Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1898-07-07
A COMMONPLACE MAN
BY q. II. DlERHOLD.
THERE was nothing brilliant about

THERE was nothing brilliant about
Dan Russell, any more than there
was about No. l6, his heavy, solidly-
built engine, OF about the big sleek,
grass-fed steers that generally formed
the greater part of the load on the
trains that he pulled. He was consid-
cred one of the most faithful men on
the Denver road, but somehow his very
faithfulness was Of kind which is
generally associated with dizziness. In
many respects his character was strik-
incly like that of the road or 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 it's
way across the mountains and into the
city of Denver. In much the same way
there was a kind of monotony about
Dan Russell, but it was a 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 it's way into
some "continuing city"
Dan never achieved even the distinc,
ton of being given passenger run. In
spite Of his faithfulness, men of diff
ferent 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 certain town on Dams
run known as 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
Of the Denver" 20 the other. tits hard
ly worth while to mention it's 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 Russells eyes, was Grace At
kins. *s '.s',.. I'D 81.
Grace was the daughter Of 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, I cannot pretend to
say. How he monaged it, even his most
intimate friends never could imagine.
1t is a matter Of record, though, that a
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.''
Livery tnlHS Went well with the affair
until the unfortunate day when Ben
Stikes was transferred to 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, just after No.
16 had pulled out.
"What is it?" inquired another.
&; ''Grace Stikes."
eyes? Well, she is tol'ble new. She
amt met No. 16 but about 40 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 today
At this there were several significant
grius in the crowd, and several shout
ders were shrugged After several mo-