The Washington weekly post., 1900-05-22
ORPILLE NASON'S
FAST EXPRESS.
b. CHARLES BArrELL LOOMS

| tIFEe are lew exceptions that boys 81
twelve are not old enough 70 run express
engines on important lines. OF course. II
/ You know the IgineeF on a branch line
! and he is friendly enough he viii let you
/ run his engine when he is indisposed q
run II himself. but you'll find that al
over the country the engineers on the big
Ines are very Jealous of interferere eg
from the young fellows who twenty years
from now may be governors OF States
! and there's a small chance Of their allow
! ING youngster 20 step into their cabs
/ and drive the iron horse.
But that's what Orville Mason did. He
ran engine Us 1-2 on the y. Y y. Y & T.
I X r. and all because his father couldn't
refuse him anything. and happened TO be
an influential man on the road and one
/ Of the directors.
OrFilie and his parents were on their
/ way 10 their home in Meridian, Conn,
! rom New York, and they were in the
| parlor car.
orviIle IS a lively kind Of boy. and I;
was no fun to be cooped up in the car. and
before he had been on the train an hour
! ne was wishing something exciting would
/ happen.
III We could only run off the track for
I ----~' gN-'t ~ >cFt now HutU We u
pump Id ike it." said he to his mother.
/ oHt She was very much shocked at the
idea, as well she might be. for no cars
~ are punt to run easily when off the rails.
Oh, papa, | must do that" he yelled
as long freight train went bv.
DO What?' said his father Win v,ss
reading the newspaper and was not y 1T
Tie VeXed at the many Interruptions OF his
/ son.
why, get up on the roof and run along
Can't I?'
What do yol think, mamma?" asked
Mr.. Mason.
"oh. l don't know" said Mrs. Mason
VINO was rather nervous woman. I'D be
afraid he'd fall off"
Why, I1Other, how absurd. If can
walk dow the aisle without falling why
should ! fall when I'm on the roof2
never get dizzy"
oh, well, l suppose if you must YOU
must said she, opening the book which
she had been reading when he spoke I'D
and looking for her place which she had
lost.
es, you may 60" said Mr. Mason over
the top Of his paper, but do be careful"
promised his parents to keep right I'm the
middle of the roof. and not jump from car
to car except when the train was Stacking
up at stations.
He made his way to the platform and
climbed up in some boy fashion. and for
a half hour he had great fun running the
entire length Of the train. for I'm afraid
ne forgot his promise and got tired of
waiting for raj 70 cla
tions-it being an express
OF course, the other bows on the train
heard his footsteps on the roof, but none
of them had very indulgent fathers. and
so although nearly every live boy on the
train begged to be allowed to join him.
not one received permission, and OrviIIe
soon got tired of running back and forth
alone, so he made flying leap and landed
in the coal in the tender
Halo, engineer" said he, grinning in
an engaging way. Cant | take the
throttle for little while? You must be
tired"
But although the engineer was tired
he wouldn't admit it and he said, "No,
my sOR, I'm going at too high speed to
turn the engine over to you. Did you ever
run One?"
Il ran little dollar one that Aunt
Jasimpa gave me at Christmas" said he.
but that was a stationary one. Still. Il
suppose that steam is the principal thing
in it, isn't it,"
Yes, it's a steam engine all right. We
haven't come down to electricity yet"
We'll | must be going back or nv
parents will think I've fallen off. but I
wish you would let me run her for a few
miles"
The engineer smiled, but shook his head
good humOredly, and said to the fireman.
Funny how soon boys want to be men.
When they're men they'll wish they we're
boys again"
OTville made his way with some diff
Guilty and many grimy streaks on his
clothes, back to the roofs and thence TO
his parents.
For mercy sake, where did you get all
that dirt?' said his mother, who was a
very neat woman, and who supposed that
a boy could creep around in coal and still
keep clean.
"Oh, in the tender. Say, papa, can't I
run the engine for awhile?"
"Oh. / wish you wouldn't" said his /
mother. You'll be sure to get oily and !
greasy"
What does the engineer say. / sup
pose you've been to see him from The .
of your clothes" said Mr. Ma .
son, keeping his finger on an editorial he /
was reading
He says l can't because we're going .
too fast. But I want to do it, because it .
would be such a bully thing TO feel that {
| was making this long train go"
ssDb I G0u't xOou What dn yOT
wife? The road is very clearly marked .
by the tracks and trains only run one
way on each track"
Il know" said Mrs Mason, but he
might run us off the track or forget 10 (
stop at a station. l don't like the idea, To /
be perfectly frank with you, William"
But. mamma" said Orville, ut IS so
.iresome on the train with nothing TO do?"
can't / COnduCt"'
mo, no." said Mr.. Mason, decidedly; 81
wont have you interfering with the re-
1eipts''
We'll, then, let me run the train. Tell |
he engineer you're a director"
"Oh, / suppose we'd better let the boy
10 it, Martha" said Mr. Mason. withdraw
ng his finger from the editorial and be
ginning to read once more"
"Whatll l tell him. papa?" asked Or
vile, swaying frCm side TO side in delight.
Tell him Director William Mason wants
you TO run it and invite him to come in
-ere 10 see me. / want to talk business
NTH him"
Back TO the roof went Orville and was
soon making the Iiying leap into the
ender.
"Oh, Mr.. Engineer. my papa is William
Mason, one Of the directors, and he wants
% See you on business ami ne says i can
'un the engine in your absence, because
he track is SO plainly marked and that
m not likely tO4eave Il. And I'm sure
ne fireman Will tell ne when to stop at
stations
OTville had a fetching little smile that
got him what he wanted. and
le employed IL with good effect upon the
ngineer, who said: Well If your father
wants 10 talk business, I've nothing 10
ay. Come Up here. son, and I'll tell you
/ few things that you ought 10 know be
ore l leave you in charge"