Evening star., 1900-10-27

little one-horse station without a wreck was
a wonder to me.
Il grabbed my hat and flew across the
town for the office. When L got there |
ghost. He was sending an order No
~ take siding al Rollins to meet No A.
he was saying. Some one broke him and
said oh. n; Rollins siding won't hold half
OF 49-would have to back two miles to
get over the hill
Il glanced the train sheet 1t was In
hopeless tumble Some of the trains had
not been recorded for two hours-had Jump
ed clean off the earth, 80 to speak. The
dispatcher came in on run at that mo-
ment.
The man who broke Patterson now had
the wire hot Orders were flying in rapid
succession The dispatcher reached for the
key and broke in. VIII Keep out-Tm
busy, came back the reply. He then
glanced at the train sheet. One glance was
sufficient.
Where's 12? he gasped.
: patterson only shook his head. No
l. was passenger The dispatcher then
turned to me. 1 shook my head also.
The sounder was rafting at a great
rate. Repeat on 3, we heard licked Off
'Ffve's busy Take it anyhow came
back the quick reply. Five was COM
mercial wire.
ITO our astonishment. the order was
repeated and o. KID over while an
other was being sent over the dispatch
ers wire. l looked over across the room
at the dispatcher, His features were
drawn and wrinkled and a cold sweat
seemed to stand out on his brow. A
whittier man 1 never expect to see He
vas listening intently to the Instruments
Suddenly his face relaxed his eyes flashed
and he reached across the desk for the
key.
Hello, Dobbs.' he called
Keep out, Billy, I'm too busy came
the reply.
Billy settled back into a chair with
sign or relief; His elbows rested on the
arms of the chair, and he folded his hands
In front of his face, the index fingers form
ing an apex. Slowly the color returned to
his face. He seemed half asleep At the
nrst iull OF the sounder, however, he reach
ed Tor the key again.
Hello, Dobbs, where are you" he
asked.
:" Down the line ap5ays,' came the re-
ply It's my trick, Billy: don't worry:
every wheel is turning but No. II Where
was she last?'
Don't know. Off the sheet
~ nnd her Goodbye, Billy replied
the incorrigible Dobbs.
we heard him trace her from station
to station, until he found she had left
Marshall at $40 1t was then II o'clock.
North from Marshall there was no night
operator for thirty miles. He called the
man at Princeville
Have you seen No. -"
No, was the reply.
Go out and see if you can see her.
came the order.
No, she amt in sight came next,
There was pause.
. ellison, Cond. Extra South.
Leave train at Princeville-take en-
CINE and crew, look for No II south of
PrinceViile. was the next order
No. Il was found about half way be-
tween the two stations with crippled
engine. The crew were chasing about the
village like madmen in search of the
agent. But he was not found.
looked at the dispatcher. He was
asleep this time and no mistake Pat
terson sat like a man In a stupor, his head
bent forward till his chin rested on his
white shirt front. l woke the dispatcher
and we carried him away to the hotel
He aged to pull through. but he had
lost all desire to gain wealth and glory
In the employ of a railroad, and drifted
into the mercantile business, and NAV be
living YET, for all 1 know.
"Dobbs returned the next day and after
stormy time with the superintendent
returned to his old place. The only re-
mark he made as he took his place the
following day was Poor Patterson
"'Where have you been, Dobbs? In
quired the dispatcher.
Just away ON short wedding trip'
was the reply.
I'VE soon found that he was telling the
truth. He had fallen in love with a girl
agent away down the line at Cooks Bend.
It was small. out-of-the-way station,