The Cape Girardeau Democrat., 1895-02-09

i ;k3sA vent ventures 1anr in all all
reer as a locomotive engineer. How
many years did you say you had been
with the company"
''Forty-fve. your honor" replied the
man, passing 4 grimy hand over a
'spiky beard, ''forty-fve year of terruble
hard work. and, though my doctor tells
me have a organic trouble that will
cut off my steam without danger sig
nal, still work the dear old train"
To be sure. to he sure" said the
new reporter, sympathetlcally. Il can
quite understand your feeling in the
matter. One becomes very much at
tached to any round of duties, to one
desk, to certain hours, and all that
sort of thing. you know. You see !
have only just Joined the Office of the
Blazer, and l want to write something
that shall show the city editor and the
fellows down there that I've got the
true spark of genius. you know"
And there is no doubt about it,
colonel; you have, sir. you have. Any
man could see that with half eye.
As soon as you opened your valves to
me just now l says to myself: Here
stands the Dickens of America
"Oh, thank you. I'm sure" said the
new reporter. Wont you have your
glass refilled? That's right. Well, as
] was saying, l want to write some
thing that shall make the fellows
recognize my talents, and then per-
haps they will quit guying me. You
see, I've been reading an English fell
low called Fem, George Manville
Fem, who writes splendid stories
about workpeople's adventures, and
there was one exciting account of
railroad engineer making his engine
jump over broken bridge, and felt
sure there must be material for that
sort of story, you know, with our rail-
road engineers. So l came over here
to the New York Central yards. and
when I saw you crawling out from
underneath the cars, all dusty and
dirty, and yet with such refined face
its a fact, / assure you-I was con-
fident you were just the man wanted,
and so asked you if you were not an
engineer. And then, when you smiled
so pleasantly, | was sure l had not
made mistake. and SO ! invited yOu
to this saloon. where we could have
quiet glass together, because that is
always the way these great writers
manage to get their stories, / see"
And a tip-top, admirable, first-class,
third power cylinder fashion it is, gov
ernor. You see, | had been under
meath the cars putting ice on the hot
boxes when you see me and sliding out
from between the brake beams, and as
it's one of the most unpleasant tasks in
our perfesh, why l ellus takes OFF my
jumpers and overalls and puts on these
'ere dirty old duds. But you, as an
author. sir, will onderstan' that it's not
the attire that makes the man, and
that a true heart may beat beneath
the horny hand of toll.
Quite so, quite So" said the new re-
porter, land I'm delighted to find, MIR.
Engineer, that you are using just the
kind of plain yet noble language that
the fellows, workmenapd artisans, you
know, use in Fenn's stories. Which re-
minds me: Won't you please search
your memory to see if you can't recol-
lect some thrilling adventure, some
thing like that l was speaking of just
now-about an engineer making his
engine jump the bridge, you know.
But first refill your glass. That's
right"
so you wants story, does You.
young sir?"
''Oh. that's admirable; that's just the
way those English fellows begin theirs.
The city editor will surely think l
cribbed it, but You will come down to
the office and verify the statement,
won't you?"
Sure. Well. sir, let me see if l can't
lie my memory's bearings and open my
steam chest. l don't know nothing about
an engine jumping across a bridge,
but do know of one that jumped into
the river, and I'll pull the valves open
at that. You see, sir, folks don't gen.
orally catch on to it, but there's two
sorts of en-gines-bull-gin and cow
gines-"
i've heard of fcow-catchers." said the
new reporter, but never of cow
gines-" r..
MOP said the man. Its a fack
that's not generally known, but it In =