Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-31

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deserve 1t. Well, it don't matter much;
nobody will feel the disgrace but my
SELF:
"Tom," replied the friend and chief,
''this is a serious matter, and for the ter
rible breach of discipline, with its fearful
| possibilities, l ought to discharge you.
But 1 am more grieved than offended.
know what is the trouble, Tom, but you
should be too much of q man, to act in
this way. See here, Tom King, am not
going to discharge you, because some
body would be disgraced beside yourself.
l should feel my old friends fate keenly;
Miss Gray would feel it more. On the
first of the month I am going to appoint
you foreman of thu big roundhouse here.
/ That will be promotion in the way of
pay, and it will keep you in Trackville all
the time. / am going to make my head
quarters 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 superintendent 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 do that good deed-.for a man will
give up great deal before he will lose
mis- chances on winning the girl on whom
he has set his heart; and Leslie knew that
in thus lessening his own opportunities
by leaving Trackville, he added to his
friends chances. But then Supt Leslie's
friendship for the engineer was no fairy
tale-no mYth-no thin veneering; it was
true friendship, and he could not bear to
see his old companion going wong. And
Bob Leslie was good judge of human
nature; he knew that his kindness to, and
rs il
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.
X
One year later everything at TrackviIle
was ominously still. The tracks were fill
ed with idle cars, the round houses with
idle engines, and the streets with idle
men. There was a great strike in prog
-ess and the feeling between the officials
and employees was very bitter. Doubtless
there was fault on both sides, but at any
rate the long delay In arriving at settle
ment only strained the relations to dan
gerous tension. For the most part the
men were in favor of preserving law and
order and abstaining from anything like
riot. But, as is always the case, there
were a number of discontinued and reck-
less spirits who refusd to be governed by
the common sense of the majority, and
it was this lawless and unreasonable sec
tion of the strikers from whom the offic-
ials of the Overland Western apprehend-
ed danger.
The superintendent, Mr.. Leslie, sat in
his Office in the Trackville depot, with him
being the master mechanic of the Track
vile shops, Thomas King; at little dis
lance away from them was the operator
Watching the ticker as it clicked inces-
sanity.
Both our old friends were easily recog-
nizable, though suspicious streaks of
gray were to be seen in the hair of both
men.
''This is fearfully dull work, Tom" said
the superintendent. II 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 that L sent Bertha away
on No. s this afternoon" Bertha was
Robert Leslie's wife.
1t should be explained that No. s being
a mail train was one of the few which the
strikers dared not prevent running. No.
had only left on her way West about ten
minutes.
ESClick-click- click" went the tele-
operator handed the superintendent a
message.
crowd of men are working on the
trestle over Yellow Dog Greek. Think
there is mischief in the wind.
OPERATOR, YELLOW DOG.
Leslie read the message with alarm and
handed it to detective who at that
moment entered.
eyes," said the detective. "There is
mischief brewing. [ have at this instant
learned that the strikers have spread
themselves all along the road between
here and Yellow Dog. OF the trestIe I
heard nothing, but l did hear that they
are going to cut the wires and render
them useless. Has No. s gone out YETI"
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 0. X. came in response.
"Call 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 clicking
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
hir brain. There were more than 100
passengers, including his own wife, on
No. s and it seemed a certainty that the
strikers were bent on destroying the
train-else Why would they tamper with
the wire and take possession of the Yellow
Dog trestle?
But the question was how so reach
No. s.
Leslie sent for the chief train dispatch
er and questioned him.
"Where does No. make her first
stop?"
"At Shelby Junction.
"That is eight miles beyond Yellow
Dog?n
eyes, sir"
"How far from here to Yellow Dog?"
"Forty-six miles"
"And No. SIS running timer"
Zone hour and twenty-five minutes"
Leslie glanced at his watch. It was ex-
actly Il minutes since No. pulled out
of Trackville.
sThen in trifie less than one hour
and eight minutes she should be crossing
the Yellow Dog trestle?"