Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1880-05-01
BEHIND TIME.


was dead. His father was a. confirmed
invalid of the rheumatic order, and
George played the dutiful son to him IN
a way that would astOnisha the young
men of to-day. As - -
Somehoy. nobody knew exactly how,
GEORGE Mad managed to pick up good
Education and he mad polished 1t OH, 50
tn sneak. by a two years course at
commercial college.
KIrke began Oil the Sandy Hill railroad
when he was about p, or two years old,
First ne was brakeman. This rail-
road business is. a regular succession,
and generally, Speaking, man has to
work his way up. Ii isn't often that he
gets right up to the dignity of a con-
ductOr at one step, with the privilege Of,
helping all the gOod-lOOking and we'll
dressed ladies out of the cars, and letting
the hOmely ones, with the babies aud
bandbOxes in their arms, struggle out,
as best they may, while he is engaged
in talking to man"
George did his duty so well that he
was soon promoted to fireman, and after
he had learned the working of the ma
chine, he was made engineer, and given
an engine.
This engine was one OF the newest
and best on the line. and was called the
Fly-away, and George was very proud OF
it, you may we'll believe.
The true engineer, one who is out-and-
out for the business, and feels his res
possibility, takes as much, pride in his
engine as the jockey does in his fay0rlte
race horse, and would sit up nights, or
neglect his sweetheart, to keep the
brasses and filagrees of his machine SO
you can see your fare in 'em. llh
There was another man wanted
Georges chance. There's generally
more than one after a paying job. \
Jack Halliday had been waiting for
some time to be engineer OF the Fly
away, and when he lost it he was mad
enough to pull his hair. He was q
brakeman, likewise, and had been on
the road full two years longer than
Kirke, and it would seem that the
chance really belonged to him, but he
was quarrelsOme, disagreeablel fellow,
with independence enough to set an en-
perOr up in business and still have some
Of the original stock left. rTT r = ri
When Jack realized that George had
got the inside track. Of him, his anger
was at a white heat. He cursed K1rke,
the company, old Whately 1.-THE superln-
tendsnt), and things generally, until II
seemed to be pity that there was not
something else to curse, he was In such
fine cursing order.
There was more than one thing which
made Jack Halliday down on" George
Kirke. George had been his. rival in
many respects, and particularly where
the fairer part of creation was concern
ed. George was a great fayOrite with
the girls, for he was handsome and gen.
erOus, and good natured, and Jack was
sarcastic, always on the contrary side,
and the girls avoided him, as they al
ways should such man. lEJ J5 rs
Well. all expected that ill would come
to George from Jacks bad blood against
him, and we warned him more than
once; but he Railways laughed, and re-
minded us of the old saying, that bark
ing dog never bite" which is true i'm the
main.
And as the time went on until two,
three, four months had passed since
Kirke's promotion, and nothing had Oc-
CURED. we forgot all about our appre
tensions of evil, and if we thought of
the matter at all, we concluded we had
wrOnged Halliday by our suspicious.
1t was a dark night in November, with
considerable fog in the air, and strong
appearance of rain. -r ry.ff glf
1 was at Golosha, the northern termi-
nus Of our road, looking after some re-
pairs on a defective boiler, and | was
down to New York on the 100 train =
Kirke's train. ,.--..1..ll . ..a.l
About seven there came telegram
from old Whately, whose summer resi-
dence was nearly midway between Colo
sha and New York, and the old fellow
had not yet fOrsaken it for the city. The
telegraph operator was at work, for he
was always at work, and read it to him.
Kirke made note of it and put it in his
pOcket-bOOk:
"Pay train on the line-will meet you
just west of Leeds-at lois. Squirt on
the siding at behring's Cut, and wait.
WHATELY."
Kirke's watch hung on nail beside
the clock. 1t was fancy Of his always
to hang it there when he was off train,
so that he could make no mistake in the
time.
He glanced at the clock, and from it
TO his watch. Both indicated the same
hour, 7.15. z
"7.15." said Kirke, meditatively, "and
We leave at $50, and, the pay train meets
us at behring's Cut, at 1O.15. Scant time
to make the run in this thick weather,
but it must be managed"
And he turned away to give some or
ders to the fireman. ~ -
Jack Halliday. was there; he had been
strOlling in and out of the room for the
past half-hour, smoking cigar and
swearing at the bad weather. The train
did not leave until near midnight, so he
had plenty Of time to swear.
We all went to the door and took q
look at the weather, and unanimously
voted it duced bad, and then walked uI
and down the platform. and smoked oul
after-supper cigars, and when we wer,
through it was time. for the train hands
to be getting into their places. Boil
the the clocks in the engine-rOOm an(
Kirke's-watehi indicated 7:40. - - -
kirke was putting his watch in hi
pocket, as.he said: - = ssf 4 i.
Garth, are you going with me on tn,
Flyaway?"
mo, thank ye," said 1; Il get enough
of that sort of thing in every day like.
am to do little swell business tonight
and take passage IN q palace. car. Wan
to rest INV back. Good night to you, an,
hold her we'll in going round Rock Bot
tom curve. The roads little shaky."
Yes, sirr responded Kirke, and h
swung himself into position on the Fly
away.
The bell rang;I scrambled into m,
compartment on the Pullman, and Eel
horribly out of place among the silk
and broadclOths and smell OF musk, bu
/ was in for first-class ride, and mad
the best of it so effectually that fiv
minutes after, Gibson, who now fancis
he owns an creation, because he has go
Ill 6oI IL