down, and all ways, rails shining in the
and slanting gusts of rain that made
IA track smoke with the drops pelting
ground 50 hard, and making me go out
ost ten to wipe the blur off the glass of
headlight.
nd Now, must go back a bit, to tell W
,sx, les, Nellie was doing that afternoon and nil
the a, / afterwards had it from her {
mouth.
The 1t cleared little about sundown, as
sT, ~ noticed, and she made up new plan to
ave prise me. We always ran back the next
ties about 10 o'clock, and at speed, with no 81
Iex All the same she went out to pick bai
~. of backberries, in the drip and wet,
her thought she would write note, and &
rye rye bit of oil silk at the drug store to wrap il
'ah She had seen the track hands pass up
stuck in forked stick, when they wal
8. supplies, and brakeman snatched it as
train ran by, or drop one for them wi
veDy e1 bit of gravel in it, to stay the drift win
the train She WAS to pass me IN NV n