The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1899-09-14

De promoted 10 take MOSley'S place, for
Mosley was dead. The master me-
chanic had run me around others, but
no one complained.
Old runners had SHE'D at the 'Leyen-
| four when Mosley was alive. Who
would want her now? She was count
| ed "unlucky" then-she would be extra
hazardous now.
OF course it did not follow necessari-
~ that she would fall to me, but she
did, and the first night out seemed to
| feel the arm rest still warm where
the late luckless engineer had leaned
watching the glistening rail beneath
his pilot.
| Noah, the old fireman. had refused
at first to go out with me, but there
was no one to take his place, and he
was forced to 60. To this day I see
that fireman's sad. bony face.
He seemed at first to resent nv
presence on the right hand side, and l
began to resent his resentment. The
head brakeman asked him. in the Ian
guage Of the caboose. "What was eatin
him." Noah said nothing and sighed
again.
AS went about oiling the engine |
heard the fireman telling the brake
man how she had behaved when Mos
ley laid Off and an extra man had
gone out on the 'Leven-four.
"If she'd dc that then. what'll she
do to 'em now: what'll she do to this
chippy runner?' The brakeman SHOOT
his head.
AT last, after much firing, the fire
man succeeded In getting the engin
(and the englneer) hot, and away W.
went-three engines and Is loads 70
the foothills.
In the valley the 'Leven-four di,
fairly well, but the moment we hit tn
heavy grade-217 feet to the mile
she began to cut up. The pointer OF
the steam gauge began to go back an
back. l shut off the injector to ALLOW
her to 'pick up" and when the waite
was as low as 1 could afford to let
go l tried to put on the pump agai1
but it refused to work.
We tried the left hand lift 1t woul
start off all right, singing like locust
and then break and shoot the waite
into the ditch. In the meantime 20
the right hand injectors going agar
but when | tried the water the blu
steam Missed from the gauge cocks ho
and dry as croupy cough. l bega
to ease up to save her crownsheet, an
the old runners, who were helping m
up the hill, began to whistle me ahead
All, that is gall to a young runner.
At last we had her hot once more
L a nd yhn hns 70 d. 81,
the work l hammered her unmercifu
ly, but the harder hit her the hottie
she grew. Noah would shoot n
proachful glance at me every time sh
lost her feet though he knew that sh
was doing it-that she was only n
senting the abuse that l was heapin
upon her.
In my anxiety to get out on time
had forgotten my engine cap and wa
now wearing a little chip Of 2&
which is awkward and out of n
an engine.
While lodging in and
wrestling with the $50
injector, / struH
by against
headed
his =
int
| use.
that he couic
and he was coulHcc
Mosley had been a do
just over the furnace doc2
bevel edged Il ~ fastened.
Suddenly l Slaughtered up,
into the mirror and saw Mosley% "a
plain as l had ever seen him, wearin
the little brown cap that he had wor
on his last trip.
Well, it gave me start, though
am not at all superstitious. In mt
ment l remembered that l was veal
ing the cap that had been worn by tn
dead driver and remarked for the frs
time that we had looked alike, had tn
same hair, the same small, brown mus
tache and nearly the same eyes. Th