The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-05-08
THE RIVALS.

Ies,bir. InhbOlu snuuVlN engine tDat y
putin an snortin like broken winded old
horse could tell tale, II 1t wasn't so short
O. breath. That's the very engine old John
Wright used 10 drive when was his stoker.
Let me see-I've been driyin three year
aye, it'll be ten year come next September.
he wGs fine figure Of a man, was John.
Ho stood G foot "a In his stockin's an was
broad In the shoulders too. In his greasy
peaked cap an oily blue jacket he looked
giant. Ho was queer un. / used to tell
him he needed a wife to look after him.
( Ha, ha! He always made his tea WI wa
ter out o. tn engine boiler, an when l
I laughed &C him he'd slap me on the back,
an say, what's good tor the horse Is good
for tho rider, Harry He was rare old
Sort
( "Was he IN old mani"
( "Ob, TO; led 10 40 odd, suprose, but
Twas y6wng man CT 23, an he seemed old,
like, TO me. AS I've said, he was a lnche.
lor, an, as far as i knew, likely 10 remain
one. There want much Of the ladies'
man about John. Eut still waters run
deep, they say, IN John Wright had his
little secret.
About three mile out o. town, used
to notice that be Nhistlod thrco times and
always looked across n couple o. fields a Bit
farther on, as If he were lookin fer some.
thin. asked him once or twiCe what il
was, but Lo edged me of, an changed the
subject, so l didn't press it. But kept
my eyes open.
cit was early winter when l first went
On 70 stoke for John, an, OF course, bein o
goods train, it was generally gettin on foi
3 o'clock at night when we passed this Iar.
tic'lar spot, bound for Barnbam, 80 mile
away. It's up bank, as l dare say you
know, from here TO Longbridge. eight
mile UP the line, an we never got any great
| sreod on until we'd passed that length. es.
| pccially when we'd q heavy freight. But
/ all could make out for some months was
the dim Cutlire of cottage that had an
| up stairs window with red blind. The
| cottage lay couple o. fields away. What
made me notice the rcd blind was that, as
we passed, the window was always sudden.
/ ly lighted up.
"Aye, an so was John Wright face soon
! as ever he saw it. Such a smile-an he
| had a kind face, had old John-an then
he'd seem lost a bit, as il he were thinkin
| O. something as was good to think about.
81 couldn't make it out, for you see
| looked on John as q musty, crusty old
bachelor, for all he were such good sort.
|
were no uso of his keepin his tongue tied
| then; for there, in tn little front garden,
| across them two little fields, was pink
frock, an sunbonnet an a little hand flut
term hit Of bankychief as we passed
| every night, as true as the clock.
81 chaffed John rarely about it, first
time saw It, an he blushed-he did in.
| deed, 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 mo KNOWN.
'Then, bit by bit, it all came out. John
and her father, who used to be pointsman
at Chubb junction, half a mile farther up
tho line than the cottage, had been lads
| together. John had gone up for n camp
every Sunday for many year. He'd
! known Mary Mathers since she was born,
| an when she was little lass he'd nursed
| her on his knee, an told her he'd wait for
! her. i 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 any
where elso in the world. That's how he
| put it, sir. Then Tom Mathers, her fa
ther, fell i'll, an learnt afterward, an
| guessed even then, that John Wright made
his wages keep four instead of one. Mary's
| father never worked again. He was on his
| back for 1S months, an then he died.
"An then, you may be sure, John was u
the widow-as far as lookin after 'em
| went, at any rate-only he wanted to be q
husband to the daughter, Mary. OF course,
| learnt this bit by bit, an I can't help
fillin 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 passing Railway cottage. Poor joint
| "Well, to cut a long story short, Mary
| seemed to make no objection. Why should
sheY She'd never met any body she liked
better, and finer fellow than John Wright
never walked. He got her to promise to
| light the lamp in tho room wi the red
blind on dark nights as he passed on his
| engine, an to give him q wave Of her hand
! on light nights, for he said it was some
thin to be goin OH with like He'd touch
! O. sentiment in him, had John, ave, he
| had that.
| lone Saturday night he says, Harry,
you'd better walk DER wi me tomorrow
| Walk DER wi you,' says. 'Wherep
"'Why, to Mrs. Mathers, to be sure.
I'd like you TO know my Mary. An then
you can tell mo what you think o. my
sweetheart An as he said it that sweet,
far off look camc in his face, an knew
| no loved that lass as few lasses nre loved
"well, went, an wished at the time
I'd staid away. It was love at first sight
wi me- an felt I should never, never be
the same again. God forgP me, but after
that Sunday felt at times hated John
| Wright. When she stood at the stile, mt
| tho croScip0 midway bcfxycen tho cottauc
F, an tho signal box-as she did every evenin
from the very day I went wi Jobn-an
waved her hand to him, bashfullikc, an no
threw her clumsy kiss, felt / could ba'
knocked him of the engine
II fought again it-aD, you must un-
Serstand, didn't feel that way all the
time, for we were good friends, an no one
would have eecn difference. But when
he talked OF her in his quiet way-of bein
wed an such like-it was like knives in
me.