The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-01-12
OLD EIGHTY-SIX.
How Brave John Saggart Re-
gained q Lost Position.

John Saggart stood in dark corner
of the terminus, out of the rays of the
glittering arc lamps, and watched
engine No Sc The engineer was oil
! ing her and the fireman, as he opened
the furnace door and shoveled in the
! coal, stood out like red Rembrandt
/ picture in the cab against the darkness
/ beyond. As the engineer with his oil
can went carefully around No. Sc, John
Saggart drew his sleeve across his eyes
and a gulp came up in his throat. he
knew every joint and bolt in that con-
trary old engine-the most cantanker-
Gus iron brute on the road. and yet, if
rightly managed, one of the swiftest
! and most powerful engines the COM
pany had. notwithstanding the many
improvements that had been put upon
locomotives since old So left the
foundry.
Saggart, as he stood there. thought OF
the seven years he had put in on the
foot board of old Sc, and the many
tricks she had played him during that
period. If, as the poet says, the very
chains and the prisoner become
friends through long association. it
may be imagined how much of a mans
affection goes out to machine that he
thoroughly understands and likes-a
machine that is his daily companion
for years, in danger and out of
it. No. SO and John had been in
many close pinch together and at
this moment Saggart seemed to have
forgotten that often the pinch was
caused by the pure cussedness Of Sc
herself. and he remembered only that
she had bravely done her part sew
eral times when the situation was ex.
ceedingly serious.
The cry of ''all aboard" rang out
and was echoed down from the high
arched roof of the great terminus. and
John, with sigh, turned from his
contemplation of the engine and went
to take his place on the train. 1t was
long train, with many sleeping cars
81 the end of it, for the heavy Christ
mas traffic was on and the people were
getting out of town by the hundreds
The engineer had put away his oil can
and had taken his place on the engine,
standing ready to begin the long jour
ney the moment the signal was given.
John Saggart climbed into the smok-
ing carriage at the front part of the
train. He found place in one of the
forward seats and he sank down into it
with vague feeling of uneasiness at
being inside a coach instead of on the
engine He gazed out of the window
and saw the glittering electric lights
slowly slide behind, then more quickly
the red, green and white lights of the
station lamps. and finally there flick
cred swiftly past the brilliant constel-
lation of city windows, showing that
the town had not yet gone TO bed. At
last the flying train plunged into the
dark country and Saggart pressed his
face against the cold glass of the win
dow. unable to shake off his feeling OF
responsibility. although he knew that
there was another man al the throttle |
He was aroused from his reverie by /
touch on his shoulder and curt re- |,
quest: Tickets, please
He pulled out OF his pocket pass !
a nd turned to hand it to the conductor. |
VINO slOtu there With glllleTtnC !
plated and crystal lantern on his arm.
Hello. John, is that you?" cried the /
conductor as soon as he saw the face
turned toward him. Hang il. man. /
= GU didn't need a pass travelling with
ne
Il know it," said the engineer. but
they gave il to me TO take me home, and I
may as well use it as rot l don't
want to get YOU into trouble
''Oh, I'd risk the trouble" said the
conductor. placing the lamp on the
door and taking his seat beside the en-
zineer. Il heard about your worry 10
day. Its too cursed bad If man
had got drunk at his post, as you and
have known EN- to do, II wouldn't
have seen ed so hard, but. at its worst.
your case was only an error of judg-
ment. and then nothing really hap
pened. Old So seems 10 have the |
habit of pulling herself through. ! sup
pose you and she have been in worse
fixes than that with lot word said
q bout IL
oh. yes" said John. We've been
N r.pa-v tight place together, but !