The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-07-26

u2QDonCu Dy ltlAS narrative
Joe has run n locomotive over the Z. q u
ever since the road was built, twenty years
ago. He now pulls the fastest ana most
important mail and passenger trains, ana
his name heads the list on the engheebs
payroll He has always been known ana
recognized as a sl1illful mechanic, 1alth-
full, steady and reliable man, with nerves OF
steel and eyes like an eagles; ne mas, from
the first, attended diligently to his dutles'
seldom lost time on his run-and has always
! been respectfuIto his superiors, corteous TO
/ his EQUALS and kind to his subordinates.
And yet during all those twenty years,
\ the c. & o. ''boys" felt that Joe BurdeJt
had never. been really one of themselves,
and were constrained to confess Jhal
they knew very little about him.
But there aDa8 little romance connected
with En- gineer Burdett, and a good deal OF
sentiment has woven itself into his mes
history.
Before Joe went to the C. 6 O., he was
promising young knight of the throttle IN
the service of a railroad company whose
line ran eastward from Chicago He was
very young man-not yet twenty-four-and
with all the depth and intensity OF a quiet,
earnest nature he loved (even more than ne
loved his profession) q fair, sweet gu4-
And when pretty Anna Redman showed a
preference for, and finally married the
handsome but t'ne' e~-dO-well'' Dick Pender,
Joe Burdett loved her not one whit the less.
He was bitterly and sorely disappointed
himself and he was, in manly way, gen.
uinelv and honestly sorry for the girl; foI
he couId not but think that Dick Pendel
would deteriorate instead of improve But
Joe said never 4 word to Anna or to Pendel
or to any one else; only he resolved not u
lose sight of the one woman who might have
made him supremely happy.
Too soon Joe Burdett's expectations IN re
gard to Dick Pender proved true. httt
child. a GIRL was born to Anna; but instea'
of awakening feelings of fatherly and hu s
bandly pride in Pender, the advent OF tn
little one seemed to start the thoughtles
9 and unprincipled young man on headlon
n career to the 1.-The dogs" It almost brok
: Joe Burdetts heart (for he had large
< tender heart under his greasy blue blouse
: as he perceived that things were going frol
o bad to worse with the Penders; and tn
h consciousness that he could not proffer an
!, practical assistance to poor Anna only mac
70 it all the harder for him to bear. At la
20 the worst came. The once beautiful an
{" light~hearted girl died, and (more's Il
PITY died of starvation and neglect
Burdett did not learn the fate Of his o
love until she had been several days IN h'
., grave. and when he set about to d1scov'
4 the shameless father and his luckless bah
~ both had disappeared-nO one knew Whit
'. er. Joe looked up a shrewd private
d tective, to whom he took two hundred dc
IN lars of his savings, which he thrust in
is the hands of the professional solver
n. many social riddles. To the detective Bu
Id dett told his story. "Find the babe" sa
u he. ssand obtain her fathers consent to
I'd me keep her, and will give you two hu
Mt dred dollars more"
u But neither money or skill were of al
at avail, and gradually Joe Burdett gave
es all hopes of adopting Anna Redman's bal
girl.
Six years passed away, and on pleasa
dav in summer Engineer Burdett, enjoyh
as a ''lay-off," strolled through the bu
l. streets of the great Western metropol
T., As he sauntered along he came upon t
SO entrance to the central police station an
Sc, prompted by mere curiosity, entered I
IS. courtroom. The court was at that nome
ne considering the disposition Of little wa
1n brought in from one of Chicago's bustH
IN, highways by burIy police officer. I