New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1893-06-07
IN THE CAB.
He alters was queer, Del was"

NAN 20 wall TOR an INVITATION &C, express
his opinion. His long habit of sitting on
the box with his hand on the throttle
ready to pull her open did not infu-
ence him i'll 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 Il train out, the dis
patcher breathed easily. for there were
some daredevil engineers in the employ
OF that company. They would rattle a
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 o 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
at the water tank and signal station on
Kane hill, where a danger flag had pulled
up the train. The conductor was up
stairs waiting for orders. There was a
wreck above-some coal cars on the
track-and there was a prospect Of a
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 IL snooze
The engine snorted occasionally as if
impatient. Most OF the passenger wee
wandering about aimlessly. some chat
ting. others looking in the bush for Der
rles OF the Wintergl'een, and all were be-
ginning to fret. Even those around
jerome were hoping he would take mat
ters il his own hands and run the train
over the hill He. however. attracted
their attention when to one Of them be
spoke the words Of the opening sentence.
Tell usabout him, won't you. please:'
asked Il mite of u woman, an exCnrsipu-
ist
'Oh, do, if it is g story. | am 50 tired
of this stupid wait. said her companion,
not an overlarge woman herself and ap-
parently blase.
"'Fraid Delehanty won't interest you
ladies much. He was a commonplace
man, but popylar-mighty popular with
the boys, spite err his queerness."
Then do tell US about him."
WAL, he and me courted the same
gurl, Susan Briggs, d black eyed CURL as
ever you see and purity, no mistake.
And mebbe that's why thought Del
queer actin, and mebbe he'd the same
'pinion Nv me. Sence then have alters
noticed that men in luv with the same
CURL see each other bout as a delirium
tremens subjec sees snakes. Costly, try
them gauges"
Costly, the fireman, awoke out of his
snooze and tried the gauges. The en-
CINE was not supplied with an injector,
and Jerome was DESTROYS Of knowing the
depth of water in the boilers. # it was
low he would have to run the engine up
the track to pump up" and that would
the story.
Two and half" called Costly, and
fixed himself on the box again, while,
satisfied with the report Jerome resumed
his story.
II was or the road, and Del wanted
work, but there was no job for him. He
wanted to fire. One day jim Morgan
got sick, and when | went to the round
house the next mornin there war Dele
hanty in bran new overalls rubin the
brass on No. 10. No. 10 was my engine
| 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, 50 !
went back, jumped into the cab and run
her out into the yard. Del looked up
from the handrail on the boiler with
kind Nv hurt look on his face.
1.-The firemen usually bring out the en-
CINE. Lettin him do it was a way of
sayin he could be trusted to run an en-
CINE. Del kept on rubin the rod and
maxim it shine as backed down and
coupled. mind lookin at aim. He was
between me and the track, and had to
look outer the side winder. He was big,
and l knowed things were not right be-
tween us, and said nothin. He seemed
hankerin fur a fight. Minute we cou-
pied Del came in through his winder,
the waste in the box and ierked
open the door of the firebox Jist then
the gong rung, and | give 10 the steam.
Del showed in some coal, and as we got
under Roadway he came to my side OF
the cab and stood between it and the
tender.
Il knowed what he come fur, and it
made me mad. Susan Briggs lived list
at the edge Nv the town and was alters
out fur my train, and Del knowed it. So
be wur goin to let her see sim on the
same cab with me, and in overalls.
wur so durn mad jist looked straight
ahead, while be nodded and laughed at
Susan, and she nodded and laughed at
him. He looked back till we got round
The curve AMI then went GRIMM n b;e