The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-12
copyrighted by Cy Warman.

line, and on that account and because
his brother Tim runs a section on the
Central and his son Tim used to work
for Charley Lee aim tn Lee-high,
he claims the right to mount and cir
culate.', as the French put it, on any
and all trains that slow down at
O'Grady's spur At first the trainmen
let him get ON and off, but there come
times when trains are late and men
ARE cranky and remember certain
rulesp that say: Passengers will not
be carried on freight trains, just as
the general passenger agent VIII re
member the commerce commission
when he knows you are not entitled TO
q. pass and walk all over that commits
sion when he likes you and has learned
to regarduyou as q mild sort OF NUS
ance that ought to be encouraged, ne
cause YOU encourage travel or dlseouf-
age strikes, or you write nice thlnsS'
or say something in your Sunday ser
mon about the scenery along his line,
or, just because.
O'Gradv is fond of travel and dogs.
He bought enc day in Buffalo what ne
called a sterroW bred" bull pup, and
started for the freight yards with the
/ pup under his arm and a vast amount
| of announcement under his vest NC
| Cormick the engineer on local freight,
I shook his oiler at O'Grady and said to
/ O'Grady: "O'Grady, we've nothln' Tor
! O'Grady's today, so Mr. OGrady IL
| kindly keep off the cairs.'
/ O'Grady laughed behind his open
| hand to show surprise mingled with
! contempt. An is that how yez talk
to tn comp'ny's patrons? Ye little up
start Nv starter and stopper! ii let
yez know that I've somethin' for
/ no O'(1radU
climbed into the caboose Far down
/ among the >switchstands the conductor
held up handful of running orders,
/ and signaled the engineer out OF town
Mccormick, leaning from the cab,
caught a copy Of the order, Yelling to
the conductor as he did so, "O'Grady
in the dog house.
Damn O'Grady," said the conductor.
! The long string of loads rolled past,
and the captain, squatting like squaw
at her cooking, inspected the brake
/ rigging of the passing cars. The train
| was making 10 miles an hour when the
way car came by, and the captain
swung himself aboard precisely, and
with as much apparent ease as though
/ the car had been standing still. The
rear brakeman was leaning from the
cupola, throwing signals to switch
tower and kisses to the head waitress
1 of the Fly Line hotel, five blocks away.
Why don't you throw this terrier
OFF, yelled the conductor.
Which one?" asked the brakeman,
! laughing down the ladder.
That's no terrier said O.Grady, re-
moving his brief cigar. He's a terrow
/ bred.
where the devil you going, any
w.. ITO the divil, said the dog man.
Put him off at O'Grady's, then, :"
said the conductor, throwing himself
into the only chair, and the only piece
of furniture that is always respected
| by deadheads on a way car.
The tai1-fags ffuttered under the last
switch-towe ten minutes late. McCor-
mick was cutting the big lever back a
! notch at each half mile and giving her
another half inch of throttle. The
black smoke burned blue and finally
faded from the trembling stack: a
white plume of steam stood above the
dome, the windows began to tremble in
i the way car, the conductor worked at
his narrow desk, the brakeman lOunged
!in the window, while O'Grady and the
bull pup snored, side by side, on the
/ locker below.
1t had rained hard on the morning of
this mild September day, and now the
sun slipped through the clouds and
glanced along the level pools of muddy
WGIeI lUdJ SIOOt III lHS LuIIOW III lllC
fields and filed the rutS that ran be-
side the wagon-Ways. Looking back
along the shaking sides of the bobbing
cars, Mccormick saw smoke rising
from burning box. CHANGING at his
watch he found that he would have to
fan en-" to get, to Willow Greek for
the limited, and so the box would have
to burn o'Grady growing restless estes,
turned over on the pup. the pup yelled,
OGrady SHE'D and rolled to the floor.
The conductor threw himself upon the
forward locker to escape the sight Of
the man and the dog, for he intended
to tote them by, and on to Willow
Creek
Presently the whistle sounded and
O'Grady, glancing out, saw that he was
nearing his destination. Holding the
pup under his arm he walked unob-
served by either of the trainmen, to the
rear door and stood ready to step off
Mrs. O'Grady had heard the local Whis-
tie, and now stood holding the hand OF
little Torrance O'Grady at the edge OF
the brick yard as the engine came down
at a 35-mile gait. The freckles lay on
Terrance'S face like autumn leaves on
muddy lot as he smiled up at the
train in childish anticipation of the
promised pup.
OGrady's brain was not in a condi-
ton to Judge accurately as to the speed
!, of the train and so he made ready tC
get down as if it were perfectly safe
. O'Grady had been drinking. Nothing
; known to man viii increase ones con
fdence in ones ability to do things as
red liquor will, and O'Grady always
drank it red.
Now. may the divil fly away wut
yez, Mccormick said O'Grady, stand.
ing on the steps of the way car A
moment later he caught sight of Mrs
OGrady and Torrance standing in the
yellow lot, and swinging one foot dOWT
he let go. The speed of the train car
ried his ''kick-kicks, as Torrance
would say, high above the level of tbs
step and twisting slightly, O'Grady Ii
on his left shoulder in the middle of {
miniature lake Of liquid brick dust
with the pup under him. The yellow
water covered Mrs. O'Grady and Ter
rance, binding them for a moment an(
when they could see, they saw O'Grady
founder forth, holding by its hind legs
the limp and lifeless pup.
Give the poor cratur some whisky
blow in his face, Patrick" said Mrs
O'Grady, IAN see if We kin fetch III
back to life
AS well might blow in a tin cin
balloon that tn illiphant's walked
! ahn,' said O'Grady, looking at the dead
dog. for he was greatly sobered by the
fall. When the sun vase going dowr
golden in the west they made a little
grave in the garden and there were
tears that evening on the pups biel
and in Terrance's tea. For many
months Mccormick went by withou