Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-10-03
THE MISSING FREIGHT.
BY HAROLD NAEMANSSON.

Rodney Graham was well thought of
in Crescentville. His father, Nelson
Graham, had run the general store
there for many years, and was rated
in "Dunn's" as &c. S. NJ. 3d." which
cabalistic letters established the Gra-
nam credit on Il solid foundation
throughout the United States. so that
whenever salesman happened to stop
at CresCentville, he always made Il
call at Nelson Graham's.
Crescentville, Illinois, was flourish
ing city of over 2000 inhabitants. and,
of course, things We're just rushing.
The city contained two manufactur-
ing plants, Il brewery, a First Nation
al Bank of Crescentville, an Electric
Light and Power Company, and "A rail
road depot. Also, various stores and
small industries according to its needs
The railroad was a loop of the B. r. g.
c. S., the main line ten miles from
Crescentville.
Nelson Graham, as the proprietor of
the general store, was quite an in
tiuential citizen, and it was under
stood that his son, Rodney, was in a
position to pick the profession of his
choice. The law, medicine. art, music,
poetry, stenography, bookkeeping,
were all within his reach; he consid-
cred them all from different points of
view very differently from most peo-
ple) and then deliberately chose the
profession of stoliing freight engine.
The masses of Crescentville resented
his choice. They We're surprised and
displeased. They discussed it over tea
tables, drug counters and saloon bars,
and decided that Rodney, though
smart, was born without ambition.
For this reason they voted against
Nelson Graham when he ran for may
or, and defeated him, which shows
how the sins of the sons are visited
upon their fathers.
Rodney Graham was peculiar in
many ways. He came home to Cres-
centville once n week, and in his con
versation frequently cursed the
freight engine. Instead of having
consuming affection for it-as all well
regulated stobers are supposed to have
he shamefully abused and metaphor-
ically) despitefully used it. He said
the boilers We're bad-the brakes We're
no good-the engineer was crazy and
that were it not for his untiring zeal
and sleepless watchfulness. fast
freight Number Forty-Six of the
great B. r. & C. S. II. X. would be con-
tinually jumping off the track and
having to be lifted on again at great
expense of life and money. He said
that all stokers were excused from pur-
gatory; but Notwithstanding all the
things he said he stuck to his job, and
when his father solicited the votes of
his fellow citizens for the honorable
position of alderman, his fellow citi-
zens elected some one else.
In addition to running the Crescent
Vile general store, Nelson Graham
was interested in the First National
Bank of Crescentville He had always
deposited his receipts there, and as
they had grown in volume he had in
vested what he could spare and was
now vice-president of the bank. 1t was
silver agitation burst forth in all it's
virulence. The Democratic party
would surely win the elections, and
the value of the dollar would be cut
in half. The farmers all around Cres-
centville wanted their money before
the dollar deprecated. The Crescent
Vile bank had money loaned out to Il
number of neighboring manufacto-
ries on easy terms, and this money
could not be called in. Therefore the
Crescentville bank was in difficulties,
and the farmers came up and besieged
1t.
If the bank suspended, Nelson Gra-
ham would go with it. If the bank
pulled through, Nelson Graham would
pull through. The bank wanted $780,
600 to meet the demands upon 1t, but
no one knew where to get the money
in time.
These were the circumstances when
Rodney Graham departed from Cres-
centville one afternoon, to stoke fast
freight Number Forty-Six, which he
would join at St Louis, stoking it to
Chicago and back. The station agent
was on the platform at Crescentville,
and saw Rodney Graham get into the
cab of the train which left Crescent
vile for st. Louis at a quarter before
six. The freight agent at Mattoona
saw Rodney Graham in the cab of
Number FortySix when it stopped for
water. 1t left Mattoona on time
passed Kalakoka on time. But did not
reach Dalabeke. 1t was signalled to
Dalabeke, and the operator'there wait
ed for it, because after it had gone IT
was his intention to get his supper
Number FortySiX was 10 minutes late:
30 minutes late; 45 minutes late; one
hour late-clearly it must have met
with some accident since it left Kala-
koka.
The Dalabeke agent Dmkins). wired
Chicago that fast freight Number
Forty-SiX had met with an accident
and was delayed. Then he arranged
with some one to watch tbo d,no+