Connecticut western news., 1893-09-07
IN THE CAB.

He allers was queer. Del was"
 The observation was given without so- hcitation- Jerome Bonner was not the man to wait for an invitation to express his opinion. His long habit of sitting on tho box with his hand on the throttle ready to pull her open" did not infiu- ence him in conversation Only in the cab, with the schedule before him, was he amenable to signal There he was trusted The superintendent considered him the safest engineer on the road.
 When he took train out, the dis patcher breathed easily, for there were some daredevil engineers in the employ of that company They would rattle train around curves and shoot down grades with the greatest disregard for the passengers comfort and fears There were men who delighted in the shrieks of the whistle. How they would laugh when echo was frightened and screamed back the strident voice of the engine There were many such men in the pay of the Kane and Carney railroad. but Jerome Bonner was not one of them, nor was Delehanty. He was a fireman and had been on the road two years when the wreck occurred on Kane hill. It was the memory of the wreck that led Jerome Bonner to remark to passenger about Delehanty's eccentricities-
 A little group had surrounded Jerome It the water tank and signal station on Kane hill, where danger flag had pulled ap the train The conductor was up stairs waiting for orderA There was a wreck above-Some coal cars on the track-and there was a prospect of 8 long delay Jerome had got out of the cab and was sitting in the sun on one of the ground timbers of the tank trestle The fireman had made himself comfort able on his box and with feet sticking out of the window was taking snooze. The engine snorted occasionally as if impatient. Most of the passengers were wandering about aimlessly, somo chat ting, others looking in the bush for ber- ries of the wintergreen, and all were be- ginning to fret. Even those around Jerome were hoping he would take mat teGs in his own hands and run the train over the hill He, however, attracted their attention when to one of them he spoke the words of the opening sentence.
 Tell us about him, won't you, pleaseY asked mite of a woman. an excursion ist.
 "Oh, do, if it is 8 story am so tired of this stupid walt, said her companion. not an overlarge woman herself and ap- parently blase.
 "'Fraid Delehanty won't int'rest you ladies much He was commonplace man, but popylar-mighty popylar with the boys, spite CT his queerness."
 Then do tell us about him."
 "Waal. he and me courted the same gura. Susan Briggs, a black eyed gurl as ever you see and purity, no mistake. And mebbe that's why thought Del queer actin, and mebbe he'd the same pinion uv me. Sence then have alters noticed that men in luv with the same gurl see each other bout as delirium tremens subjec' sees snakes. Costy. try them gauges." Coety, the fireman, awoke out of his snooze and tried the gauges The en- zine was not supplied with an injector, and Jerome was desirous of knowing the depth of water in the boilers. If 1t was low he would have to run the engine up the track to pump up." and that would interrupt the story.
 1.-Two and half," called Costy, and dxed himself on the box again, while, satisfied with the report, Jerome resumed his story T was on the road, and Del wanted work, but there was no job for him. He | <aA ko got sick, and when went to the round house the next mornin there war Dele hanty in bran new overalls rubbin the brass on No. 12. No. 19 was my engine. | l nodded to him and then hunted up the foreman of the roundhouse. 'Del's goin out with you this trip. Jim Morgan's too sickr There was no help fur it, so went back. jumped into the cab and run her out into the yard Del looked up from the handran on the boiler with a kind uv hurt look on his face.
 ''The aremen usually bring out the en- zine. Lettin him do 1t was @ way of sayin he could be trusted to run an en. gina Del kept on rubbin the rod and coupled. I mind lookin at him. He was between me and the track. and had to look outer the side winder He was big, and knowed things were not right be- tween us, and said nothin. He seemed hankerin fur fight. Minute we cou- pied Del came in through his winder, throwed the waste in the box and jerked open the door of the frebox. Jist then the gong rung, and l give 12 the steam
 Del shoved in some coal, and as we got under headway he came to my side oi the cab and stood between it and the tender
 Il knowed what he come fur, and ii made me mad Susan Briggs lived jist out fur my train, and Del howed 1t. &
 he wur goin to let her see him on ths
 same cab with me, and in overalls.
 wur 50 durn mad jist looked straight
 ahead, while he nodded and laughed a
 Susan. and she nodded and laughed a
 ham- He looked back till we got rouni
 the curve and then went grinnin to hi
 box. Tarnationl wur % mad coulf
 scarcely see the track, and l run hk
 fury
 'DeI and me didn't talk much on tha
 trip. When 12 wur in the roundhous
 sgin. went right of, but Del hun, round. polishin and fxin up. I felt
 wur in for 1t and made up my min , Susan would have to settle which sh would have mighty quick. If she too Del, all right. But she had to come t the point. But, Lordp and here. Jerom
 glanced at the lady passengers, "I coul
 alleEs run an engine, but managea 8 won
 an wur more than I could do.
 rThe long and short uv it was ths Del and me run on 12 for about tw