The Russellville Democrat., 1892-03-10
The RUSSELlWLLE DEMOCRAT
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
Democrat Printing Co.
RUSSELLvIILE, ARK.
The HERO OF HIGH BRIDGE.
GLOW cant that man heref''

Cam tell you and what $ ore,
neither can the superintendent nor
any Of the officers, y replied the
roadmaster Of one of the extreme
Southwestern lines, as he shook
hands with the keeper of the High
Bridge, and swung on to the rear
platform of the officers special car.
"All anybody knows about him F"
continued the roadmaster, "is, that
Just as the company had about given
up getting a good, responsible man
to take the place of the former
keeper, who had been mysteriously
shot, this man walked into the super
intendent's Office and applied for
the place. / was in the Office at the
time and never saw the superin-
tendent so completely taken back in
my life. He just looked at the fell
low in blank establishment for a
minute, and then blurted out
Why, man alive you don't want
that job High Bridge is the lone
soonest place on God earth.
g All the better, said the fellow,
in a sort Of cold blooded way.
F." Very well, then, the place is
yours, said the superintendent,
and that's the beginning and the
end of all this company knows about
Argus Steele.
Let me explain. / had Just been
appointed superintendent of bridges,
on this line, and the general super
intendent and roadmaster were show
ing me ''over the road !" introduce
ing me to my future duties and sub
ordinates.
The latter were uniformly ignorant
and faithful, and discharged their
monotonous tasks with a logged
perfuctoriness which even the most
energetic tracksmen acquire, sooner
or later. But the keeper of High
Bridge was a startling exception to
the rule, So strong was the impress
sion that he made upon me that, on
entering the car, | scarcely, ex.
changed a dozen words with my
companions over the next fifty miles
of cur journey. Probably / would
have given him only a passing
thought had / met him in some
select circle of Boston or Baltimore,
but to meet a man of his fine
presence doing a watchman's duty
at solitary station in the southern
end of standardization; that was
the wonder Of it. On the shelf in
his little ''look- at the south
end of the bridge, were several old
Green and Latin classics and a
curious work on occult science, in
rich bindings, which only man of
rare learning and fine mind would
have been able to read, let alone
enjoy The man had those clear,
steady, blue eyes that, fancy, are
the special property of heroes and
poets, or of those who would become
such if the right opportunities were
presented.
Another thing | noticed in his
room, which seemed even more out
Of place in his perch ON the edge of
precipice between two rock-ribbed
mountains than did his classics, was
the most modern make of wheel
| had laughed outright when | saw
it leaning against the wall, and told
him that sBighornn or Mountain
Goat" was the only breed Of bicycle
that could operate in his erritory.
His only reply to my bantering was
a sort of half hearted smile, good
natured enough, but far too sad to
be an expression of amusement.
From that time on, for three years
and over, / saw Steele every month /;
but the first impression which he
made on me always remained, and
the better | came to know him the
stronger was my conviction that the
man had some hidden mystery in
his life that would some time come
to the surface again. But never
thought of this without also think
ing with good deal of enthusiasm,
too, that the man had the right kind
of stuff in him; that, whatever
came, he would come out all right in
the end.
OF course, we got to know each
other pretty well, in way. Occa-
sionally be would make some state
ment of facts, and, when pressed
for his authority, would cite his ex-
perieEce in different countries,
which showed wide range of travel.
Once, | remember, after ] had made
an unusually close inspection of the
bridge, / made the remark that it
seemed AS though an earthquake
couldn't dislodge that bridge.
Think sol" was his laeonic
answer.
sWeil, Of course, | don't know, "
answered, ''as never witnessed
one. But you don't seem to share
my faith; perhaps you have felt one,
and know more about iti"
Eyes, have been in one, he re.
piled, at the same time turning his
face from me, and choking audibly.
OF course, changed the subject,
and never referred to it again in his
presence until the morning of April
a last, just after the severest earth
quake shock which has been expe-
rienced in the Southwest since 1868.
And well might | refer TO ii then,
even in Steele's presence, for il
shook that bridge just as the
. early morning express was due, SC
44at ~ oli,4.o,, &c k..a bundra.l