The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-02-21

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 UNI
til we landed at Harrisburg ut seven.
had intended to go down in the smok-
ing car rs usual, but another fancy,
suggested. suppose, ty the originator
OF all evil. seized me. No need
quite to laugh. Satan, l believe, has
as much to do with accidents and
misery and death as with sin. Why
not? However my fancy. diabolic or
not. was to 20 down on the engine with
Blakely. hunted up the fireman, and
talked TO him for an hour. Then went
to the engineer.
Blakelv,' l said, Jones Uhe fire.
man) wants tonight Off
Ion! Oh. no doubt. He's taking
to drink. He must have been drinking
when he talked OF that. 1t is impos-
sible'
IL explained to Blakely that Jones
had Il sick wife, or a sweetheart. or
something, and finally owned that
had an unconquerable desire to run
down the road on the engine, and that
knowing my only chance was to take
the tireman's place, had bribed him to
give it to me. The fact was that in
my idlcness and the overworked state
of my brain l craved excitement as ::
confirmed drunkard does liquor.
'.Blakcly, l saw, was angry and eN-
ceedingly annoyed. He refused at first,
but finally gave way with grave civil
ity which almost made me ashamed of
my boyish within. promised to be the
prince of tiremen.
Then you'll have to be treated as
one, Mr.. Santley,' said Blakely, curly.
! n'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,.
"'Oh, understand | said, think
ing that it required little moral effort
to obey in the matter Of shovcling coal.
II could have guessed what that shov-
cling coal was to cost ne! But all day
went about thinking of the fiery ride
through the hills, mounted literally on
the iron horse.
:. Ii was in the middle of the after
noon when the train rushed into the
station. | caught a glimpse of Jane on
the passenger car, with Charley. mag
niticent in his red and green plaid. be-
side her. She nodded Il dozen times
and laughed. and hid behind the Win
dow. fearin" her husband should see
her. Poor GIRL 1t was the second
great holiday of her life, she had told
me. the first being her wedding day.
The train stopped ten minutes. 1t
was neither an express nor an accom-
mediation train. but one which stopped
ut the principal stations on the route
Selinsgrove, Sudbury, etc.
81 had an old patched suit on, fit, as
] suppose, for the service of coal-heav-
er; but Blakely. when l came up, eyed
it and my hands sardonically. He was
in no better temper, evidently. with
amateur iiremen than he had been in
the morning.
"' All aboard! he said. gruflly. You
take Your place there, Mr.. Santley.
You'll put in coal Just as ! 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 4
fire under 4 boiling pot, and not to
make it too hot. Any woman can dn
that in her own Kitchen
'He made no reply, but took his
place in the little square bcX where the
greater part Of his life was passed. |
noticed that his face was flushed, and
his irritation at my foolish whim was
cny.l, fbo,, Wv,
| watched him with keen curiosity,
wondering if it were possible that he
could have been drinking, rs he had ac-
cused poor Jones of doing
1T strikes me as odd" interrupted
Fer1ers, "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
drinking-bouts. You would not be
likely to honor any of us with such at
tention.h
mo. l have something else to do.
| was absolutely idle then. Blakely
and his family for the time made up
My world. AS for the friendship, this
was an exceptional man, both as to III
tcgrity 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 friendship of this
glimy engineer. But the question of
his sobriety that day was a serious one.
A man in charge of train with hun
dreds of souls aboard, felt ought to
be sober, particularly when l was shut
up in the engine with him.
Just as we started slip of paper
was handed to him, which he read and
threw down,
...Do YOU run this train by tele-
graph:?' asked, beginning to shovel
vigorously.
"s Yes. No more coal
60 Isn't that unusualr
:" Yes. There are two special trains
on the road this afternoon
lis it difficult to run a train by
telegraph l said presently, simply to
make conversation. Staring in silence
at the narrow slit in the gloomy fur
mace or out at. the village street,
through which we slowly passed, was
monotonOus.
NO, not dliflcutt. L simply have
to obey the instructions which receive
at each station
"' But if you should happen to think
the instructions not right?'
"'Happen to think! I've no bust
ness to think at all When the trains
run by telegraph the engineers are SC
many machines in the hand Of one con-
troller, who directs them all from q
central point. He has the whole road
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 in railway
manT
"' Yes dryly.
took the hint and was dumb.
1--WE were out of town now. Blake
ly quickened the speed of the engine
l did not speak to him. There was lit
tie for me to do, and was occupied in
looking out at the flying landscape
The fields were covered with deel
fall of snow, and glanced whitley by,
with strange, unreal simmer. The
1 l..