Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1896-05-23
ON A CONSTRUCTION TRAIN

|
call me navy; here they call me
railroad hand, and a good one at
that, though / do say it. ] left fine
job on the Erie road, last spring, TO
go down to Decatur, Illinois, where
there was chance for me to boss a
construction train on the Toledo,
Wabash and Western line.
Now, as everybody knows, the To
ledo, Wabash and Western line runs
through Harristown, which is few
miles from Decatur. Belle Carroll
lived at HarristoWn, and it was be-
cause she lived there that / left the
Job on the Erie road.
A man called Smith was master of
the line between Decatur and Dan
vile. | broke for him as soon as /
stepped off the cars, and showed him
my recommendations. He was well
enough satisfied with my papers and
my appearance-you can see for
yourself that / look as if | knew
what work was-and be put me on
right away. He even took the
trouble to introduce me to the engi-
neer, who was young fellow called
Joe Handley.
Now, | can't say that didn't like
Joe from the start, because l really
thought him as good as they make
them down here-I mean railroad
men, of course-but | can say that |
didn't like his eyes. They hadn't a
cast in them, mind, and there was.
MT by any means bad impression
in them.
The whites Of his eyes we're like
wet china, and the pupils were hazel.
You'd have called them handsome
eyes. What was the matter with
them, then I'll tell you. They
were brighter than any eyes | ever
saw before in man or woman they
were never still and every now and
then they seemed to swell and start
in their sockets, as if they were 60
ing to drop out altogether. Other.
wise you couldn't find flaw in him,
for he was curly headed, fresh COM
plexioned, good-looking and clean
limbed.
As [ was stranger in the place
Joe volunteered to help me get a
gang together. We went to all the
cheap boarding houses and low sa-
loon where most railroad men do
congregate and in two or three hours
l had engaged twentyfour Dutch
and Irish hands, all good men, in re-
spect of work, to all appearances !;
and | had resolved, in my own mind
to keep out of Joe Handley's COM
pany as much as possible from that
night. Not on account of his dane
ing, shining eyes, mind but because
he drank like a fish, seemed desper.
ately fond Of cards and squandered
his money as if there were piles of
it in every gutter.
Before / knew Belle Carroll, /
shouldn't have found fault with his
prodigality, for I had been as fool
ish with my time ard money as ever
he was, perhaps; but, you see, since
Belle CAROLS eyes had cast a beam
of light across my soul, SO that l
could see what was, I had tried to
become what ] ought to be.
l left off drinking, only taking a
nip when wet through, or when ach-
ing With cold set a guard on my
lips for fear bad language might slip
through and / was like a miser
with my months wages, for | had
sober thoughts ola home of my own,
and little ones to make it heaven.
/ had to pay in my turn that night
though, and drink in my turn, too,
when / couldn't throw the whiskey
down on the floor without being seen;
for it was necessary to keep well
with my engineer; and if he had
discovered any back-down in my
good-fellowship, he was just the sort
of man to pick a quarrel there and
then.
There was a good deal of ditching
to be done about Edwardsville, and
grading about Hillsboro and track
raising all over the west and as far
down as st. Louis.
This gave no chance to see Belle
Carroll and / was getting low spirit
ed to such an extent that / would
have jumped the Job for cent,when
running into Decatur one December
night, ! got orders from Smith to
finish of deep cutting mile and
half below Harristown.
I crossed the Sangamon River the
next morning in high spirits / tell
| you. The fat cars were on the
switch at Harristown SO / left Joe
to hook on the caboose and engine
while / walked down with the men
to the cutting looking this way and
that behind me for Belle but nc
Belle did / see.
There was plenty of work there
for weeks, I saw at glance and
was mighty glad of it. The face 0
the embankment had to come of fo
half a mile and good deal Of eartl