The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-04-06
THE FIREMAN'S STORY,

] know Of one who did, and, II you've got
time to listen to it, ] will tell you the
story now.
1t was In the summer of 1885 that I was
hring on . single track line that runs up
from Junction City through Georgetown,
Q matter OF ITO miles. The line was owned
mostly by q man named Thedford, who
was president and superintendent all in
one.
/ had been firing on the line for two
years back; all the time with one driver,
Bob Hunter by name, and=R finer man
never lived. ! suppose it would be only
natural Of me to speak well OF Bob, any
way, for I was clean head over ears In
love with his daughter, Molly, and was
only waiting for a bit of rise in my pay
to make her Mrs. Jim Martin. Though /
didn't see any chance for that rise where
! was, / didn't like to leave and go on
another line, for that would take me away
from Molly.
One day Bob says to me:
"Jim, amt you and Molly never going
to get marriedf"
"Just as soon as / can get my raise"
says /; " but I q don't see how Pm going to
get it here"
why don't you 60 and ask BillyF'
a Y he.
You see, Billy was always what we
called Mr.. Thedford-behind his back, OF
course-for warrant you, we were mighty
polite to his face.
"He won't do anything for me-" says I,
"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 q rise just to please me-"
"Well," says Bob, cit 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..
Thedfora. After q 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 1t, my manf Pm very busy"
says be.
So / up and told him what / wanted.
"How much are you getting nowf"
says he.
"~Forty-fve dollars a month" say 1.
Then he pursed up his lips, and hemmed
and hawed q little, and says:
81 don't see how we can give you any
thing moro, my good fellow. Yop sec
yours Is not q very responsible position;
AASAOky gAa kC4uALOo - AANtAO OoA
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 a letter he was
writing, and I knew l had no more BUSH
ness there. ! tell you / felt sore to be told
it didn't take much to know how to fire
an engine, and ! came mighty near throw
ing 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, I want to tell you q
little about the line. / have said it was Q
single track ~ running from Junction
City to Georgetown. The latter place was
q little town of 500 or 600 inhabitants;
but in summer q great many Chicago peo-
pie came up there, and SO / supposed the
line paid. Anyhow, Thedford, who had
Q summe place there, was rich enough to
run IL for himself alone ii he wanted to.
Bob lived ut Georgetown and l boarded
with him. Our trips began at 8 in the
morning, and we generally ran the ITO
miles In Ave hours. Then at 8 in the af-
ternoon we came back, getting home at 8.
As soon as we reached the roundhouse at
Georgetown u days work wa over, for
the cleaners took the engine then, cleaned
and polished her, and laid the fire already
to stdkt the next morning.
Well, a ] said i hung on to my Job,
hoping that something would turn up
that would give me q lift, till one day in
August. The whole summer had been
uncommon hot, but that day went ahead
of anything ] ever saw. OF course while
we were running we had a breeze, but the
minute we stopped it seemed as il we were
In a furnace, and naturally, working as
we were near q 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 a. soon az possible. After the train
was emptied / ran the engine to the
~roundhouse, expecting to go straight
home and wash up. But when I ran the
engine in, the first thing I saw was my
two cleaners laid out on a heap of ashes,
dead drunk.
Here was q pretty mess, for il would
certainly take me until midnight to get
the machine in proper trim for the next
days run; and q hot, greasy Job IL was in
any weather, but on such a night as that
Il was frightful to think of IL. However,
there was no help for it, and / started in.
had barely made a beginning when I
heard some M coming In at the door.
Looking up, I saw that 1t was Billy Thed-
ford. In q very excited voice he asked
where Hunter was.
"Homs," / said, /" and 80 sick he can't
hold his head up"
"Heavensi" said he; az shall DO
ruinedi"
Then he went on to say that II he wasn't
In Chicago the next day. .some deal, I
think he called IL, would fall through.
and IL would cost him a quarter Of q mil
lion.
"There's . train goes through junction
City at II :O6 that will get you to Chicago
In time" says j.
"what good'1 that do me9' says he. |
"I've been away for two days, and only
Just now got the telegram. II Hunter was
here he might get me down; but as II is
! may as well 60 home and let the money
60"
"Mr. Thedford," said I, "Bob il sick,
but I can raH-this- machine to junction
City in time TO connect with the train
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