River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-01-24

another fancy, suggested / suppose 10y
the originator of all evil, siezed me. No
need to laugh. Satan, believe, has quite
| as much to do with accidents and misesy
and death, as with sin. Why not9 How
ever, my fancy, diabolical or not, was to
go down on the engine with Blakeley
| hunted up the fireman and talked to
him for an hour. Then | went to the
engineer.
" 'Blakeley, l said, Jones (the freman)
wants to night off,
! "sOffl o, no doubt! He's taking to
drink, jones. He must have been drink
| ing when he talked of that. It's impos-
sible'
= explained to Blakely that Jones had
a sick wife, or sweetheart or something,
and finally owned that | had an uncon-
| durable desire to run down the road on
the engine, and that knowing my only
chance was to take the ireman's place,
had bribed him TO give it to me. The
fact was that in my idleness and the
oyerworked state of my brain | craved
excitement as a confirmed drunkard does
liquor.
"Blakely, saw, was angry and exceed
ingly annoyed. He refused at first, but
finally gave way with grave civility,
which, almost made me ashamed of my
boyish wliim. ] promised to be the
price of iremen.
Then you'll have to be treated as one
Mr. Santley,' said Blakely, CURLY. Il
cant talk to gentlemen aboard my en-
CINE. It's different from here, ON the
platforr,, you'll remember. I've got to
order and you to obey, in there, and that's
all there Of it,
go, ! understand said, thinking that
it required little moral effort to obey, in
the mater of shovelling coal. If l could
have guessed what that shoyelling 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 afternoon
when the train rushed into the station.
caught glimpse of Jane on the passen-
ger car, with Charley, magnificent in his
red green plaid, beside her. She nodded
dozen times and laughed, and then hid
behind the window, fearing her husband
should sne her. Poor girl! 1t was the
second great holiday of her life, she had
told me, the first being her wedding day
uC l3dlu StOppCO ten luiAutSo II
was neither an express nor an accommo-
dation train, but one which stopped at
the principal stations on the route Sell
insgrove, Sunbury, etc.
Il had an old patched suit on, fit, as
supposed, for the service of coal-heayer !;
but Blakeley, when l came up, eyed it
and my hands sardOnically. He was in
no bettertemper, evidently, with amateur
liremen then he had been in the morning
"'All aboardr he said, grutfly. 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 judg-
ment'
His tone annoyed me. 1T cannot re-
quire much judgment to keep up fire
under boiling pot and not make it too
hot. Any woman can do that III her own
Kitchen.
He made no reply, but took his place
on the little square box where the greater
part Of his life was passed I noticed
that his face was tluahed, and his irrlta-
ton at my foolish within was certainly
more than the occasion required.
watched him with keen curiosity, Won
dering II it were possible that he could
have been drinking as he had accused
poor Jones of doing"
1T strikes me as odd, interrupted Fer
rer5, "that you should not only made an
intimate companion of this fellow, Stanley,
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
attention"
mo. l 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 as to integrity
and massive hard sense. The knowledge
that cones from books counts with me
but for little, compared with the exper
fence and contact with facts for forty
years. l was honored by the friendship
of this grimy engineer. But the question
of his sobriety that day was a serious
one 4 man in charge of train with
hundreds of souls aboard, l felt ought to
be sober, particularly when was shut up
III 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 telegraph? /
asked beginning to shovel vigorously.
6 les. No more coal
Isn't that unusualP
eyes. There are two special trains on
the road this afternoon
lis 1t difficult to run train by tele-
graph! 1 said presently, simply to make
conversation. Staring in silence at the
narrow slit in the gloomy furnace or out
at the village street, through which we
slowly passed, was monotonOus.
No, not difficult l simply have to
obey the instructions which | receive at
each station
But if you should happen to think
the Instructions not righti
Happen to Think I've no business
to think at all When the trains run by
telegraph the engineers are so many ma
chimes in the hands of one controller, who
directs them all from a central point. He
has the whole road under his eye. II they
don't obey To the least title their orders,
it IS destruction TO the whole
You seem to think silent obedience
the Grst and last merit in arailway MANI
Yes dryly.
Il took the hint and was dumb.
W e are out Oi tONu now DldhclSf
quickened the speed Oft the engine. did
rot speak to him again. There was lit
tie for me to do, and was occupied in
looking out at the flying landscape, The
fields were covered with 'cep fall of
snow, and glanced viii ) by, with a
strange, unreal simmer. The air was
keen and cutting. Still tue ride was tame.
| was disappointed. The excitement
would by no means equal dash on a
spirited horse. | began to think | had
little TO pay for my grimy hands and face,
when we slowed at the next station. One
or two passengers came abord the traia.
There was the inevitable old lady
with bundles, alighting, and the usual
squable about her trunk. l was craning
my neck to hear, when the boy ran along
side with the telegram.
~.