The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-02-23

every day, that Blakeley might see them
as he dashed by. ..-. ........
land when | found out this habit it
occurred to me that could give Blake
ley great pleasure. How often have
cursed my meddling kindness since.
January 25 was the child's birthday.
l proposed to Mrs. Blakeley 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.
Charley was to appear in new suit,
etc. OF course the whole affair was at
my eXpense-a mere trife, but an af-
fair of grandeur and distinction which
fairly took James breath. She was a
most innocent, happy creature; one of
those women who are wives and moth
ers in their cradles. When Blakeley
found her she was thin, pale, little
tailoress-a machine to grind out badly
made shoddy clothes. But three years
of marriage and petting of Charley had
made her rosy and plump and pretty.
1.-The little Highland suit was bought
complete, to the tiny dirk and feather,
and very pretty the little fellow looked
in it. l wrote down to order stun
ming supper, to be ready at eight. Jane
and the boy were to go aboard the
train at Jersey Shore, queer little
hill village near which they lived.
Blakeley ran the train from Williams
port 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 smok-
ing-car as usual, but another fancy,
suggested, l suppose, by the originator
of all evil, seized me. No need to
laugh. Satan, believe, has quite as
much to do with accidents and misery
and death as with sin. Why not?
However, my fancy, diabolic or not,
was to go down on the engine with
Blakeley. l hunted up the fireman and
talked to him for an hour. Then went
to the engineer
"' Blakeley,' l said, Jones (the fire.
MANI wants tonight Off
"'Off! Oh, no doubt. He's taking
to drink. He must have been drinking
when he talked of that. It's impossi-
BILE
81 explained to Blakeley that Jones
had sick wife, or sweetheart, or
something, and finally owned that had
an unconquerable desire to run down
the road on the engine, and that, know
ing that my only chance was to take the
fireman place, | had bribed him to give
it to me. The fact was that in my idle
ness and the overworked state of my
brain | craved excitement as a con-
firmed drunkard does liquor.
Blakeley, saw, was angry and ex-
ceedingly annoyed. He refused at first,
but finally gave way with a grave CT
Witty which almost made me ashamed
of my boyish whim. l promised to be
the prince of firemen.
"'Then you'll have to be treated as
one, Mr. Santley, said Blakeley, curtly.
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..
"Oh, | understand | said, thinking
that it required little moral effort to
obey in the matter of shoveling coal.
If l 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.
at was in the middle of the after
noon when the train rushed into the
station. caught a glimpse of Jane in
the passenger-car, with Charley, mag
nifcent in his red and green plaid, be-
side her. She nodded a dozen times
and laughed, and hid behind the Win
dow, fearing her husband would 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
at the principal stations on the route
Selinsgrove, Sunbury, etc.
q had an old, patched suit on, fit,
as supposed, for the service of coal
HEAVIER; but Blakeley, when l came up,
eyed it and my hands sardonically. He
was in no better temper, evidently, with
amateur firemen than he had been in
Ine morn
"'All aboardr he said, gruffly. 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 a
fire under boiling pot, and not to
make it too hot. Any woman can dc
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 at my foolish within was
surely more than the occasion required
| watched him with keen curiosity
wondering if it were possible that he
could have been drinking, as he had
accused poor Jones of doing"
at strikes me as odd" interrupted
Eerrers, "that you should have not only
made an intimate companion of this
fellow Santley, but have taken so keer
an interest in his tempers and drinking
bouts. You would not be likely tC
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 Iny