Evening star., 1897-02-13

Now. TIL tell you the truth, Tom: the
! whole truth, and nothing but the truth, as
| the judge would say" began his visitor.
You did give lap order. but you saved
yourself: Westcreek did answer. and got
your order to hold No. 8, and he held her.
Dan. / nesst Gent i that message. want
'H Hfe S0a aa.s ass posr hsne
! the engines; and the new president? Was
he killed? An, Dan, why don't you tell me
| the truth 2" and the miserable man held out
his hands besedfhfngly.
81 have toldI the whole truth" said
Creamer. There was no collision" but
| Goodlough shook his head, his eyes filled
With tears and he turned his pale, pinched
face to the SaA.
The superintendent, whose "long suit, !"
as the roadmsseer expressed 1t, was "hoss
sense" had maintained all along that the
| transmission sof the mysterious message
| was stu a mystery. Those occult scien-
lists might sit up nights and work cut
answers satisfactory to themselves, de-
clared the superintendent, but they would
never go at his end of the line. There
! must be another solution of this mysterious
| message" he declared to the president,
| year."
At the expiration of forty days the medi-
| cal staff declared Goodlough sound in body
| ard mind, and the old trainmaster called
upoi tHe superintendent Ior MS decision.
He mad begun as a messenger boy In the
| trainEaster's office on an eastern road
when he could barely reach the top of the
high desk. He had been with this COM
pany 80 long that he felt a proprietary in
terest in the road. He would be glad to
return to his old post, but men were usu-
| ally dismissed for giving a lap order.
1t VIII not be necessary for us to review
this matter" began the superintendent,
when Mr. Good1ough had seated himself in
the private office of his old chief. Under
ordinary circumstances l should feel it my
| duty to discharge you, but in considera-
i tion OF your excellent record and other ex-
tenuat1ng circumstances. the confusing ma
ture of the numbers of the locomotives and
trains. and the names of stations, I have
concluded that l shall serve the company
best by allowing you to return to your for
Mer place. In doing this I wish you to
understand that the matter Of personal
friendship, which has grown strong in the
years that we have spent together makes
no difference In my decision. The sixty
days which l must now give you is meant
more as a punishment for your refusal to
listen to a well-meant warning which might
have saved you than for your carelessness
in giving a wrong order. 1t is more your
misfortune than your fault, however. that
you have lost these forty days, therefore
90"
Goodlough thanked the superintendent
warmly for his consideration and went out
to begin the hard task of waiting twenty
days, for to him every day spent away
from his work was wasted.
The old trainmaster spent the greater
part of his twenty days where he could
hear the rattle of the Instruments and the
slow, measured ticking of the great clock
He was interested in. and then amazed. at
the work of the young woman who was
now handling the trains on the first trick.
At first he felt half angry with her for be-
ing able to do what he had once made a
mess of. but she was so sweetly modest
and so utterly unconscious of herself and
so faithful to her work, that he soon found
hlmseif wishing she were q man. He said
SO to Creamer, once, and she heard him.
Long before his time was UP he had be-
gun to wonder where he could put her.
for he had no thought of letting her 60
But she was lucky SOUL and it seemed
that the same power that sent the ravens
to Elijah looked after her. Just about the
time Goodlough was to resume his office
connecting road wanted a trainmaster and
the place was offered to Mr.. Creamer. He
accepted 1t. of course. Mr.. Goodlough was
ordered to report for duty and having no
one he considered competent at hand, al
lowed Miss Morgan to remain where he
had found her. 1T was understood by all
that this arrangement was only tempor-
ary. but Goodfolgh soon learned that he
would lose an able assistant when he part
ed with Miss Morgan. and SO was a good
while in making o change which all prece-
dent made necessary. The second trick
man was entitled to the first, the third
man was in line for the second and If he
kept Miss Morgan she must do the death
trick" VI
The. two men were notified by letter of
their promotion. and then the trainmaster
oraced himself to .s,I the young lady that
she would be transferred to the company's s
telegraph office, unless she chose to take
the third % trick, which he felt ashamed to
ask her to do. It was only right and fair.
she said, and she would roe, glad to take the
third trick. All she wanted was an equal
show with the men and no fayors If he
could overlook her SEX and forgive her for
content to take whatever he had to offer
her. ''Ye gods,, said the trainmaster to
himself. "she makes me ashamed. She's S
as brave as she is gentle, and as brilliant
as she is beautiful" He wondered, now
knowing her, that he had failed to see that
| she was very superior woman when he
sent her away without the promise, even,
of employment.
| ceived notice of their promotion came into
| the trainmaster's Office they did not ap-
pear overjoyous. The man who had thus
! honored them saw that something was
wrong. and inquired the cause of it.
IT'S Just this way said the second
| trick man. IF you are setting Miss Nor
| gan back because she is incompetent to
| handle the heavy business on the first trick
we have nothing to say; but if the change
Is made because she is woman or as a
| matter OF justice to u.s. we most respect
fully decline a promotion that will work a
hardship to this most deserving girl"
1.-The change was ordered as a matter of
justice to you. and in keeping with the
policy of the management. However If you
gentlemen are disposed to do the gallant,
! the young lady can remain where she is
She is thoroughly competent to manage
| the business and L can see no reason why
| she should not have an even break with
the rest OF u.s.
So the split-trick man. who had done the
talking, and the "death-trick'' man. who
! had nodded assent, went away feeling that
| they had done the proper thing, and the
trainmaster congratulated himself upon the
result.
Minnie Morgan was woman to win a
| mans heart. If he had such a thing to lose.
1 and so. the spring deepened, Goodlough. .
4 who had been too busy all his life to 20 out
i into the world and win heart, discovered
| when 1T was too late that he was slowly
4 bu1 surely losing his own. Miss Morgan,
| on her side. had pitied Goodlough at first.
| and then when he recovered and came back
| to work she had learned to respect and
| soon to admire him. 1t might have ended
| there, SO far as she was concerned. IL he
| had not fallen in love with her. and showed
4 it dozen times day, or every time he
| attempted TO hide it; and soon they both
/ loved, and each resolved to keep the secret
4 ho hl1f x-1,f