Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-01-13
THE WOMAN IN WHITE.
BY WALTER wELLMAN.

Waru was unhappy. Jasper was loco"
motive engineer on the Burlington road,
aud bsd tIod the fOOtbOard Of en- engine
as fireman and driver since his mustache
first grew on his stripping chin. His
career had been one Of such evenness AID
calm, so much quiet life within himself,
such absence of incident or accident, that
hi1 steady tsmper bad baen rarely stirred
by joy or SORROW. His first grief had
c0me to him ten years or more before,
when his wife deed suddenly while he was
away on his engine. He had never mar
ried sgain, nor seemed 10 care much for
s,ciety or company or anybody or any
thing saving only his toa Jack, and, Of
course, his engine, for which he had half
deem pet names. Jack wanted to be q
locomotive engineer like his father, aud
often cosxed to be taken out to learn to
fire; bat Jaspsr would not listen to this.
Go to school, boy,n he said, land learn
to he something in tie word. An en-
gineer isn't much" Yet if anybody else
had said this, which nobody would
in Jasper Wards pEe5ence-at least TO-
body who knew him asper would have
been very much grieved. He WAS
proud OF his calling; proud Of his record
on the foot beard. Thirty years had ne
stood there, and il all that time not one
accident mere serious than the fracture o.
s connecting lol pistoa bar had occurred
TO him. Not one life i1trusted to his case
had been lost, nor even jeopardiz d. For
twenty years JAsper lad run the san
trein. an accommodation, and all the PEG
ole ID snd down that division Of the line
knew Jasper Ward and his locomotive as
well IS they did their own door yards.
His face at the engine window was 20 IA
miliar that to migs it for day or two was
TO take s0m5t6iag ont Of the daily life of
the p op,e who dwelt near the tracks.
Bat now Jasper was unhappy when ne
stoald have beeu most Co1tsnt, for he had
faally re!eated and taken JACK with him
On the locomotive. His old fireman had
beel OMITTED to an engine, and Jack had
thereupon begged so hsri that his father
finally applied to the master mechanic for
permission to take the boy on and make
an engineer of him. 1t was happy day
Tor Jack when the master mechanics re-
ply wss received; but not so with old
jasper, for the mas ags contained these
words: "I'n give yOl new engine, too.
Talks out No. 451 tomorrow. With your
own boy o. and shining new engine, "
the official could not resist the
temptation of adding, unbasiness like
though it was-he wouldn't have added
an unnecessary word to anybody except
old Jaspar-''you will be quite gay again,
and will be having all the young men
envyiag you" The master mechanic
uelnt we'll, but it was sad blow to Jas
per. "a new engine ~ he exclaimed,
somewhat bitterly; What have done
tbat I should have my cid pet taken away
from ne? Well, if thu old engine iso'I
good enough to run along yet awhile,
Why, I suppose the old engineer wall have
TO 90 toe. pretty soOn. This is the begin
ming of the end, sure. Taey ii lay the old
MAJ off before the yelr ia out"
His sorrow was greatly increased wher
no boarded his new engine aad found tha
she was equipped with one Of the ne"
electric head lamp, with which the com
naov gas experimenting. Nor was tina
the worst of it. TIE whistle Of the new
machine was a harsh, coarse whistle, a
unIike the sweet tones CT the old whistle
as ANYTHING could be. Tae frat sound o
it ue.rly drove Jasper wild. They II ge
ma cfnInul6 no r." he exclaimed; :
can't with . headlight lik'
that an ii ADD siich Whistle. T1neyT Il n
the old man off, but they can't cay b
basa't made time. They can't say that.
Making time is q eoTt Of hobby with al
good locomotive engineers. With Jaspei
it vas mania. IAN ergineerisn't wortt
i cant unless ne can get in Ga schedule
time nineteen times cut OF twenty" b
used to saw, land man can always maxi
time il be has the DsIye Let man gst
the least bit timid, so that he pulls up fol
everything that he GOCsa't like the look
Of for every sptcS on tho track, or fol
every down grade, and hs'H never make
time. Let her 20, les h.r 60" he advised
jack; "dOn't be afraid of anything
When you start out on q run make uI
your mind that y0n are going to MAKE
time or die trying. Doa't be afssid OF tl'
ditch. fit is your fate TO De di!ched snC
stop there you cam get away from 1t by
shutting eff steam eyery time she begll'
10 Jump q little or you imagine you SCI
SEM thing on the trRcB. You'll imagir
you see fifty things ahead in one night
sud if you 90 TO shutting eff for then
you'll never make time, reyer in th'
world, boy"
Aud il good truth the old man was al
brave as his words. He was known alon.
The road ss a runner against everything
but red Eehts Bus from the very frs
dav on the new engine he was a changed
man. All his old confidence scented K
leave him. and be became instead nervous
and timid. He blamed it all on the rev
locomotive, and particularly on the eiec
trio head lamp.
Jack lie said, as they were runnioe
along one day shortly after the new en-
CINE had been put il use, this machine
isn't going to bring me any god luck
know that. I'm getting nervous, and
am afraid to let her cut on the down
GRADES. That brilliant light is ruinire
my eyes, and something will happen one
of these days. Jack, you had better leave
the road. Go and learn TO be a black
smith. An engineer doesn't amount tc
much"
And as his pride in his own calling and
career was aroused by these words, he
nudged the throttle open little farther,
and the old lock of satisfaction came upo1
his stern face. Blu, this was only for
moment. Timidity ard discomfort were
becoming more than ever marked in HIM
and Jack found bis father anything bat
a cheerful running mate. But Jack didn't
mind that. He loved his father dearly,
and did the best he could to comfort ano
"You'Il be all right in a day or two,
father" be said; "tae machine is lew and
the light is brighter than you are accus-
toned to, but you'll like them both before
long" III,
49,. =. he rrbannireSS and fOrabOd-