The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-27
words-"crooked and straight! Right side


level jim Barclay, what are you about? See
here, Bill'-to his freman-''juSt keep an !
eye on ME, will your
The young engineer shook himself looked !
about him and stood stif1ly erect. He whis- |
tied tune vigorously to assure himself that |
he was wide awake. What droNsy rockaby !
motion the train hadl Even the jar and rat
tie seemed to luli and stupefy, though he |
stood erect at his post, He was glad this |
sort of work was nearly over. At least he |
hoped it was nearly over, for he did not see
how the desired promotion could be much |
longer delayed, and then such calls as this
would be fewer. He was looking anxiOusly |
forward to the day when he could carry the |
longed-for tidings to Dell. Dear little girl |
how her face would brighten! What cosy, |
happy home she could makei and she said |
the curtains wouldn't cost anything, and |
hammock on the porch to rest in. Lights?
Queer where the lights came FROM unless |
why, yes, almost to a station, of course. |
Dell must have put bright light in the
window.
Alas Bill had climbed back over the ten
der to look at a suspected hot-box on the
after truck.
Shrek after shrek of warning from
steam whistle aided the flashing of the sig
nal lights, and at last forced their meaning
upon the benumbed brain. With low cry
of horror the engine was reversed, but too
late to avert the crash that followed as the
two freight trains were piled upon each
other in a common wreck.
What possessed you to run on in that
fashion. man? Were you drunk or craZy?'
demanded more than one rough voice as
Jim stood by the track But he only gazed
with blanched face at the scene before him,
and answered them nothing
"Fortunately-almost miraculously, it
seemed-no one was seriously injured" as
the morning papers said in chronicling the
occurrence. Under the same glarng head
lines they also commended the promptness
of the company in Diminishing "the engineer
whose criminal carelessness caused the dis
| aster, and who. as nearly as could be learn
ed, was comfortably sleeping at his post, and
so negiectful Of all signals"
These were the tidings that reached Dell
instead of the glad word for which she had
waited.
what they say is true, after a fashion,
said Jim simply and sadly. Il was to blame
for it-and yet wasn't, for 1 was not fit to
make the run, and told them SOL
| There was no one to chronicle his years of
| faithful service. or the criminal careless
ness if not cruelty, which had placed HIM
in such position; but these things were well
understood among the many workers in that
! railroad town, and they acknowledged to
each other, with ready but helpless sympa-
thy, that it was Tough on poor jim"
Rough itsurely grew as the long days came
| and went, and the hope OF reinstatement
| grew DINNER "Ail those missing men, who
couldn't be found when 1 needed a single
nights rest, seemed to have turned up once
more, ana they can spare me in
definitely" he explained to Dell, with
| a pretense of POPULARITY that scarcely COW
| cred the bitterness. The brave little woman
! tried to comfort and encourage him. though
the dancing light had gone out of her brown
| eyes, and new grave lines were deepening
about the young lips. The little house they
| had planned seemed SO like the shadow
| ghost of dead hope that neither cared TO
| talk of it any more, and, indeed, Dels inge-
! nuitv found full occupation now in combat
/ ing the various wild schemes which Jim, in
| his desperation, was constantly forming He
! had been away to look for employment, but
| business was dull everywhere at this season,
and, moreover, grown up in that railroad
| town, where all interest and industry CEN
tered in the shops and tracks, he had be-
| longed to the line from boyhood. He could
| do but one thing, and there was little chance
| for a situation elsewhere while the shadow
of the great corporations disapproval seemed
| to follow him in all his efforts like a blight
| ing frost.
So the bright autumn leaves dropped from
the trees, leaving only brown and barren
| branches; the soft haze faded from the hills
and the narrow iron track, stretching away
over the frozen earth toward the cold, gray
sky looked to Dell's sorrowful eyes fitting
emblem of the dreary life-road that lay be-
| fore her.
| i IN going away tomorrow, Jim was
saying as they passed slowly over the bridge
| md down toward the town. I've shown
| idIocy enough in waiting here for any chance
| or justice. | mean to go as far West as l can
make my way, and I'll come back when I've
some good word to bring-if that time ever
! comes"
1t was useless to combat his purpose; there
was nothing better TO offer. The girls visit
full gaze strayed with n dreary persistency,
to the track again. What hard narrow
road it was, stretching on to its cheer
less goal-the far-away wintry horizon.
Down on the walk by the round-house
knot of loungers had gathered. Ichabod
Turner's wanderings had brought him
! thther again-the place seemed to hold some
peculiar fascination for him-and he was
| discoursing on his favorte theme Suddenly
a movement and murmur of excitement ran
through the crowd, and its numbers were
speedily augmented from various quarters of
the building. Swiftly and unexpectedly the
| speaker had turned, and with single bound
placed himself in the cab of locomotive
that had for moment been left un,enanted.
cts steamed upl" "Off! off" "Come
| out of that' shouted several voices.
But Ichabod laughed hoarsely and waved
his long arms triumphantly above his head
I'm the only man on this continent that
can run an engine! Pm ordered to take this
one and go and turn the world right side upl
| Hurrah!"
| Two or three persons rushed forward but
he caught up an iron bar and welded it so
vigorously that they were compelled to fall
back Then, like flash, his hand seized
the throttle-lever, and the dangerous steed
he had chosen began to show signs of life.
"PulI him off, Block the wheels!" rang
| out in conflicting orders. But the mailman
laughed again, his wild eyes cleaning like
| fire, and shook his bar in threatening and de.
| fiance.
Touch me if you dare! Tn sent to set the
| crooked straight. Here comes the mllen-
mum! Clear the track for the millennium!'
| And he was off
| Swiftly as an arrow some one darted
through the crowd, ran along the track and