Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-12-28
The Woman in White.
BIZ WALTER wELLnAg.


For the second time In his life Jasper
Ward was unhappy Jasper was loco
motive engineer on the Burlington road,
md had trud the footooard Of an engine
"a fireman and driver since his nsastaehe
Irst grew on bis stripping chin His
.areer had teen one Of such eveEness and
:alfa. 20 mGrn quiet life within himself,
tnch Absence Of incident or accident, that
Dis steady temper had been rarely stirred
By 10Y or sorrow His Erst grief had
some TO him ten years or more before,
when bis wife died suddenly while be was
away on his engine lis bad neyer mar
ned again. nor seemed 70 care E.Dch FOR
society or company or anybody or any.
thing saving only his son JACK. and OF
course, his engine, for which be had
half DOZEN pet naHles- JACK wanted
to be- a locomotive engineer Ike his
father, and often coaxsd to be taken out
10 learn to Ere, but jasper wol.i1 not
listen 70 this Go 70 school. boy. ne
said. and learn 20 be something in the
world. An engineer isu't much Yet II
snybody elAs had said this. which nobody
would Ia Jasper Wards presence--at least
noOody who knew biEo--Jafper would
have been very much grieved He was
proud u bis calling. proud Of his record
Oh the foot board Thirty years had he
stood there. and in ali that tine not one
secideut nore serious than the fracture OF
connecting rod piston bar had occurred
b. him. Not one life iDtrusted % bis care
haa been lost. nor even jeopGraized For
twenty years Jasper had run the same
train, az accommodation. and al the
people up aad down that division Of the
Las knew Jasper Ward and his locofno-
tive a. well IS they did their own door
yards. His face at the engine window
was 20 familiar that 20 miss 1t for day
or two was TO take something out Of the
daily life Of the people who Gwelt near
the tracks.
But now Jasper vas unhappy when be
should have been most content, for he
had finally relented and taken Jack with
him On the locomotive. His Old fireman
had been promoted to an engine. and
Jack had ihereupOn begged 50 hard that
his father finally applied TO the master
mechanic for permission TO take the BOY
On and make an engineer Of him It was
a happy day for Jack when the master
mechanics reply was received. but not so
with old jasper. for tie message con
tained these words. I'm give yOa new
engine, too Take out No 451 to morrow.
With your own boy on and a shining new
engine. the official could not resist the
temptation Of adding unbubinesslIte
though II was-he wouldn't have added
an unnec ssary word to anybody except
old Jaspor-"yOu will be quite gay again,
and will be having all the young men
envying you. The master mechanic
meant we'll but 1t was a sad blow to
Jasper "A new engine'" he exclaimed.
somewhat bitterly. what have done
that | should have my old pet taken away
from met Well. If the old engine isn't
good enough to run along yet awhile.
why, suppose the old engineer will have
To no too pretty soon This is the begin
mig OF tie end sure. They'll lay the
old man of before the year is out
His sorrow was greatly Increased when
ho boarded the new engine and found that
she was equipped with one Of the now
electric head lamps, with which the com
pany vas experimenting. Nor was that
the worst Of it. The whistle of the new
machine was a harsh, coarse whistle, as
unlike the sweet tones OF the old whistle
a. anything could be-, The first sound of
1t nearly drove Jasper wild They Ii get
me of the road now. he exclaimed, /
cant run an engine with headlight like
that on 1t and such whistle They'll lay
the old man of. but they can't say he
hasn't made time. They can't say that. "
Making time is a sort Of hobby with all
good locomotive engineers. with Jasper
It was a mania An engineer isn't
worth a cent unless he can get in on
schedule nineteen times out Of twenty"
he used to say and man can always
mako time II he has the nerve Let man
get the least bit timid, so that he pulls up
for everything that no doesn't like the
looks Of, for every speck on the track. G.
for every down grade, and he'll never
make time. Let her so. let her go. he
advised jack don't DO afraid Of any
thing When you start out on n run make
up your mind that you arc going to make
time or die trying. Don't be afraid Of the
ditch II IL IL your fate to be ditched
and stop there you can't get away from it
by shutting off steam ev -ry time she be-
gins to Jump little or you imagine yCa
see something on the track You'll i'm
sgine you SEQ fifty things ahead In one
night and II You go TO shutting OF for
them you'll never make time. never in
the world. boy
And in good truth the oil man was as
brave "a his words lie was known along
the road as a runner against eyeryt hing
but red lights But from the very first
day on tGe new engine lie was changed
man An his old confidence seemed to
leave him. and be became instead nervous
and tmid lie blamed it all on the new
locomotive, and particularly on the cleo
tric head lamp.
Jack, he said. az they were running
along one day shortly after tho new
engine had been put in use. this ma
chine ism going 10 bring mo any good
luck know that, I'm getting nervous.
and am afraid to let her oat on the down
grades That brilliant light is running
my eyes. and something viii happen one
Of these days Jack. You had better leave
tho road. Go and learn to be black
smith An engineer doesn't amount to
much "
And as his pride In his own calling and
career was aroused by these words, he
nudgcd the throttle open little farther.
and tho old look OF satisfaction came upon
his stern face. But this was only for a
moment Timidity and discomfort were
becoming more than ever marked In him.
and Jack found his father anything but
a cheerful running mate. But Jack didn't
mind that lie loved his father dearly,
and did the best he could to comfort and
sheer him
You'll be all right In d day or two.
father" he said. tho machine Is new
and tho light is brighter than YOU are &C
eustomed to. but you'll Ike them both
before long
mo, ! won't" the old man replied.
stubborn In his unhappiness and fore
bodinEs. they are determined to drive
me off the road with their new tangled
concerns They don't want the old man
any longer They want me to get behind
time every day or two and have the boss
looking after me and bouncing me. But
III fool EN- yet. I'll make time Or
and by the way his father set his teeth
Jack knew that the old man meant to
drive ahead through day and through
darkness. whether he could see or not.
but you must leave the road. Jack,
said Jasper rs be pulled up 1t l. station:
you must leave the road. boy There's
trouble coming. and there's no reason why
yos should be in it.
But cant leave the road. father.
know no other way to earn . living and,
besides, want to stay with you
No, no. you have only yourself to sup
post, and you can do that at anything
Besides. you will not be left without a
little
But. father" Jack interrupted, IL
have more than myself to support. or soon
will have. Fla father, Mary has promised
to marry me.
Jacks voice faltered. though he was not
usually timid In the presence Of his father
Jasper looked up with a puzzled face,
For the life Of me can. understand
wha, q girl can see to admire in a big lout
Of fellow like you. he said, at the same