Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-05-23

you. But 1 am more grieved than Of
Tended. | know what is the trouble,
Tom, but you should be too much of
man, to act in this way. See here, Tom
King / am not going to discharge you,
because somebody would be disgraced
beside yourself. I should feel my old
friends disgrace keenly; Miss Gray
would feel it more. On the first of the
month [ am going to appoint you fore
man of the big roundhouse here. That
will be a promotion in the way of pay,
and it will keep you in Trackville all
the time I am going to make my
headquarters at Sandy Run for the next
few months. That's all, Tom. Be
man."
There were big tears filling Tom
Kings eyes as he took the superinten
dents hand in a strong grip and in
choky voice said: Rob, | will be a
man-till / die"
Yes, it cost Robert Leslie big effort
| to do that good deed-tor man will
give up great deal before he will lose
his chances of winning the girl on whom
he has set his heart; and Leslie knew
| that in thus lessening his own opportuni-
| ties by leaving Trackville, he added to
| his friends chances. But then Supt
Leslie friendship for the engineer was
no fairy tale-no myth-no thin veneer
ing; it was true friendship, and he
could not bear TO see his old compan-
| ion going wrong. And Bob Leslie was
a good judge OF human nature he knew
| that this kindness to. and expression of
confidence in, Tom King would not be
thrown away. And it was not
Two months later Engineer King was
married to Miss Jennie Gray, and right
| happily they lived together until Death
claimed the young wife for his own.
One year later every thing at Track
vile was ominousiy still. The tracks
| were filled with idle cars, the round
| houses with idle engines, and the streets
with idle men,. There was great strike
in progress and the feeling between the
officials and the employees was very
| bitter. Doubtless there was fault on
| both sides, but at any rate the long de-
| lay in arriving at a settlement only
strained the relations to a dangerous
| tension For the most part the men
| were in favor of preserving law and or
| der and abstaining from anything like
| riot But, as is always the case, there
were a number ofdiscontenteda and reck-
| less spirits who refused to be governed
by the common sense of the majority,
and it was this lawless and unreason-
dDIe S0CIlOn Vi Vic oeIlhSIo nun WHUIn
the officials of the Overland Western
apprehended danger.
The SUPERINTENDENT, Mr.. Leslie, sat in
his office in the Trackville depot, with
him being the master mechanic of the
Trackville shops, Thomas King; at a lit
tie distance away from them was the
operator watching the ticker as it clicked
necessarily.
Both our old friends were easily rec
ognizable, though suspicious streaks of
gray were to be seen in the hair of both
men.
''This is fearfully dull work, Tom, said
the superintendent. 81 almost wish
our directors would agree to concede
few points to the men. The road has
been practically idle three weeks. The
worst OF it is am afraid there is serious
trouble ahead-so much so that [ sent
Bertha away on No. this afternoon"
Bertha was Robert Leslie S wife.
1t should be explained that No. be-
ing a mail train was one of the few
which the strikers dared not prevent
running No s had only left on her
way West about ten minutes.
'Click-click-cli went the tele
graph instrume In a minute the
operator handed the superintendent
message.
crowd of men are working on the
trestle over Yellow Dog Creek. Think
there is mischief in the wind.
OPERATOR. YELLOW DOG.
Leslie read the message with alarm
and hand ed it to a detective who at
that moment entered.
''Yes,'' said the detective. There is
mischief brewing. [ have this instant
learned that the strikers have
spread themselves all along the
road between here and Yellow Dog.
Of the trestle | heard nothing, but [ did
hear that they are going TO cut the
wires and render them useless. Has
No gone out yet ?'
eyes, more than ten minutes said
Leslie ''She has passed the first tele
graph station by this time, but we can
catch her at the next, Johnson" Ito the
OPERATOR ''call up the agent at Water
bury and tell him to hold No. Shave
him repeat back the ORDER
johnson did as he was told, and
clicked off the order to Waterbury. But
nothing like O. K. came in response.
Cali Rome" said Leslie. Rome was
the next station west of Waterbury,
No reply from Rome. At that instant
the ticker in the Office stopped its click
ing-the circuit was broken, and the
men knew that the wires were cut
Great drops OF sweat stood out on
Leslie's forehead as the thought of that
train-load of human beings crashing
through the broken trestle flashed
through his brain. There were more
than 100 passengers. including his own
wife, on No. and it seemed certainty
that the strikers were bent on destroy
ing the train-else why would they
tamper with the wire and take possess
ion of the Yellow Dog trestle
But the question was how to reach
No. S.
Leslie sent for the chief dispatch
er and questioned him.
"Where does No. s make her first
stop ?''
"At Shelby Junction"
''That is eight miles beyond Yellow
Dog ?''
Eyes, sir"
Chow far from here to Yellow Dog ?"
"Forty-six miles"
ssAnd No. SIS running time ?"
zone hour and twenty-five minutes. :"
Leslie glanced at his watch. 1t was
exactly IA minutes since No. s pulled