The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-01-18

| Sne recognized MIN. lie tlppeu MS naI
politely.
| During the year that followed Butch
made no visible progress toward the
| goal of his ambition. He became
brighter, cleaner, larger, more polite
and popular, but remained a news
butcher still. Yet he was not discour-
aged, although half of the time Sadie
STANDINGS school was closed and she
| ceased to ride on the train altogether.
He got glimpses of her now and then
as the train rushed through Marietta
and she would seemingly wave her
handkerchief in answer to his saluta
ton. II guess she thinks In fraud"
he reflected sadly; 81 told her l was
| going to be d conductor at twenty-one.
and here | am news-butch at nearly
eighteen"
just when his hopes were lowest
what he had hoped for happened.
PRESLEY, Capt. Dicks baggage master,
was promoted to the conductorship
of a freight train, and Capt. Dick
recommended Butch for the vacancy.
The captain had formed strong liking
for the youth and saw in him the max
ing of a man. In few days Butch
was given the place and became a rail-
roader. He was wild with hope; the
first taste of success fired him to
stronger endeavor and he worked
harder than ever. The worst feature
of his new position was that it kept
him confined to the baggage car, and
then he could never see Miss Staining
1t became a habit of his to stand in the
| door of his car of mornings and SEEM
ingly bow to her. Hoskins, the flag
man, was an accommodating fellow, and
Butch would call him into his car and
ask: IF Miss Staining was sitting with
anyone?' If Hoskins shook his head,
there would be an instant exchange of
caps and places and Butch would pro-
coed through the car In this way he
saw her frequently, but she discour-
aged his visits, saying: You'd better
get back to your car if you expect to be
a conductor at twenty-one. You look
that old now"
The hope that Butch fostered of some
day being a conductor had something
more fascinating behind it than the
| IlcTG ItdllLdUlOu AS Vic Ills
heightened into years he began to
realize what this was. With his aspira-
ton Miss Staining was inseparably
connected. Without 4er he would
have been-a Red Bird. And without
her, being conductor was scarcely
preferable to being a Red Bird. He
weighed the matter over many times
/ in his mind Each time he reached the
conclusion that Miss Staining had
| been and must continue to be the
strongest factor in his life.
| Her school days were over, but she
was occasionally passenger on his
train. He seemed an object of less in
terest to her now that he was fairly on
the way to the attainment of his hopes
than he had been when a mere news
| butcher She always talked to him
frankly, encouragingly. He felt that
with her always by his side to inspire
him he could do even greater things
than becoming conductor.
Butch reached his twenty-frst year
without receiving his promotion. For
three years he had toiled with trunks
and reports and added to his stock of
patience. 1t was hard work, but he
did it cheerfully. The year wore away
without sign of his advancement
| He wondered what she thought of it.
| He knew he had done his best he had
worked hard as slave; he had been
arraigned before the superintendent
| for some apparent remissness, only to
be saved by Capt. Dick, his stanch
friend. 1t was his purpose to go at
once to Marietta when he received his
promotion and ask Miss Staining to
be his wife, but it was so long delayed
that his patience at last gave out. One
day he asked that a man be put in his
place for one trip, and when he said
that he was going to Marietta, Hos
kins winked violently.
1t was bold proceeding, and Butch
| began to realize it when he reached
Marietta. AS love making goes, he had
never made love TO Sadie. He had
| talked with her great deal, but their
conversation had been on topics widely
removed from the tender sentiment.
Yet he was not without hope. She re-
ceived him with cordial surprise.
You are too young to marry" she
said calmly, after listening to his
avowal, much too young. You have
scarcely laio the foundation for your
| future yet. In five years you may be
in different position and of far diff
ferent mind"
This was her final answer, but to
Butch it was not without a CLEAN of
hope He thought he caught her
meaning: When he was fairly
launched in his career she would marry
him. He babe her good-by with
cheerfulness that was hardly to be ex-
pected from rejected lover. He went
back to his work with new hope. AS
he whistled among his trunks the next
day Hoskins was forced to observe that
the Marietta trip must have been
success. The vision of successful
future in which Sadie STANDINGS was
the central figure was almost constant
ly before his mind.
One afternoon, six months after
Butch's trip to Marietta, he was busy
packing away trunks in his car. 1t
stood just inside the Atlanta depot,
ready to leave. Capt. Dick had Just
come in and he called to Butch
Butch" said he, "have you heard
that you're to be given Haggard's
I L 4