The National tribune., 1900-08-16
& 81 kleg9
~ os &.
~: Veteran
A Bushwhacker with a Novel IDEA.


The train which the boys took the mex
day would have struck horror to the sou
Of any self-respecting railroad man to
day, but it was sumptuous efficiency ano
comfort itself compared to those they ha6
seen inside the rebel lines. They gazed
admiringly at the powerful, well-built
well-tended, well-oiled locomotive, over
which the engineer was going carefully
to see that every bolt and link was in its
place. every nut tight, and every journal
well oiled.
THAT looks something like an engine
said 81 to the engineer. She's as differ
ent from them the rebels have as a
sway-backed, foundered old plug"
| THAT machine" answered the engineer,
patting it caressingly, ''ain't to be beat
in the whole United States. wouldn't
give her for the finest engine the Baldwin
Works turns out to-day, with all its fla
gree and fancy fixinss. Shes ike my
wife; she mayn't be as dazZlingly purity
as some other women. nor heap on style,
| but when it comes to goodness every ounce
| of hers worth hundred weight of any
| other woman. / can bet on her every
time. Just as sure's l can bet on my wife.
L call her Nancy, because that's my wife,
name. The boys of the army call her
the Bull of the Woods from the way she
goes tearing along through the country,
bellering with her whistle, which is bass.
| But, great snakes, you hain't no idee of
what she's been through. Me and her've
| been right up to the front ever since Old
Rosy started out for Murfreesboro the day
after Christmas, nigh on to two years ago,
| and what we amt seen of war wouldn' {
| fill up the back leaves in your spelling
| book. The rebels have shot more'n her
weight of metal at her, and busted shells
all around her. They cut down trees
acrost the track. piled up rocks, rails and
|
her off by taking up the rails or spreading
| the track or setting the switches, but the
old girls been too many for them, and
| come right side up every time. Haven't
you, NancyT'
He patted his engine and talked to her
as man would to a favorite horse.
whats all them holes in the smoke
stack for?" asked 81. "Are they building
smoke stacks that way now?'
neer, scornfniIy. IThem's bullet holes,
every one of 'em, and lots more that you
don't see. These ignorant galoots o reb-
els We got the fool idee that the smoke
can can bring her down by shooting her
there, just as they would beef through
the head. Pm mighty willing, L can tell
you, to have EN- think so. It's saved my
hide many time and oft. Some Of the
smarter of 'em shoot at the headlight. l
don't like that so well, but they amt so
good in hitting it as they are the smoke
stack. Some O. them shoot at the bell,
and ore old rooster up there on Sand
Mountain thinks that he is the cutest of
the lot, and has found out that it's the
whistle that makes the machine go. He's
an Industrious and perseyering old snoOz-
er, and works at his idee as if he expect
ed to take patent out and make his for
tune. He never lets an engine go by in
daylight but he takes a whack at the
whistle with his old yawger rife. He's
landed on the sheathing all around the
whistle, on the pipe, and once dented the
whistle itself with a glancing shot"
some day!' asked 81. "Try a shot at him
yourself, and bust his crust. He's not q
nice kind of a man, to have around"
Shooting amt my business" replied
the engineer, with a shrug. That's sol
dier business. Running an engines mine.
Besides, he shoots too internal quick and
well for me to monkey with. i see him
mouth, and gets in two or three shots be-
fore / get out of range. I've got to run
slow on that stiff grade up there, but n
fellow that can put in three shots as close
AS he does when I'm running 10 miles an
hour amt no slouch, l tell you. If all
you fellcrs'd shoot as well there wouldn't
so many rebels get away from you"
"ProbabIy you're right from your point
Of view" said 81. "But a bushwacker
ought to be follered up and killed on gen.
eral principles"
Its against the game laws to go around
shooting at locomotives" accorded Shorty.
AT least he ought to be taken up and
fined"
well, let them do 1t whose business It
is" answered the engineer. I'm q rail-
roader; that's all. hain't nothing to do
with nothing off the right-of-way. II I
could catch him on the track I'd take
lot of pleasure in running over him and
grinding him to mince meat"
wen take look for him as we go up,
and see if we can't get the drop ON him."
said 81.
"Say, that is a good engine of yours"
said Shorty, looking it over critically. II
know something of engines; fired a little
hain't got as much brass on her as some
she's daisy. and no mistake"
"That engine" said the engineer, lay
ing his hand affectionately ON the side,
"can do almost anything but talk. She
can talk in her way, and 1 can under
stand her. l know every sound she
makes, just as well as if she was talking
plain United States. l know when she
says she wants water and wood and oil; !;
when something's going wrong with some
Of her joints and bearip -; when she's
overworked and tired out, and when she's
fresh and frisky, and just wants to run
like a twO-year-old. She says something
to me every minute I'm on her, and I un-
derstand it. Why, that engines actually
got sense-a good deal more sense than
some men. II It hadn't been for her sense
I'd been dead man long ago, and her
bones'd be rusting in the scrap heap. Why,
one night / felt something shaky under
me, and she come to deap stop-so sud
den like that I didn't have time to yell
for brakes, and the cars come bumDing
up against her, but she didn't move a peg.
/ knew that there was something wrong,
and got down and looked. BIest if some
Of those sneaking citizens hadn't loosened
the rails along the trestle that leads on
to that high bridge acrost Buck Creek.
and if she hadn't stopped just when she
did we'd We all went down on to the
rocks so feet below. They built block
house there, right after, and put some
soldiers there to keep the peaceable citi-
Zens from repeating that little trick. Xn-
other dark night / couldn't git my head
light to work, but had to 90 all the same.
for they wanted the men I'D for Hooker
at Lookout Mountain, and 1 had to run
by faith, not sight. / suddenly felt her
gether herself for a jump, and she lit
square on the track about a rod ahead.
taking the tender with her, but breaking
the coupling with the train. She stopped
the minute she'd righted herself on the
track, and heard the cars pilin' up be-
hind me. ! got down and went back, and
found that some rebel citizen had emf
down a black oak, about two feet through
right acrost the track. Shed seen it and
jumped with the tender, slick as a wbis.
tie. but she couldn't lift the rest Of the