The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-01-12


the company and seven on old SO. ant
at first it comes mighty hard. But
suppose III get used to it"
Look here, john said the conduc
tor. lowering his voice to confiden
tai tone, 1.-The president of the road il
with US tonight. His private car i.
the last but one on the train. How
would it do to speak to him? If you're
afraid to tackle him I'll put in a word
for You in minute and tell him your
side of the story"
John Saggart shook his head
sit wouldn't do he said. ''He
wouldn't override what one of his sub
ordinates had done. unless there wa:
serious injustice in the case. It's the
new manager. you know. There's
always trouble with q new manager
He sweeps clean. And l suppose he
thinks by bouncing one Of the oldes,
engineers on the road he'll scare the
| rest.
well, don't think much of him, be.
tween ourselves" said the conductor,
what do you think he has done to
| night? He's put a new man on S6-a
man from one of the branch lines who
doesn't know the road. l doubt if he's
| ever been over the main line before.
| Now it's an anxious enough time for
me with all the Christmas traffic NOV
! ing, with the Thermometer at zero, and
the rails like glass, and 1 like to have
man in the front / can depend on
Its bad enough not to know the
road" said John, gloomily, but it's
worse not to know old Sc. She's a
brute if she takes notion"
81 don't suppose there's another en-
CINE that could draw this train and
keep her time
NO. She'll do her work all right if
you'll hunor her. admitted Saggart,
who could not conceal his love FOR the
engine, even while he blamed her.
Well" said the conductor, rising
and picking up his lantern, ''the man
in front may be all right, but / would
feel safer if you would be further
| ahead on the train than the smoker.
I'm sorry l can't o fer you berth to-
night, John, but we're full clear
through to the rear lights There isn't
even vacant upper on the train
''Oh, it doesn't matter. said Sag
CART. 81 couldn't sleep, anyhow. I'd
rather sit here and look out the win
dow
We'll, so long" said the conductor
'Tll drop in and see You as the night
passes on"
Saggart lit his pipe and gazed out
into the darkness. He knew every
inch of the road-all the up-grades and
the down-grades and the levels. He
knew it even better in the darkest
night than in the clearest day. Occa-
sionally the black bulk of barn or
clump OF trees showed for one moment
against the less black sky and Saggart
would say to himself "Now he should
shut off an inch of steam"' or ''Now he
should throw her wide open"
The train made few stops, but he
saw that they were losing time-S6 was
sulking, very likely. The thought of
the engine turned his mind to his own
fate. No man was of very much use in
the world, after all, for the moment he
steps down another is ready to stand
in his place. The wise men in the city
who had listened to his defense knew
SO well that an engine was merely
combination of iron, steel and brass,
and that given number of pounds of
steam would get it over given num-
Der of miles in a given number of
hours, had smiled incredulously when
he told them that an engine had her
4 onfr nd hat b,h aI
to be coddled up like any other fe-
male, and that even when man did
his best there were occasions when
nothing he could do would mollify her,
and then there was sure to be trouble,
although, John had added, in his de-
sire to be fair, that she was always
sorry for it afterwards, which remark,
to his confusion, had turned the smile
into laugh.
He wondered what Sc thought of the +
new man. Not much. evidently. for |
she was losing time which she had no !
business to do on that section of the |
road. Still, it might be the fault of the |
new man not knowing when to push |
her for all she was worth and when to |
CdSC u AL tIltSC 10 W tilc
making up of time. Still, it was more
than likely that old ST, like Gilpin's
horse, was wondering more and more
what thing upon her back had got.
Hell have trouble" muttered John to
himself, when she finds out"
The conductor came in again and sat
down beside the engineer. He said
81 |
tickets while Saggart gazed ont of the
window. Suddenly the engineer sprang
to his feet with his eyes wide open. The
train was swaying from side to side and
going at great speed.
The conductor looked up with
smile.
''Old Sc he said. sis evidently going
10 make up for lost time"
'.She should be slowing down for
crossing the G. & NJ line" answered
.he engineer. Good heavens" he
,ried a moment after. We've gone
across the e.. & NJ track on the keen
Jump
The conductor sprang to his feet. He
1new the seriousness of such thing.
Even the fastest expresses must stop
lead before crossing on the level the
inc of another railway. It is the law.
Doesn't that jay in front know
enough TO stop at crossing?"
1T isn't that" said Saggart He
knows all right, even the train boys
inow that. Old So has taken the bit
between her teeth: she's running away
Sith him; he can't stop her. Where do
-ou pass No. 6 to-night?'
AT Pointsville.'
That's six miles ahead. In Eve !
minutes Ct this rate well be runniE.