The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-10-08
THE ENGINEERS STORY.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.

By ByssUsANseooIip8E.4sss eSyssass
This is, about it, ]" said John Scott,
the engineer, as the train slowly crest
ed q long, gradual grade. you're
atopSof the Rocky Mountains now,
ma am. "
Emily Vaughn looked to right and
] to- left, and was conscious OF feeling
Of appointment. She had pictured
! the top Of the Rocky Mountains as
4 something quite different from this.
Here were no frowning heights or sud
den CULTS, only a wide rolling plateau.
Il sonne distant peaks which did not
look very high, and far ahead b glimpse
of lower levels running down into the
plains. It seemed hardly worth while
& to come so far for SO little.
sRsally she said. sBuf where are
themountains9 They don't look near
" SO high as they did Yesterday"
Naturally, ma'am, I" responded the
engineer, things don't appear so high
when you're SO high as they are. We're
atop you know"
But there's no look-off, no wonder
ful distance, as from the topof Mount
Washington. Iconfess i am. disap-
Z pointed. Z
It's kind ofqueer," said John Scott,
with q dry chuckle, chow folks from
The east keep alluding to that ere
little Hill as il it were the standard OF
measurement. We don't think so
4 much Of it this way. Why ma am,
you're about 1000 feet higher this
minute than il you was at the top Of
That little shuck OF a Mount Washing
ton that they al think SO much of. !"
Miss Vaughn smiled, but she expert
snced a shock, nevertheless. The New
England mind does not easily accus.
tom itself to hearing it's sacred mount
ain thus lightly spoken against.
Have you ever seen Mount Wash
1 ington?' she asked.
s'Ohi bless you. yes!" replied John
Scott, cheerfully. 4 was raised over
to Fryeburg and grew up alongside
Of it. Ethought it was pretty big
concern when was a boy, but now"
He closed the sentence with short,
expressive laugh.
Miss Vaughn changed the subject.
She Was not offended. She had grown
to like this rough, goodnatured engi-
neer in the course of three days jour.
ney, during which, favored as a rela-
tive OF the directors OF the road, she
had several times been privileged to
ride. as now, in the engineer's cab, for
9 better view Of the country.
Have you been long on this road?'
she asked. "a s 4
Pretty near ever since it opened.
run the third through train that
{ come oct from Chicago, and Haven't
been off the line since, Winter or
Summer, except for three months,
when was laid up with broken
leg:
This must look very differently in
Winter. = said Miss Vaughn, noting
the treeless distances, and the SHOWS
still glinting on the higher peaks to
the left. 'ss
You may, believe it does! That
hrst year, when the sno w-sheds wasn't
built, II was terrible. was running
that train that stuck in the snow
seven day erhaps you'll remember
about it; it was in ali the papers. i
shan = ever forget that, not il | live.
20 be as old as my grandfather, and
ne didn't die till he was ninety odd.''
ell me aboutlt, said Miss Vaughn,
persuasively, seating herself on the
high side bench Of the cab, with that
air OF attention which is SO enticing
20 the story teller; amusements are
lew and lar between in the long mo-
notOny OF Che overland journey to Cal
ltornia; besides which, Miss Vaughn
dearly loved Il story.
There amt n.uch to tell said
John Scott, with something OF the
feeling which prompts the Young yo.
5callst TO complain of hoarseness. ~
amt any hand at telling such things,
either. Then won by Miss yaughr's
Z appealing eyes, he continued:
We ran all fair and on time till we
vas about 200 miles beyond Omaha.
Then the snow began. It didn't seem
much at FIRST. The women folks in
the train rather liked it. They all
crowded to the windows to see, and
the children hurrahed. Anything
seemed pleasant change after.
fhe sage brush, | suppose. But
sssa, 4 y. went on coming, and the
DRIFTS grew deep, and the cars had to
{ ru9 klow, the older ones began to look
serious, and 1 can tell you that we
who had charge o3 the train felt SO.
We was Just between two Of the