The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-12-29


I; "but l don't see how I'm going to get it
here"
"Why don't you go and ask Billy" says
he.
You see, Billy was always what we called
Mr.. Northumberland his back, OF course
for warrant you we were mighty polite to
his face.
'He won't do anything for me-" says /.
"for you know either one of the cleaners up
to Georgetown would be glad enough to
jump into my place, and he amt going to
give me rise just to please me-"
''Well," says Bob, ut won't do any hurt
to try it''
So next day I washed up and went to the
company's Office, and asked for Mr.. Thed-
! ford. After a few minutes he sent word
/ to me that he would see me, and in / went
! There he sat-a large. heavily built man,
! with big side whiskers and pair of gold
trimmed glasses on his nose
"What is it, my maaS I'm very busy"
says be.
| So up and told him what I wanted
Glow much are you getting now2" says
| he.
''Forty-fve dollars month";" says L
Then he pursed up his lips, and hemmed
and haWed little, and says:
81 don't see how we can give you any
thing more, my good fellow. You see
yours is not a very responsible position;
merely one that requires little bodily
strength. And we can find plenty of men
who would be only too glad to take your
place at that salary"
With that he turned to letter he was
writing, and | knew / had no more bust
ness there. l tell you felt sore to be told
it didn't take much to know how to fire an
engine, and l came mighty near throwing
my job up and trying to get it on another
line. But Molly persuaded me to hold on
little longer.
Now, before / come to the particular
point of this yarn, want to tell you lit
tie about the line. | have said it was
single track one running from Junction
City to Georgetown. The latter place was a
little town of 500 or GOO inhabitants; but in
summer a great many Chicago people
came up there, and so l suppose the line
paid. Anyhow, Thedford, who had a sum-
mer place cnere, was rich enough to run it
for himself alone if he wanted to.
Bob lived at Georgetown and I boarded
with him. Onr trips began at in the
morning, and we generally ran the 10
miles in five hours. Then at in the after
noon we came back, getting home at s. As
soon as we reached the roundhouse at
Georgetown our days work was over, for
the cleaners took the engine then, cleaned
and polished her, and laid the fire all ready
to start the next morning.
Well, as | said, l hung on to my job,
hoping that something would turn up that
would give me lift, till one day in Au-
gust. The whole summer had been uncom-
mon hot, but that day went ahead of any
thing l ever saw. OF course while we were
running we had a breeze, but the minute
we stopped it seemed as if we were in a
furnace, and naturally, working as we
were near a hot fire didn't improve things.
On the home trip Bob was taken sick
and had all he could do to hold out till we
got to the home station, when he got home
as soon as possible. After the train was
emptied I ran the engine to the round
house, expecting to go straight home and
wash up. But when / ran the engine in
the first thing | saw was my two cleaners
laid out on heap of ashes, dead drunk.
Here was pretty mess, for it would GER
tainly take me until midnight to get the
machine in proper trim for the next DAVIS
run; and hot, greasy job it was in any
weather, but on such night as that it was
frightful to think OF it. However, there
was no help for it, and started in.
had barely made beginning when
heard some one coming in at the door. !
Looking up saw that it was Billy Thed-
ford. In a very excited voice he asked
where Hunter was.
Home" l said, "and so sick he can't |
hold his head up"
Heavens" said he; 81 shall be ruinedr' |
Then be went on to say that if he wasn't /
In Chicago the next day. some deal, I think /
he called it, would fall through. and il /
would cost him quarter of million
There's train goes through junction I
City at eleven-five that viii get YOU to Chi /
caSo in time" says |.
What Cood'll that do mey" saws he. /
I've been away for two DAYS. and ONLY lust /
now got the telegram. If Hunter was here /
he might get me down: but as it is | may 4
as well go home and let the money GO
Mr.. ThedforG, said /, Bob is sick, but /
can run this machine to junction CITY in /
time TO connect with the train YOU want; |
but you will have to fire for me, rs nv two /
cleaners are drunk, as You see, and there 1
isn't another man in this village knows
the engine from the tender hardly"
hope that have been forgiven that lie.
for there We're two or three men that could I.
hSve fired all right, bat ii struck me all of .
a sudden that here was a fine chance to
get even with Billy, and let him see wheth- |
er 1t took any knowhow TO IRE an engine +
Tor ll0miles run. It. so happened that we
had Just wooded up on the home trip at s.
title station three miles from Georgetown,
50 we had plenty of fuel aboard to make
the run with
Can you do its" says he. Remember
II is 10 miles. and it Is $50 now, so you
have only % hours 20 make the run that
generally takes double that time
Il csn do it. - says l, If you viii jump
aboard. pull of your cost, and do Just as
tell you
No sooner said than done, and in ten
minutes we had the old engine OF the
turn5able. turned her around and were of.
II the road was rough when we ran az
our usual speed. that night, making dou-
bic time. il was just awful. As we few
around the curves il seemed Is il we should