Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1898-08-11

the Denver road, but somehow his very
faithfulness was of kind which is
generally associated with dizziness. In
many respects his character was strik-
ingly like that of the road on which he
ran. The Denver is long, monotonous
road that stretches up into the Pan
handle of Texas over almost endless
reaches of seemingly dead level prairie;
but all the time is gradually rising to-
ward the lava beds Of the foothills Of
New Mexico, and eventually finds its
way across the mountains and into the
city of Denver. In much the same way
there was kind of monotony about
Dan Russell, but 1t was u monotony OF
vastness. 1t rose by imperceptible
gradations to the heights of heroism,
and it is barely possible that in the end
it also may have found its way into
some continuing city,"
Dan never achieved even the distinc'
ton of being given passenger run. In
spite of his faithfulness, men Of q diff
fcrent turn of mind always seemed
to get the promotions. Ben Stikes, his
fireman, was much younger man, and
much less experienced in railroad mat
tiers, but it was frequently remarked
among their friends that Ben was al
ready better liked in official circles than
Dan, and that the fireman was likely to
get passenger run first.
There was a certain town on Dams
run known rs the Chicken and Bread"
town. 1t was so called because of the
swarm of semicivilized and totally de-
PRAYED small boys who always met
trains there and tried to beguile passen-
gers into buying alleged samples of
those two articles of diet. The town is
still known by this name from one end
of the Denver" to the other. 1T hard
" worth while to mention its other
name, as this one really lends all the
dignity to the town which the facts In
the case will justify. The town con->
sists principally of sand hills and sa-
looms, but as it Is at the junction Of two
railroads It has been made the eating
station for the crews Of several trains.
1t has several inhabitants, but the one
most nearly connected with this story,
and decidedly the most important one
in Dan Russell's eyes, was Grace At
dns.
Grace was the daughter of a saloon
keeper, whose place was near the Den
yer depot. More than that, she was
Dams sweetheart. This is the best
thing I know TO say about her. The
woman whom Dan Russell loved cannot
have been all bad. How Dan managed
TO become engaged to her, or even to
make love to her, 1 cannot pretend to
say. How he managed it, even his most
intimate friends never could imagine.
1t is matter OF record, though, that
brakeman once punched him in the ribs
and asked him what the date was, and
that Dan blushed violently and STAN
mered something about promotion"
Everything went we'll with the affair
until the unfortunate day when Ben
Stlkes was transferred to o seat in the
cab of No. 16, and to the position of
fireman to Dan Russell. Before this
happened Grace made it point to meet
Dams train nearly every time it passed
through the Chicken and Bread"
town; but afterward she always
met it.
"Somethin' new under the sum-" re-
marked one of the habitual loungers
around the depot one day, justafter No.
lG had pulled out.
What is it?" inquired another.
Grace StiI1es."
Yes? Well, she is torble new. She
amt met No. 10 but about 90 times this
last month"
"She amt never met it on the right
side of the cab before. Did you notice
it? She alters stood on the left side
till to-day"
At this there were several significant
grins in the crowd, and several shout
ders were shrugged. After several mo-
ments Of silence spent in looking after
the disappearing train, one OF the loaf
ers remarked, sententiously:
>-,SD-n good-loolling man, any way"
Even Dan Russen's most ardent
friend could never have claimed that
this imprccation was intended for him.
After this the loafers noticed that
Grace stood on one side of the cab just
about as often as she did on the other.
1t is barely possible that Dan may have
noticed it also, but there was never any
thing about his swarthy, firm-set face
10 show it. AS the months went on his
fireman continued to be as good look
ing" as ever, and showed no sign of any
injury from the "damning" he had re-
ceived. Finally a time came when
Grace failed to stand on either side of
No. 16, or to meet it at all for over a
week. Neither man in the cab showed
the slightest sign Of missing her.
Something's up" the loungers whis-
pered one to another; but no one had
an opinion to venture as to what thai
"somethin'" might be.