Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-05

|
ing our arrival near the exit. It would
! brighten rapidly until sudden rift would
show us daylight and the grass and bushes
| on the sides of the cut.
While congratuiating myself on our es-
| feel the throttle showed in, the exhaust
would cease and father would say:
You want to shut off, boy, an not go
| over these switches forty mile an hour
His hand would go to the airbrake valve
| but | would say:
"Oh, pa, let me!''
After while was able to apply the air
! brake without bringing her to a sudden
| stop. / shall never forget the day. was
nearly thirteen and quite large and strong
| that l brought her all the way over with
| out father putting his hand to her. ] stop
! ped just right, at the ash track, and got off
with his overclothes and dinner pail, while
| he registered and made out his report.
/ could hardly keep from running ahead
| to tell mother and sister May of my great
| feat I was sorely aggreved when l did
| tell them to note their utter lack of aston
| iShment.
| The Beleville roundhouse-like all of it's
| kind-was low, dingy, smoky affair. 1t
| held about fifty engines-being a complete
| circle with the turn table in the center
| The engines entered through an arched
/ doorway barely wide enough to permit
! them to pass. Occasionally a careless hos
| tier, falling to notice that the big wooden
| doors We're not fastened wide open, would
| smash one of them. In fact, these uoors,
| especially the left one, nearly always dis
! played patches of fresh black paint, indi-
eating recent repairs.
Once through the doorway, the engine ran
directly on to the turn table The wipers
would turn her, and the hostler run her
| into her STALL
There We're handsome green lawns in
front of the house, inciosed by neat fences
| ingeniously constructed of iron pipe. These
! expanses of brilliant green were pleasantly
! broken up by artistic flower beds, designed
| by the foreman. The largest of these dis
| played to passing trains the initials Of the
| road in letters two feet square, formed of
| neatly trimmed box. The whole
! lieved by frame of freshly whitewashed
stones, forming a locomotive in outline.
! There was a handsome fountain, also the
! product of Mr.. Dales fertile brain, with its
| basin well stocked with carp.
Mr.. Dale would have no loiterers on the
company's property. Boys were his espe-
| cial horror, and well did we know it that
! We would as soon have thought of break
! ing into the church as of trespassing on
| the roundhouse premises. We came
| to regard the round house and the big ma
| chine shop near it sort of wonderland,
a forbidden paradise, which we would dear
| Iy like to investigate. /, who had seen
some of these things, told tales to those
| who had only heard of them. Father being
nearly the only railroad man living in the
village. had no rivals to expose me.
Joe Babcock. the postmaster's son; Pete
! Joyce, whose father was a Well-to-do mer-
| chant in the city, and l were nearly in
separates. Pete and Joe listened to my
| stories and envied me TO my hearts con-
| tent
On a short spur running out from the
! track connecting the shop and roundhouse
| lay three old engines. The two foremost
| were dead and gone: everything that could
possibly be of use had been stripped off
| them. The other was sometimes fired up
| and used, when there was no other to be
! had, for moving cars and dead engines
| about the shop As the spur on which
| they lay was concealed by a growth of
birches and willows, We sometimes evade1
the night gang and spent Il pleasant hour
On the old engines.
We looked them carefully over, discussed
their merits and shortcomings and save
our versions of the few wrecks of which
we had any knowledge. We kept a sharp
lookout and when swinging lantern hove
in sight we sat silent. holding our breaths
with palpitating hearts and guilty con-
sciences
We cast longing chances at the round |
house, from whose mysteries we were shut !
out, and speculated the possibility of |
forcing an entrance. But l knew that the |
foreman's office was just inside the big |
doors, and that all the windows were pro- |
tacted by heavy wire netting. The citadel |
was well defended.
The truth of the adage, ''A1l things come |
to him who waits, was proven iT. our case |
Father related. at dinner one day. how !
Eostler had lost control Of an engine, are !
she had showed her pilot through the side |
OF the, house. making a hole three or fol,r !
feet in diameter
Strict attention to the narration. aided |
ny d rev Wei-uiiecteu questions assured |
me of the location of the break During |
the afternoon l took distant survey of |
the ground. and hurried over to Joes i'm |
mediately after upper. He was holding a |
skeln of yarn for grandma" With exas-
perating elaboration the old lady Fitted !,
each turn from the sken, winding il as /
carefully as though it had been spider web
She tortured me with questions in regard /
TO our domestic affairs. Owing to the pre-
occupied state of my mind, some of my an
sWerS so puzzled the old lady, and diverted |
her attention, that she tangled The yarn.
seized the opportunity to fire rapid |
yolley of winks and mods at Joe-thereby
destroying his usefulness. AS 1 displayed
my heels at the door | received parting |
injunction from gran ma to be sure and tell
my mother not to have any scruples about |
borrying' her brass "ktte' 'at presery-
ing time.
From there l ran all the way to Peters |
He was not at home. He had been away
all the afternoon, and Liza, the servant |
girl, predicted that he would "ketch it, |
on his return.
was disappointed, for we never enjoyed
ourselves thoroughly, except when we were |
all together, and this was such an import
ant OCCASION too. Fortune favored me |
however, for l met Pete as I was return,
ing to Joe's. He had been fishing, had fall |
en- OF a slippery log and had feared to re- |
turn until his clothes We're dry. He con-
firued 'Liza's foreboding and, though |
nearly starved to DEATH" decided TO make |
sure of the nights adventures rather than
risk being sent to bed.
We ravaged nearby turnip field L
Joined him for hospitality's sake, and after
bagas. he declared himself fit for the deed
of his life.
We picked up Joe, and, as 1t was now
dark, decided to descend on the enemy's l