The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-05-13
THE ENGINEERS p{VAL.
BY ALFRED ID. COOPER.

be ten year come next September. He
was fine figure of man, was John. He
stood six foot one an half in his stock
ms, an was broad in the shoulders,
too. In his greasy peaked cap, an oily
blue jacket, he looked a giant. Hewas Il
queer 'un. | used to tell him he needed
IL wife to look after him. Ha! Ha! He
always made his tea wi water out o.
tn engine boiler, an when laughed at
him, he'd slap me on the back, an say:
What's good for the horse is good for
the rider, Harry He was rare old
sort"
WAS he am old MANI"
ooh, no; he'd be forty-odd, l suppose,
but l was young man, of %, an he
seemed Old, like, to me. AS I've said, he
was a bachelor, an, as far as I knew,
likely to remain one. There wasn't
much of the ladies man about John.
But still waters run deep, they say, an
John Wright had his little secret.
about three mile out o. town, | used
to notice that he whiStled three times,
and always looked across a couple o
fields, Il bit farther on, as if he were
loOkin' for somethin'. | asked him once
or twice what it was, but he edged me
off, an changed the subject, so l didn't
press it. But kept my eyes open.
1T was early winter when first went
on to stoke for John, an, of course, bein'
agoods train, it was generally gettin' on
for eight o'clock at night when we
passed this particular spot, bound for
Rarnham, so mile away. It's up bank,
as 1 daresay you know, from here to
Longbridge, eight mile up the line, an
we never got any great speed on until
we'd passed that length, especially
when we'd a heavy freight. But all
could make out for some months was
the dim outline of a cottage, that had
an upstairs window with a red blind.
The cottage lay couple o fields away
What made me notice the red blind was
that, as we passed, the window was al
ways suddenly lighted up.
aye, an so was John Wright's face
soon as ever he saw it. Such a smile.-
an he had kind face, had old john
an then he'd seem lost a bit, as if he
were thirlIin' O. somethin' as was good
TO think about.
II couldn't make it out, for you see
looked ON John as a musty, crusty old
bachelor for all he were such a good
sort But the light nights let the secret
out. 1t were no use of HRS keepn' his
tongue tied then; for there, in tn little
front garden, across them two little
fields, was a pink frock, an a sun-bon-
net. an q little hand hutterin' a bit of Il
hankychief as we passed-every night,
as true as the clock.
81 chaffed John rarely about it, first
time l saw it, an he blushed-he did,
indeed, sir! Though his face was grimy
on the top, and copper color under that,
I'll swear he blushed But he looked
pleased an proud, for, by that time,
we'd grown such thick friends, that I'm
sure he didn't mind me KNOWN.
"Then, bit by bit, it all came out.
John and her father, who used to he
pointsman at Chubb Junction, half a
mile farther up the line than the cot
tage, had been lads together. John had
gone up for a camp every Sunday for
many a wear. He'd known Mary Math-
e!ls since she was born, an when She
was a little lass he'd nursed her on his
kree, an told her he'd wait for her. |
dare say he meant it in fun at the time,
but, as she grew up, he knew he liked to
be where she was better than anywhere
else in the world. That's how he put it,
Sir. Then Tom Mathers, her father, fell
i'll, an [ learnt afterwards, an guessed
even then, that John Wright made his
wages keep four instead of one. Mary's
father never worked again. lie was on
his back for 18 months, an then he died.
''An' then, you may be sure, John was
father to the fatherless, an Q, husband
to the widow--as far as loOlIin' after
'em went, ait any rate-Only he wanted
20 be a husband to the daughter, Mary.
OF course, I learnt this bit by bit, an
can't help film in things as come to
my ears years after, for John was never
the man to blow his own trumpet. Ha,
ha! He was well content Wi the steam
whistle-especially when passin' Rail
way cottage. Poor John!
"Well, to cut long story short, Mary
seemed to make 10 objection. Why
should she? She'd never met anybody
She liked better, an finer fellow than
John Wright never walked! He got her
to promise to light the lamp in the room
wi the red blind, on dark nights as he
passed on his engine, an to give him
wave of her hand ON light nights, for he
said it was sOmthin' to be goin' on with,
Ike; he'd touch o. sentiment in him,
had John, aye, he had that!
"One Saturday night he says: Harry
you'd better walk DER wi me to-mor-
row"
"'Walk DER wi you : says; where?
"'Why, TO Mrs. Mathers', to be sure.
I'd like you to know my Mary. An then
you can tell me what you think of my
sweetheart An as he said it that sweet
far-off look came in his face, an knew
he loved that Lass as few lass23 are
loved.
"Well, I went; an I wished at the
time I'd stayed away. 1t was love at
first sight VII me, an 1 felt l should
never never be the same again. God for
gi' me! but after that Sunday felt at
times I hated John Wright. When she
stood at the staa, at the crossing mid
way between the cottage an the signal