The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-06-06

| "See here" said
Isaac: how is it that
every little while the papers haze in them
long warns about the great bravery or cusseo-
ness or something else, Of some locomotive elgl-
neer but / never have yet come across line
shout stationary engineer. DO you writer
fellows spose that nothing ever happened IN
the lifetime Of an engineer who don't hustle
himself q hundred or two miles across the
country every day OF bis life"
Possibly the writer fellows have not hap
reped 10 hear OF the instances in which sta
fiouarv engineers have distinguished them
selves"
That may be. too. never have heard Of
MANY such eases myself Ii is generally the
case that when anything does happen to sta
fionary engineer there amt sufficient oil hin
ever gets together again to tell story about
it."
You have been long at the business your
self Mr. Harris Have you ever had any IN
teresting or romantic experiences yourself!
i don't know anything about romance, but
had little time once that was considerably
interesting 70 me while II lasted"
- should like to hear il"
"0h you're welcome TO hear il, though 1t
happened a long while ago. You see I'm an
old man ROW, past my siXty-frst, and I've
been running stationary engines all over here
and yonder for plumb 10 years. This thing
happened when was running my first engine,
/ j
time at old Amos Bailey's Machine Works,
down on the point in Baltimore.
AT that time chrome mining was big in
dustry Now, don't suppose you ever saw
chunk Of rock chrome in your life. Well, it
looks ike coal. and is as heavy as lead, or
nearly So The Tyson family, of Baltimore,
owned big chrome mines I'D in the White Bar
rens right on Mason q Dixon's line where it
divides Chester County, Pa, from Cecil COun-
tv Nd and they bought from Bailey's Works
q 20O-hOrse horizontal engine TO keep the water
ont of their 2o0-fOot shaft and haul up the ore.
Bob Allison, Just out Of his time. and / were
sent with lot of helpers, 10 set 1t up. When
we were done and tried il there were no engi-
neers, and old Mr.. Tyson offered US $40 month
and found to stay and run il day and night.
This was big money in those days and we
staid.
j" Now. 10 understand the situation, you must
know that this place was the most lonely and
forsaken one that can be imagined. Before we
came il was simply known as The Mine. Al
ter we got to work il was called The Engine
corrupted by the local idiom into The lnIine.'
The only buildings were the engine house, of
frame a rough stone house built without NOR
tar, and used as a bachelors hall boarding
house by some OF the miners. Beside these
there were some long sheds, under which the
crackers worked. The cracker boys were
boys, girls and women, who, with small ham,
ner broke the deads or useless rock. of the
pure chrome got out from the sides of the vein.
There were about Is miners and probably twice
as many crackers, most Of whom were of the
gentler sex, and there were beside half dozen
surface men, wheelers, etc. These people were
s terribly wild lot; poor, ignorant and rough,
b1t kindly withal, a general thing, and in
tenseiv clannish. The nearest house was at least
q mile away and Allison and boarded at Nc
Eirath's Tavern, good mile and a half away.
Just about the time that Bob and had got
down to regular work on our day and night
turn and were 50 dreadfUlly homesick that we
were arguing the propriety Of shutting down
tie engine, banking the fires and running
away we had an addition to the family, though
be did not add 20 our happiness.
Archie De Camp was q man l never liked
from the moment | pnt eyes on him. lie was
y05ng. about the same age as Bob and my
tel, but he was what would be called to-day
dude. he had been sent UP by the Tysons, os-
teHsibly as q kind Of Superintendent or Time
keeper. but he never superintendent anything,
because he did not know how, and he never kept
any account. of his own or anybody's time. The
fact was as Il came out afterwards, that Mr. De
Camp was a scamp who had got into trouble Of
some kind in Baltimore. and, being relative
OF the Tysons was shipped up TO the mine ont
q the way OF the law. He had good horse
aud buggy, and boarded at q hotel in Oxford,
Pa. some four miles away.
One of the first things he did was to get
make love 10 the girls Among these girls was
oHe young Amazon Of about 20, who was
think, the most perfect specimen of physical
WOmanhO0d ever saw; and what is more, she
was handsome. Tall and straight as an arrow
she had great black eyes. regular white teeth,
magnificent head Of hair, as black as a crows
wing. and clear brunei complexion. which
no exposure seemed TO freckle or tan Added
% this she had the limbs of an athlete and the
muscles Of blacksmith.
On the attention Of this slumbering vol
caBO the fresh arrival must needs obtrude him.
self
Her father was one Of the surface men. and
they lived in rude cabin of clay and brush
half mile away on the hillsides, having been
charcoal burners before the mine offered better
wages. Mag Venture, for that was her name
had slowly, ike the other mine people made
the acquaintance Of Bob and me, and were now
eclte friendly, frequently coming into the en-
gine-rOom 70 look al the machinery and talk a
little.
One day Mag said to me quite confident
iaily: Ike, j wish you'd jest kinder hint TO
that there De Camp fellow that he'll do himself
s@hole heap Of good if he don't poster me some
more
4 did speak kindly to De Camp, and. as I
expected, got most cordial cUrsing aud per-
emptcry order 70 mind my own business or
leave. ] laughed at the man, and then spoke
q the girls father he was peaceful slow
speaking man, and drawled cut:
H-s-a-s, / reckon it's about as Mag SEE.
I'LL be better for him not till poster around
her.
But Amt you going to interfere?' said,
with some Indignation.
Noah; it's more as likely eff he posters
Alag u interfere herself
De Camp continued to poster He would
insist upon talking with, or rather at the girl :
trying to walk home with her. and annoying
her IN many ways with unWelcome attentions.
One day at noon, while Mag was in the shed
alone, De Camp walked up to her and said
something that made her-as I could see from
the door Of the engine-room, where / stood
turn aud glare at him like a savage, after which
Sire came over into the engine-house and sa;
down.
Did you ten him not to poster me any
moreg and she pointed over her shoulder to-
ward De Camp.
] certainly did
Then you'd better tell him that we're
mighty pOah, but we're mighty honest-Iikei'
The message never got delivered. De Camp
not satisfied with his rebuff, sauutered into Tia,
engine-room, which was only big shed with ;
dirt floor, and seeing Mag sitting on the bencl
went over and sat down beside her, putting al
arm around her waist
Git up she yelled, and they were botI
on their feet like fash.
Now, my dear girl
"a Whfcb Rift i IL -