The record-union., 1896-07-05
HOPE

member always.
In a sharp V of a valley between two
tall, unheeding mountains, stood little
brown station, all alone. 1t looked like
a knot in the end of the brown rag of
road that hung over the low ridge be-
yond it. Hope" was the name in the
middle of the weathered signboard, with
''Winnepeg, - miles" at the nearer
end, and Vancouver, miles," at
the farther.
There was a small token of life about
the building so far as even we in the
observation car could see, so when the
conductor came back from the office
with his orders we wondered why the
train did not go on. Sut pretty soon a
tall old man with a red flag under his
arm came from up the track ahead to
the station platform. Some of us had
alighted, and to US he volunteered, while
he rolled his flag closer:
Rock on the track.
rs it very large?" asked some one
Nope; they'll git it off purity soon;
like 'nough in bout ten minutes
That accent was Enthusiastically from
the States and I came nearer where
could hear all he said. He sat down
on a pile of boxes ana in reply to some
remark said, meditatively:
Nope, trains don hev much 'casion
to stop here long nowadays. Used to
be purity decent mine up yonner," jerk
ing his head toward the little road ;
then they war some doin's here"
Mine abandoned?"
"Eaup," he was going on, when an
other idea struck him; he looked round
uneasily.
They hain't none O. you seen Rolly
hev you?'
Who's Rolly?"
ivy, Rolly, he's the dorg;" his eyes
grew anxious; 'he's a great institution
round these parts, Rolly is''
He rose and went quickly to the door
of the station, opened it, and put his
head inside. We heard the click of the
telegraph instrument
Say, Bennie, where's Roll?" ne called
His voice was different from that in
which he spoke to the men outside The
answer was inaudible.
"Humph. Curious. amt it? When did
he go?" Again the inaudible reply.
well, he must heard the whistle"
He came back to the travellers, but
with his eyes on the brown road over
the ridge.
Didn't pan out?" asked one.
Huh? oh, the mine, I dunno
guess 'twould Eff" but the old idea
was too strengths eyes sought the
slope again. Now where in time is
that dorg? He hain't use to missin
trains
What was the matter at the mine?"
"Oh, there was ghosts came there, N
that scarf everybody, n now they won't
no one go nigh but Rolly, and he's inter
ested. Wish t he'd come anyhow
We'll, what is it about Rolly, my
friend; is he your dog?" asked a big,
quiet man standing near with his wife
Nope. That is, he is and he amt
one way he's mine and two he amt
one way he's mine, cause I feed i'm
ard banker after i'm eff he amt round
One way he amt mine, he's Bennies,
cause everything I've got that Bennie
bankers after is hisn, an he thinks
heap O. Rolly. Bennie's the telegraph
here.
Mother way he amt mine nor Ben
MES neither. He hisself thinks he be-
longs to man t hain't been round here
quite spell-the last contractor at the
Hope He left in leetle hurry one
night, bein' found with some mine
pay money mixed into his own inside
pocket by mistake, N he forget the
dorg"
One traveller, acquainted with West
ern euphenisms, asked:
Did they hang or shoot him?'
The old fellow grinned.
"ShOt i'm sent tho ra,,,p p+c Eoe@ -,
a box. We hain't lookin' fer i'm back.
but Rolly is. Yes, sir, he's on hand
every train, an between times he goes
up to the mine to see eff his man has
slipped by unbeknownst an gone up
there"
Just then the conductor. passing.
said:
Nearly ready; all aboard"
We started reluctantly for the car.
all of us with our eyes on the brown
road now. The old man walked with
us.
Cant think what on 'arth keeps i'm.
He'll cry all day eff he misses the train. j"
We were all on board now. The con-
ductor stood, watch in hand, his eyes
too, on the road.
There he isl" someone shouted.
He knowed he was late an took the
short cut" exclaimed the old man.
Our eyes left the road. and at the
other end of the platform met a small
snooth-coated, black and white mon
srel, all dusty and painting. crouched
with quivering fanks by the steps of
the last car, a Pullman
The dogs eyes were on the porter
The porter looked to the conductor for
sign; the conductor looked at his
watch and his orders and nodded. Then
the porter lifted the eager little brute
into the car vestbule
We in the observation car all waited
with eyes on the door of the nearest
Pullman; all but the quiet man who had
retired into the front corner of the car
behind his newspaper
"Blest If | Want to see the beast dis
appointed he said to his wife.
Does he go through the whole train?"
1 asked of the old man.
Yes, miss, all but the coInist car and
the en- grant; he knows that haint the
kind
Just then the Pullman door onened
and the porter came through. followed
by the dog, stepping high and nervouslv
There were a great many in the car and
the dog was bewildered The porter
picked him up and put him on one of
the seats, double row of which ran
back to back down to the center of the
car. The dog put his paws ON the
back of the seat and looked all around.
ears up, nostrils moving, fanks culver
ing, tail straight out and slowly wav-
ing.
Suddenly he gave a sharp yelp and
bounded over the center seats down the