The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-07-20
IN THE CAB.
alters was queer, Del was"

ALC oucEI "0S 6A'So sAO ~
licitation. jerome Bonner was not the
man to wait for an invitation to express
his opinion, His long habit of sitting on
the box with his hand ON the throttle
ready to pull her open" did not influ-
ence him in conversation. Only in the
cab, with the schedule before him, was
he amenable to signal. There he was
The superintendent considered
him the safest engineer on the road.
When he took a train out, the dis
patcher breathed easily, for there were
some daredevil engineers in the employ
of that company. They would rattle q
train around urves 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
Delehanty. He was a fireman and
had been on the road two years when
the wreck occurred on Kane hill. 1t
was the memory of the wreck that led
Jerome Bonner to remark to a 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 n 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 a snooze.
The engine snorted occasionally 70 If
impatient. Most of the passengers were
wandering about aimlessly, some chat
ting, others looking in the bush for Der
ries of the wintergreen. and all were be-
ginning to fret. Even those around
Jerome were hoping he would take mat
ters in his own hands and run the train
over the hin. 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, please?'
asked a mite of a woman. an excursion
list.
'.Oh, do, if it is a story. | am so tired
Of this stupid wait. said her companion.
not an overlarge woman herself and ap
paTently blase.
"'Fraid Delehanty won't int'rest you
ladies much. He was a commonplace
man, but popylar-mighty popular with
the boys. spite er his queerness-"
Then do tell us about him"
WAL, he and me courted the same
CURL, Susan Briggs, a black eyed CURL as
ever you see and purity, no mistake.
And mebbe that's why l thought Del
queer actin, and mebbe he'd the same
spinion NV me. Sence then / have alters
noticed that men in Inv with the same
CURL see each other bout az 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. If it was
low he would have to run the engine mp
the track to pump up" and that would
interrupt the story.
Two and a half" called Costly, and
fixed himself on the box again. while,
satisfied with the report, Jerome resumed
his story
II was on 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
1oreman Of the roundhouse. sDel's goin
cut with you this trip. Jim Morgan's
tDo sdckr There was no help fur 1t, so ]
went back, jumped into the cab and rur
hsr ont into the yard. Del looked NJ
from the handrail on the boiler with {
Kind Nv hurt look on his face.
THE firemen usually bring ont the en-
Eine. Lettin him do 1t was a way Of
8yin he could be trusted to run an en-
gine. Del kept on rubin the rod ant
snakin it shine as / backed down and
coupled / mind lookin at him. He wa.
cstween me and the track, and / had ii
l0ok outer the side winder. he was big
md / 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
fhrowed the waste in the box and ierket
Opsn the door of the firebox. Jist thel
fhe gong rung, and I give 10 the steam
Del showed in some coal, and as we 90
Under Roadway he came to my side O
Tho cab and stood between it and tn
tender.
II knowed what he come fur, and i
made me mad. Susan Briggs lived jis
ut the edge nv the town and was aller
0ut fur my train. and Del knowed it. s
In wur goin TO let her see him on th
sHme cab with me, and in overalls.
uur 20 durn mad | jist looked straigl
1head, while ne nodded ard laughed {
Eusan, and nodded and laughed 1
him. He looked back till we got roun
- curve ana then went GRIMM to h
hDx. Tarnationi / wur so mad I coul
HE - - 49,