The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-09-02
THE ENGINEERS RIVAL.
by ALFRED Il. COOPER.

very engine old John Wright used to
drive when | was his stoker. Let me see
I've been driyin' three year-aye, it'll
DO ten year come next September. He
was fine figure of Il man, was John. He
stood six foot one an q half III his stock
ms, an was broad in the shoulders.
too. In his greasy peaked cap, an oily
blue jacket, he looked giant. He was il
queer 'un. | used 10 tell him he needed
q wife to look after him. la. Ha! He
always made his tea wi water out o
tn engine boiler, an when laughed at
him, he'd slap me on the back, an say:
What's good for the horse is good for
the rider, Harry He was rare old
sort
"Was he am Old man?"
ooh, no; he'd be fortyodd, suppose,
but | was Il young man OF 23. an he
seemed old, like, TO me. As I've said, ne
was u bachelor, an, as far as | knew,
likely to remain one. There wasn't
much Of the ladies' man about John
BuL still waters run deep, they say, an
john Wright had his little secret.
about three mile out o town, | used
to notice that he Whistled three times,
and always looked across couple o
fields, & bit farther on, as if he were
lCokin for some thin. ! asked him once
CT twice what it was, but he edged me
of. an changed the subject, so | didn't
press it. But | kept my eyes open.
at was early winter when first went
on to stoke for John, an, of course, bein'
goods train, ii was generally gettin' on
for eight o'clock at night when we
passed this particular spot, bound for
Rarnham, SO mile away. It's up bank,
as ] daresay you know, from here to
Lorgbridge, eight mile up the line, an
VIC never got any great speed on until
we'd passed that length, especially
when we'd heavy freight. But all
could make out for some months was
the dim outline of a cottage, that had
an 'uDstairs' window with a red blind.
The cottage lay q couple O. fields away.
What made me notice the red blind was
that, as we passed, the window was al
ways suddenly Lighted up
AYE, an so was John Wright's face
soon as ever he saw it. Such smile!--
an he had a kind face, had old John
an then he'd seem lost bit, as it he
were thinkin' O somethin' as was good
to think about.
81 couldn't make it out, for you see l
looked on John as d musty, crusty OLD
bachelor, for all he were such good
sort. But the light nights let the secret
out. 1t were no use of his keepdn' his
tongue tied then; for there, in tn little
front garden, across them two little
fields, was "a pink frock, an sun-bon-
net, an a little hand flutterin' a bit of n
hapkychief as we passed-every night,
as true as the clock.
Il chaffed John rarely about it, first
time l saw it, an he bushed-he did,
indeed, sir! Though his face was grimy
on the top, and coppercolor under that,
I'll swear he blushed. But he looked
pleased an proud, for, by that time,
we'd grown such thick friends, that I'm
sure he didn't mind me. KNOWN.
''Then, bit by bit, it all came out.
John and her father, who used to be
pointSman at Chubb Junction, half a
mile farther UP the line than the cot
tage, had been lads together. John had
gone UP for q camp every Sunday for
many a year. He'd known Mary Math-
e!v since she was born, an when she
was a little lass he'd nursed her on his
krec, an told her he'd wait for her.
dare say he meant it in fun at the time,
but, as she grew up, he knew he liked to
be where she was better than anywhere
else in the world That's how he put it.
sir. Then Tom Mathers. her father, fell
iii, an I learnt afterwards, AN [ guessed
even then, that John Wright made his;
wages keep four instead of one. Mary's
father never worked again. He was on
his back for IS months, an then he died.
AN then, you may be sure, John WIS
a father to the fatherleSs. an o. husband
to the widow-as far as lool1in' after
'em went, at any rate-only he wanted
20 be husband to the daughter, Mary
Of course, learnt this bit by bit, an
can't help film in things as come TIC
my ears years after, for John was neve,
the man to blow his own trumpet. 1la
la. He was well content WI the steam
whistle-especially when passin Rail
way cottage. Poor John!
well. to cut q. long story short, Mary
seemed to make 10 objection. Why
should she? She'd never met anybody
She liked better, an finer fellow thar
John Wright never walked! He got hel
to promise to light the lamp in the room
wi the red blind. on dark nights, as b.
passed on his engine. an to give him
wave of her hand on light nights, for HI
said it was sOmthin' TO be Soin' on with
Ike; he'd a touch o sentiment in him
had John, aye, he had that!
Zone Saturday night he says: Harry
you'd better walk DER wi me to-mor
row."
"'Walk DER wi you ; says; where
"'Why, to Mrs. Mathers', to be sure
I'd like you to know my Mary. An the1
you can tell me what you think of m,
sweetheart An as he said it that sweet
far-off Look came in his face, an knew
he loved that lass as few lasses ar
loved.
well, l went; an l wished at tn,
time I'd stayed away. 1t was love a,
first sight wi me, an I felt I shoul,
neyer,neyer be the same again. God for
gi' me! but after that Sunday felt a
times hated John Wright. When sh+
stood at the stile, at the crossing mid
way between the cottage an the signal
box-as she did every evenin' from tn
very day I went wi John-an' wave.
her hand to him. baHhful-like, an h
threw her q clumsy kiss, felt coul.
hn' knocked him off the engine.
81 fought again tan, you mus
x!,l,,.4 ell 4l>,+