The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-04-01

want some steam.
''All right, Joe, jess as you say" he
replied with an air of condescension
that made me feel like wringing his
neck. But instead Of going at it, he
commenced to explain TO the passenger
what he was going to do.
She seemed greatly interested. Be
bore he got through the conductor
gave me signal. 1 yanked the bell
rope, and slipped her so that his fire
was pretty we'll hooked up before he
could get the door open. For the next
half hour 1 kept him so busy baling
coal into her that he didn't have much
time. to talk to anybody. About as fast
as he threw it into the tirebox threw
it out the stack.
He adjusted the front window so she
could get air without being blown off
the seat, or burned up by the shower
Of hot cinders pouring from the stack.
She thanked him so graciously that 1
hated him even worse than ever.
Every time the steam went down
pound growled at him, but his good
nature-lille hers-was invincible
Whenever 1 ventured to steal a glance
across the cab found her looking
straight at me, which was discomfort
ing. l tried to scare her by wheeling
furiously over rough places and down
steep grades, but she didn't appear to
notice it.
About every so often on railroad
petty grievances accumulate, until the
hot heads demand hat a committee be
sent to headquarters and commence to
talk strike. We were passing through
one of these spells, and was chairman
of the committee. We had already
called on the general manager twice,
and were to go again in day or two.
Things were approaching fever heat
on the road, andp as rode along with
my head out of the window, my mind
was about equally occupied with
thoughts pertaining to the committee
business and wondering who my pas
senger was.
Suddenly, like a ray of sunlight
breaking through dark cloud, the
whole thing became, clear to me. She
was the company's spy, and she was
pumping that fool fireman to her
hearts content.
When I got down to oil at the wa
ter plug 1 told him to bring me the
tallow pot. I got him round in front
of the engine, told him my (suspicions
and advised him to keep watch on
that tongue of his. He waved my sus-
picions aside, in his usual airy manner,
and limited that I was jealous.
When 1 got back on the engine she
was sitting Oh the box on my side.
"Have you any objections to my rid
ing on this side little way? I am
curious to see how you make it co."
she asked, in pretty, coaxing way.
"No," I replied, with forced ungra-
ciousness, "you have right to ride
wherever you please"
knew I was acting like bear, and
was ashamed of it. I asked her awk-
wardly to excuse my back, and was not
pleased by the profusion of her assur-
ances that she didn't: mind. wished
I had clean suit of overclothes on.
was conscious of great, black streak
of grease on my back, where I had
rubbed against an eccentric strap when
1 was under the engine. 1 hadn't been
shaved in three days, and had caught
one of those. hot cinders 1 had been
throwing SO plentifully out of the stack
in my right eye, infaming it until
knew it doomed up like tail-light in a
tunnel.
And the fireman was one of those un-
accountable fellows to whom dirt never
sticks.
usually passed the way-freight in
the siding at Dalton. But this trip
! got a clearance on her there. A ''clear-
ance' order tells the engineer at what
time the preceding train left the sta
ton from which the clearance is is
sued, and also notifies him that she has
not yet passed out of the block on
which he is about to enter
When I got the order she had been
gone long enough to be clear-she
probably would be clear now at any
minute-but l was only supposed to
know that she was still in the block.
She might, of course, be anywhere in
the block, ditched, or broken down.
ton. I had got to look out for her.
for if 1 hit HEREAFTER getting a clear
ance-my name would most emphat-
| ically be, "Dennis."
She and the fireman had commenced
again right where they left off. In
pretended soicitude for her comfort
ill-naturedly closed my front window
tight and roasted her out. l kept my
head doggedly out of the window. and
pretended not to know when the fire
man assisted her back to his side, where
she could ride in comfort.
When l came in sight of Knowlto1i
siding the way-freight's fagman sig
nailed me to come ahead. She had gone
in there to let me Ey. There was but
one short 'sidetrack at Knowlton,
which could be entered by a switch
! at either end. AS there were some cars
in the near end, the way-freight ran
1 ahead and backed in. pushing the other
cars back far enough to get in clear
herself. l noticed that the car at my
end of the switch was loaded with luin-
Der. pulled my head in and tried the
! gauge-cocks.
remember hearing crash and a
swapping of breaking wood, and then
l woke on the baggage car floor and
looked up into the hazel eyes of my
passenger. There was a look of in
tense pity in them, as she bathed my
! Il f,o