Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1893-04-05
ACONDUCTOR'S STORY
MONEY COULDN'T STOP THE TRAIN.
BUT IT WAS STOPPED.

There's n Grave Somewhere AT the Foot of
the Long Range Of white Capped Noun
Northern Crawl
never read or hear Of the mountains
that do not recall story told by con-
| Huctor of a train on the Great Northern
road. We were going to Butte. The
| train had just crossed the river at Great
Falls. From that point the road begins
its eastern ascent of the range whose
tops are whitened with the snow all the
year round. A wide plain spreads out
between the line of the road and the
range. As the train was getting "a fresh
hold on the rails" as one of the party
expressed it, the conductor stood on the
rear platform Of the coach and looked
steadfastly at one spot until it was lost.
Got claim anywhere around there
asked a traveller who had noticed the
conductors longing look.
"A kinder of claim, he replied. but
not the kind you're thinkin Of"
How he came to tell us makes no diff
ference now. Here is what he told:
Bout year ago, think it was,
young man was put ON my train by the
conductor who had brought him to
where tal1eit. He had been east. His
folks lived down there, l believe. He
had been west good many years, was a
cowboy. then deputy marshal, then a
boss of a ranch and then he got to spec
ulatin in Anaconda He had lived the
sort of life out here that man was ex-
pected to live in them days. He was
hard citizen and then a good one. Blest
if | know just where he quit off, but he
did. He finally got to lovin a girl, and
just when he was havin il the wust way
she ups and marries a good for nothin
dude that came out here and got to
clerkin in raghouse. Then the young
man that am talkin about he goes east
to wear out his feelin's, reckon. And
he was gone all summer. They said he
was at the seaside. | thought when /
heard that as how he would not last long
When man quits this climate to go to
the seaside, there must be something
mighty bad about his case. If man
can't get cured here. he needn't go any,
where else.
We'll, when he was put in my care
there was four or five Of the boys with
him. They had heerd he was comm
back, and they met him away down this
side of st. Paul. And they nursed him
all the way and fed him jest as if he had
been sick girl. He was lookin out of
the winder of the car all the time. day
and night but wasn't sayin nothin.
When we got to Great Falls, he looked
out of the car winder and smiled. 1t
was the first time that the boys had see
him do that since they met him, and they
thought he was gettin we'll He asked
em to set him up in his berth so he could
see.
And he looked at the mountain tops
out there covered with the whiteness of
God. and the foot of the mountains that
is washed by the purest water this side
of the divide The train was just get
ting a good holt on the rails when the
poor fellow sank back. and the next
thing ] see the boys was takin the piller
ont from under his head. Then /
knowed it was all over. Then one of the
boys come to me and asked me If would
take 81 900 to stop the train. told 'em
couldn't do anything of thet sort. They
said money was no object. Then / asked
em what was up, and one Of 'em told
me that he, meanin the dead man, had
made last request that he be taken
from the train and buried in sight of the
mountain that had the snow on it, the
one that caught his eyes first after we
had come over the river. They said they
had promised him they would. | asked
'em where they would get a box, and
they said man as good as he was didn't
need no box; that the angels would take
care of him as soon as he was laid away
Il asked 'em what they would do if
the train wasn't stopped. They held
short parley and said in most respect
full way, which ] understood, that they
had to carry out the wishes of the de-
ceased at all hazards; that they could
stop the train if ! didn't. / understood
'em. pulled the cord and went for ard,
and while the engineer was mendin the
locomotive, which got out of sorts jest
then, the funeral procession moved out,
and the dead was buried out there in
full sight. It so happened that we got
the locomotive fixed just as the funeral
was over, and we took the pallbearers
into Butte that night.
And | never pass that spot that
don't look out there where they laid him.
] amt never seen any of the pallbearers
since, and don't know the name of the
young man that they buried. Do you
know, gents, that his grave is green all
the year round? once thought of put
tin mp a gravestone at the head, but,
thinks l, it's none of my business, and,
besides, the boys said the angels was goin
to to take care of his body, so l thought
wouldn't be intrudin on any angels
business 1t was the only time. though,
that my locomotive ever got anything
the matter with it.n-Chicago Tribune.
Chance For Herofsm.
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