The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1894-01-12

How Brave John Saggart Re-
gained a Lost Position.

.,fohu Saggart stood in dark corner
%. The terminus, out Of the rays of the
rliuring arc lamps, and watched
engine No. So. The engineer was oil
ing her aud the fireman. as he opened
the furnace door and shovclcd in the
coal. stood out like red Rembrandt
picture in the cab against the darkness
neTond. AS the engineer with his oil
can vent carefully around No. Sc, John
Saggart drew his sleeve across his eyes
and gulp came up in his throat He
knew every joint and bolt in that con-
trary old enginc-thc most cantanler-
GUS iron brute on the road, and yet. If
rightly managed, one Of the swiftcst
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 So. 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. il
may be imagined how much of mans
affection goes out TO machine that he
thoroughly understands and likcs-a
machine that is his daily companion
for years, in danger and out Of
j. No So and John had been in
many close pinch together and at
TINS moment Saggart seemed to have
forgotten that often the pinch was
caused by the pure cussedness of 50
herself, and he remembered only that
enc had bravcly done her part sew
cral times when the situation was ex-
cecdingly serious.
The cry of ''all aboard rang out
and was echoed down from the high
archei roof of the great terminus. and
John, with sigh. turned from his
contemplation Of the engine and went
% take his place on thu train. 1t was
long train. with many sleeping cars
AZ the end of it, for the heavy Christ
mas traffic was on, and the people were
getting out Of town by the hundreds.
he engineer had put away h oil can
ana 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
,ran. lie found place i'm one of the
forward seats and he sank down into II
with vague feeling of uneasiness Mt
peing inside a coach instead Of on the
engine. lie gazed out Of the window
and saw the glittcring electric lights
slowly slide behind, then more quickly
'ne red, green and white lights Of the
station lamps, and finally there flick
cred swiftly past the brilliant constel-
ia'ion Of city windows, showing that
,he town had not yet gone TO bed At
"a, inc lying train plunged into the
uark country and Saggart pressed his
FACE against the cold glass of the win
uow' unable to shake off his feeling of
.sSponsibilfty, although he knew that
mere was another man at the throttle
ne was aroused from his rcverie by
'ouch on his shoulder and curt re-
'uest: Tickets, please"
iie pulled out Of his pocket pass
~ turned To hand IL to the conductor,
Mho stood there with n glittering
p'",eu and crystal lantern on his arm.
hello, John. is that youP" cried the
.onuuctor as soon as he saw the face
".ned toward him. Hang 1t. man,
80 "an't need pass travelling with