The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-24

thought 1 heard a suspicious smack.
but 1 won't swear TO that; still, these
red headed fellows-hang him, he came
away and forgot his coffee,
Mr.. Belknap told US a better road
than the way we came, so We got back
without much trouble. The curtain
had caught fire from the furnace door
and broken every pane of glass in the
cab. rendering it uninhabitable. The
clock had thawed out, run seven min
utes and frozen up again. But there
was both fire and water in her, so 1
didn't much care. I pumped her full
again, and. though the weather was
moderating rapidly, as the cab was I'M
tenable we adjourned to the snow hole
under her. We mHfiehed our pork and
break in comfort down there, Harry
calling out that he had found the wish
bone.
The storm was about over; l had
kept my engine alive my stomach was
comfortably filed and my mind was
easy. lit my pipe and was doing off
to the endless hum of Harry's eulogies
to Susie Belknap, when / was rudely
recalled to railroad realities by the
voice of Davis, shouting. The snow
plow, with a gang of shovelers, was
half way through the cut, and Davis.
chockful OF business, was calling to me
to get ready. Is ueI saa
Where the deuce have you been all
summer 1 asked petulantly. For he
had all the appearance of a man who
had been comfortably housed and fed,
was shaved, even.
."Over here to the house." he answer
ed, cheerily. Where was you?"
What house?''
why, my mother-in-law's, just back
of them trees"
We'll, it's a wonder you wouldn't
ask us over; how'd you 'spose we was
agoin' to STAN it?''
Il expected you over every minute;
an when We didn't come, l thought
mebbe you'd ruther stay by the engine.
One o. the boys was over here yister-
day to see if We wanted anything, an
he said there warn't nobody here.
Where'd ye go?"
Down to BelknaD's."
'.Belknap's? GOSH Wha'd We go away
down there. fur? Why, it's four times
as fur as tbs I'D TO mothers"
20, is it? Well, I'm mighty glad I've
found that out, anyway"
They dug us out, and slammed it to
old is for dear life. 1 knew passenger
train 10 was somewhere behind me, and
1 wanted to get by the only switch
ticic Was uctWetH llc anu nome Will
out sidatracking for her. l got by it
all right. and while bucking a little pile
of snow that had fallen on the track
since the plow passed. she came up and
coupled to our caboose.
We went in the rest of the way fly
ing. The sun came out and made a
fairyland of the heavily snow-covered
landscape, and tempered the frosty air
that came through the broken WIN
frtrr i, let
mas dinner time when we stepped off
her at the ash track, but told Harry
to come on Nd to the house and we'd
pick the bones, anyway.
When we turned the corner there was
the house.aM lit up, and as we stamped
the snow off our feet in the sntrv, the
dining room door flew open, and mother
and Katie-who had become as thick as
thieves-and little Bob shouted
chorus of Merry Cbristmases'' at u.s.
The table, whose snowy linen con-
trasted sadly with our begrimed over
clothes, was pulled out full length in
the middle of the floor. In its center,
his drumsticks held defiantly aloft lay
the great brown turkey, with not a
brack in his glossy skin. He was sup
ported on one side by a massive dome
CT mashed potatoes. whose generous
exparse was mcttled here and there by
little cebs of delicious golden butter.
Delicate, feathery fronds of celery
nodded jcvially to the fat glass dish of
cranberry sauce. while delicious odors
of coffee and plum pudding were watt
ed through the open door from the
kitchen.
What sight for tired and hungry
railroace-s.' .si
1--WE waited for We. pa, Pa, we waited
for yen' shouted boisterous Bob; and
so they had. Katie had worn a path
through the snow to the switch tower.
and had timed our arrival home to the
minute.
noticed after that. during the win
ter. Harry had way OF hanging out
OF the gangway as we approached Bel
knap's, so 1 made 1t my business to
blow a crossing signal there. And as
peered slyiy from under the peak of
my cap l would see a girlish figure
wave a white cloth from the back
piazza. Harry was promoted the fol-.
lowing spring. ard the next Christ
has Katie and / and Bob stretched out
our toes under the hospitabie mahog-
any of Mr.. and Mrs Harry Mervin
Yes, as look back at it now. think,
take it. all In all. 1t was the very mer-
REST Christmas 1 ever spent, and L
Co. II =