Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1897-10-02

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rood about two miles from the
division terminal at Mercer IL was ia
Tho midst of A scrubby pine forest WIN
sandy road crooking out from the
trees on one side and into the trees on
the other. There were only TWO VI
three houses. a little general store WIN
a norch like the visor of military cap
and n school house, all arranged III
scrarply row along the railroad track
The dusty red depot was an oasls III
the midst of cinder desert, WIN d
great many telegraph wires singing
overhead.
A dozen trains whirled through hahe
Creek every day with only shrek OIL
greeting aud whipping wake OF me
sand. Only two of them paid the slight
est attention to the girl In blue glhs-
ham dress who stood in the little OBJ
servation window. One OF them was
the way freight which stopped at
Kane's every time 1t came along WINE
the conductor handed the girl bundle
of yellow papers and received another
like II in return. The other was the
night express, westward bound from
St. Paul, and running at forty miles an
hour. 1t was a splendid train-ten cars
with the finest engine on the road, Dig
No COG. AS its glaring eye flashed
around the bend in the direction OF
Mercer the girl in the gingham dress
often thought of the great tram as
powerful and ferociOus beast snorting
and roaring westward on race Win
the sun. 1t was beast, but 1t was
well trained, and she knew the hand
that trained 1t. When the train was
mile away there were always TWO
blasts on the whistle. Every one else
In Kanes thought they meant simply,
"Wake up, look outv'-for that Is what
all locomotives say at every crossing
but the girl in the Bingham dress heard
Hello, Polly" and darted out on the
platform and waved her handkerchief.
AS the great train Numbered nearer a
hand was thrust from the engineers
window, and, although 1t was usually
dark, she could see the fiutter of some
thing white, and oftentimes as the en-
CINE dGrted past the station she heard
the blurred sound of a voice and caught
the glimpse of grimy face and blue
jean jacket. And then she went back
to her place in the little station with a
sigh of deep contentment
For 1t was a moment of great joy to
Polly Marshall when her fathers en-
CINE went through. Polly was the sta
ton agent at Kane Creek-any one
could have told that woman presided
In the little depot, for was there not
always bouquet in the window and
dainty pictures surrounding the grimy
time tubles on the walls, and Il kitten
curling upon the doorstep? At II Polly
had gone in as assistant to learn te
legraphy and when Clark, the agent,
was called to Mercer the company had
left the Independent girl in charge. She
and her father lived in one of the wood
EN- houses a stones throw back from
the depot, and since Polly's mother died
they had been everything to each other
Engineer Marshall was big silent
man, and his companions, some of
them, thought him gruff and i'll temper
ed, but to Polly he was always tender
as kitten. Often when she was a lit
tie girl he took her down with him to
Mercer on his engine, and while she sat
on his black leather seat at the cab
window, clinging on with both hands,
he explained to her how the big black
creature under them was started and
stopped, what this brass crank was for
and how, when the engine squeaked
here or sQuealed there. a little oil was
needed in this cup or in that crevice.
And Polly had learned to know an en-
CINE as well as she knew the neat little
pantry in the house at home. Indeed,
she had more than once managed the
levers and the throttle, although it was
very heavy work for girl to do.
1t was one night late in the fall that
Polly Marshall had need of all her
knowledge of engines. She was sitting
Mt her desk in the little observation
window, shaded light throwing its
rays down on her telegraph instru-
ments and the sounder clicking sleepily.
Suddenly she was startled by the sud
den call of her number. Instantly her
fingers sought the keys, and she gave
the answer that signitied that she was
all attention.
Look out for -" clicked the sound
er, and then 1t suddenly ceased, and try
as she would Polly could get no further
communication with the station next to
the eastward. What could the trouble
be? What was she to look out for?
Polly sprung to her feet, remembering
that the night express, of which ner
father was engineer, was the next tram
due. Could anything be the matter?
She ran out on the dark platform to see
that her lights were all in place and
that the switches were DrODerly set.