Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1897-09-16
T p ANE CREEK was a railroad
X crossing on the $. & c. G. Rail

division terminal at Mercer. 1t was in
the midst of a scrubby pine forest, with
a sandy road crOOking out from the
trees on one side and into the trees on
the other. There were only two or
three houses. little general store with
porch like the visor of n military cap,
and Il school house, all arranged in Il
scraggly row along the railroad track.
The dusty red depot was an oasis in
great many telegraph wires singing
overhead.
\ dozen trains whirled through Kane
Creek every day with only shrek Of
greeting and whipping wake of fine
#and. Only two Of them paid the slight
est attention to the girl in blue ging-
ham dress wl4o-atood in the little OBJ
servatiOn window. One of them was
the way freight which stopped at
kanc's every time it came along while
the conductor handed the girl bundle
Df yellow papers and received another
like ii in return. The other was the
night express, westward bound from
ST. Paul, ana running at forty miles an
hour. 1t was II splendid train-ten cars,
with the finest engine on the road, big
No. h0G. AS its glaring eye flashed
around the bend ia the direction of
Mercer the girl in the gingham dress
often thought of the great train as Il
powerful and feroclous beast snOrtng
nnd roaring westward on race with
the sun. 1t was Il beast, but it was
well trained, and she knew the hand
that trained it, When the train was
mile away there We're always two
blasts on the whistle. Every one else
In kanc'S thought they meant simply,
wake up, look out!'-for that is what
all locomotives say at every crossing
but the girl in the gingham dress heard
"Iiello, Polly" and darted out on the
platform and waved her handkerchief.
AS the great train Numbered nearer Il
haud was thrust from the engineers
window, and, although it was usually
dark, she could see the lutter of some
thing white, and oftentimeS as the en-
gine darted past the station she heard
the blurred sound of Il voice and caught
the glimpse of IL grimy face and blue
jean Jacket. And then she went back
To her place in the little station with
sigh Of deep cOntentmcnt
For II was Il moment of great Joy to
Polly Marshall when her fathers en-
Eine went through. Polly was the sta
tion agent at Kane Creek-any one
could have told that Il woman presided
In the little depot, for was there not
always bouquet in the window and
dainty pictures surrounding the grimy
time tables on the walls, and 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
cn houses stones throw back from
the depot, and since Polly'S mother died
they had been everything to each other.
Engineer Marshall was Il 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 Il lit
tie girl he took her down with him to
Mercer on his engine, and while she sat
IN his black leather seat at the cab
window, clinging on with both hands.
lie explained TO her how the big black
creature under them was started and
stopped, what this brass crank was for.
nnd how, when the engine suucaked
here or Squealcd there. little oil was
needed in this cup or in that crcvicc.
And Polly had learned to know an en-
glnc 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 II was
very heavy work for girl TO do.
II was one night late in the fall that
Polly Marshall had need of all her
knowledge of engines She was sitting
nj her desk in the little observation
window, shaded light throwing its
rays Gown on her telegraph instru-
ments and the Soundcr 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 signifed that she was
all attention.
Look out for ---" clicked the sound.
cr, and then It suddenly ceased, and try
ns she would Polly could get no further
communication with the station next to
the eastward. What could the trouble
beY What was she to look out for?
Polly sprung to her feet, remembering
that the night express, OF which her
father was engineer, was the next train
due. Gould anything be the matterY
She ran out on the dark platform to see
that her lights We're all in place and
that tho sMlirhns mnrn nrnnnrl,. -.