Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1897-08-07
She had never

| coaches passed the junction, but she
knew she was dressed differently from
| them. Bill Thomas, who braked on the
] wood train, had little sister down at
| the Mills, and once he bought frock
for her in Pittsburgh, and showed it to
| Meg while his train was waiting for
the down express to pass. Meg was
| thirteen then, and out of the next bolt
of cheap calico that Old Daniel bought
of a travelling peddler, she tried to
| fashion something that looked like the
/ frock Bill had shown her. But the re-
| suit was sorry enough, and she had
never dared wear it before the train
/ men.
| 1t was only on Sunday that Meg felt
| perfectly safe from the thoughtIess
| taunts and jokes of the train hands.
/ On that day none but through trains
passed the little junction. But there
came a time when even this weekly es-
| cape from her tormentors was denied
1 her. The Iron Mountain road, in the
| wisdom of a new set of directors, re-
vised the running time of the trains so
| as to get extra trip each week out of
| the tie train. The flats were drawn I'D
| to the junction behind one of the Sum
| day morning passenger trains, and the
! first train load of ties was sent down
Monday morning instead of Tuesday.
| as heretofore. 1t was a saving of time
| and money to the corporation, but it
robbed the men who worked the flats
| of their Sabbath rest.
| The junction, which had ALWAYS
been a quiet place on the Lords day,
soon took on an entirely different APP
pearance. The long hours of the Sab
| bath hung idly on the mems hands
| Teasing Meg, and listening to Old
| Daniels prosings about his leetle
| gaP' soon became tiresome. Some of
| the choppers las goddess a crowd as
ever got together) began to wander
| from their cabins in the timber, and
they brought cards. Before many
weeks they brought something else,
and then the little junction became the
! scene of orgies such as poor little Meg
| had never dreamed of before.
Years before Old Daniel had used far
| more liquor than was good for him,
and he was less able now to withstand
| temptation than he had been in his
| younger manhood. For the first time
in her life Meg began to know what
| real headache meant. The mems teas
| ing and the shame she felt in wearing
| mean frocks was nothing to this Twice
her grandfather had staggered home
| at night so intoxicated that she had to
| help him to bed. The rough fellows
had first piled him with drink, for
| lark. He needed little urging after that
| first occasion.
| ''Gran'daddy," she told him, the Mon
day morning following the old mans
| second escapade, ran'daddy, if the
super or one of the inspectors should
| come up the mountain an ketch you
hathaway, do you know what would
| happen?"
| Yes, Meg, l know what would hap
pen,' replied the old man, miserably.
| you'd lose your job, that's what
would happen pursued Meg, severely;
| IAN Bill Thomas, an Andy Mcguire,
| an them other fellers would lose theirn,
an sarve 'em right" with vicious en-
phasis in this last; ''but what'd we do?'
And poor Old Daniel promised never
| to touch the stuff when it was offered
him again. But Meg feared for him
| and for herself.
| Toward the end of that week she
| became suspicious. Two of the worst
of the woodmen came over to the juno
ton and held long conversation with
| Mcguire, the conductor of the tie train,
ard Bill Thomas. When the loaded
| flats had gone she overheard one of
| the choppers say to his mate:
Jack, did We hear that? Well have
| a regular howl Sunday. Andy prom
ised ter bring up some of tn rale stuff"
Il card 'im,' said the other. mo
more O. this blue lightnin' tn peddler
brings US. I'm sick of it,
.'Oh, DEAR thought Meg, sitting on
a heap of ties outside the cabin, what
ever shall L do? L know gran daddy
IL get the nasty stuff again-sure!
They amt no business to bring rum up
here, an I'll just tell 'em so.''
But she knew it would be waste of
words to take Mcguire and his crew
10 task, and before Sunday morning she
bad formed another and more daring
plan
The long train of empty flats, with
the caboose on the end, was shunted
on to the branch road about ten o'clock
that forenoon. The brakes were set
at either end, and the crew left the
train and walked up the track Meg
knew where they were going. They
were going to meet their friends from
the camp
"Now's my chance" thought the
child, and she darted into the caboose