The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-05-12

tions often with q smile. Both of the
men treated him with marked gentle
ness. had seen nothing of the better
nature of railroad men then, and had
not thought they possessed any. This
sudden revelation, and the face OF this
strange man without any limbs, inter-
ested me greatly. After the train
started that face, came up before me
continually. Who was he and what
was his historyp He was evidently one
of the lower or middle class,a and vet he
might have been Of the higher. 1tried
to gain an interview with the conduc-
tor. but did not succeed.T al.u0.yH :
We were far out on tho plains when
night fell, and discovered we would
have to wait at one of those deserted
little stations till morning. We made
the best Of it that we could, and after
supper I was not sorry to see the
towering form of the engineer lazily
walking the platform smoking a large
pipe. 1 joined him and made bold to
ask about the man whose face had
haunted me all day. We sat down on
the steps, and long before he had
finished talking the moon came up and
made the long blades Of prairie grass
look like silver spires and meshes Of
white hair.
.That's JIMMY" he said. "Ialways
can him Jimmy. His name is Dale.
He used to fire for me down ON the
Central. He looked a good deal diff
ferent then, but he was always quiet
and gentle like.
1T must be fifteen years since 1 first
knowed him. He was a likely kind Of .
chap then. I'd had a dozen worthless
cusses before him, but he seemed to
take to it from the first. He never said
much, and would set up there on the
box looking down the track all day as
still rs dummy. But l didn't have to
tell him about the fire. He kept her
hot when ] wanted her, was runnin'
86 then, and she was mean one to make
steam. dunno where he como from,
but ! told Sparkle more'n once that he
was the best hand to fire an engine
ever 4 seen. y 1G - " Hf '.e-
swell, he'd fired for me for two
or three year, when one day he up and
got married. Married chit of o thing,
with blue eyes and dough face that
I'd bet didn't know nothin'. I never
like these purity faced things. They've
always got o lot o. fool notions in their
head, and somehow they don't do to
hitch on 10. In them days o poor
mans wife had to work. but now they
jest.try to keep themselves purity.
"As was sayin', Jimmy got mar
ried, and they lived down there at
Bradford three or four year, l guess.
There vasn't mo children. but Jimmy
seemed happy and proud as King.
Business was good, and Jimmy kept
right along with me, and at last the old
man began to talk OF givin' him an en-
gine. didn't want to lose him. but
didn't say nothin' against it Ono fall.
though, we'd d been out on the west end
q good deal. and they kept US SO busy
we couldn't get home for weeks at :
time. After while l noticed Jimmy
changed q good deal. He seemed Jest
like q child that was ailin'. i put it
down to tho night runs and hard work,
but after we got back on the old run he
didn't seem to git any better. |
"No. l didn't say nothin' 20 him, but
l could tell there was somethin' up with
him. He d. git careless aud let the fire
60 down, and forgit about things.
We'd been together so long. you see,
that knowed al about him without his
sayin' q word. r- n
a zone morniu' when went down and
got up in the cab he hadn't come. -
was due to leave Bradford ut 7:i5. but
! waited quite bit for him. After a
while the boys got wind OF what l was
waitin' about. and there was considera-
BILE whisperin' round. / said he was
sick, but some OF 'em though 1t was his
vito. q. I'd never heard she was sickly.
l was about to run her out alone when
seen him c6min'. He was as pale as
a ghost, and I knowed he hadn't slep'
anyS,sl told himif he or his wife wa ,
sick 1'dsts herr OUT by myself this
trip. so -
mo, 'She Gaxd, Tive got nothin'
left but TIM engine and ,you, now, Boss. >
lyon don't mean she's dead, Jim
'myr' I says. ~, 7as -,
= "a. Deadl Great God, NO; she's left
me, that's all. - ~
".Loft youp' Iasked.
..Yes. Run away with another
man. Don't YOU understand?'
IL didn't like to ask no moro qucs-
tions then, but it all come out alter
wards. 1t seems as how some fine
haired runner from town (no offense to
YOU, sir) had been hanyin' round there
Tor a good while, fishin' or somethin'. /.
Fishin for Jim,ny's wife, i guess. And
She was fool enough to be caught.
They say as how he used to know her
in town, but don't see as that makes
any difference. I take it she was willin'
enough to 90, and I don't Jest sec why
Jimmy should have cared so, but he did.
They say she left a letter for him. but
he'd never tell ANYTHING about IL All
any one knowed was that when he got
home that nipbt she was zone.
"Well. we went into town that day.
and he didn't speak a word the whole
trim. When he rot off the engine.
told him Il hc wanted any help 10 call
on lne.n -iF3Ii-s .'1E7f-
".Help for whatP'' he asked. ..
"sWhy. 1 Thought you might be
yoin' In mt the cursed rascal THROUGH
I saws. -"
. I""Would that bring her backP'' was
all he said: and then he went uptown.
l,-a-,x-- IL