The Savannah morning news., 1901-06-16


found a broken rail, and had tagged No.
Z, after which the foreman had run back
to flag the mail. He swore by all the
gods known to mankind that he had set
up a red flag between the rails to stop
Mccartney, and, in proof thereof, showed
the tattered remains of flag which he
said the mail had run down.
Now Mccartney had seen a green nag,
or he thought he had and, since green is
merely slow signal, he had done no
more than to shut off the steam until he
saw the rear end of the passenger train
blocking the way.
There was no time to tight it out on
the ground, but both crews remarked
that after the first burst of profanity
Mccartney shut up like clam. And when
the two trains were once more speeding
on their way Macartney's fireman noticed
that his mate did not climb to the box
he stood down on the footplate, with hia
left hand gripping the throttle-a thing he
had been doing good deal OF late, as
Tom Barley remembered.
Mccartney did not tell Phemie how near
her bit of dress had come to figuring IN
wreck on Jack mountain; and since he
was so preoccupied as to be almost rude,
she was kinder to him than she had ever
been before-as is the manner of women
Nevertheless, he went back to his board
returned from supper and did not wait
to take Premie home, as was his Gus
\ tom. There be some things that will strike
man dumb even in the presence of the
girl of his heart; and Mccartney had fall
len upon one of these things-or rather it
had fallen upon him.
On his next lay-over in Grand Butte.
Mccartney turned up at the Office Of the
division surgeon.
take the eye test?" said the kindly lit
tie gentleman whom the men on the divis-
ion called the "bone-jointer"
You're the first man on the road to
come in for that till he had to. What's
wrong with your
Don't know as there's anything wrong.
But thought I'd like to be put through
again. And, say, Doc. make it binding"
Surgeon Kinnebrew did make it binding,
as binding as If the blond giant were try
ing to quality as a salesman at a ribbon
/ counter. 1t was all to no purpose so far
as any discoverable flaw in Macartney's
eyesight was concerned. He could dis
tinguish perfectly not only the primary
colors, but all the intermediate shades to
the very blending point of blue and green
by lamplight.
You're all right said the doctor.
YES" said Mccartney, but there was
no assurance in him.
What made you think you were not?"
1.-TWO or three little things that I can't
explain; red and white getting tangled
or seeming TO get tangled, once In a
while"
"rt's that id electric headlight"
growled the little doctor. i've told 'en
it would ruin every pair OF eyes on the
road"
Yes. but"
But what?"
THE last time it happened in broad
| daylight
"Oho, did, Ell? Then, it's your liver.
most likely. Be careful of what you eat.
and make sure Of your sleep; no overtime,
| mind you, till the symptom disappears al
| together. I suppose by rights / ought to
lay you off, but shan't. You know your
responsibility, and I'm going to trust you
| not to take any bad chances"
Thank you, Doc" and Mccartney
went to get some OF the pretermitted
sleep on the spot.
For a fortnight after this there were
no more symptoms" and Mccartney be-
gan to breathe freer-and TO run less like
a man whose nerve is evaporating. More
over, he won golden encomiums in his
mastery handling of the fast mail. There
was a 500 government penalty for the
nor. delivery of the mail on schedule
time ait the terminals; and to safe
guard against this the company gave
| it's mail engineers a substantial
bonus for all the lost time regained on
any divisional run. Macs bonus fund"
grew with every trip; and as Phernie
seemed to interest herself shyly in its
accumulation, Mccartney took courage
| and put in his dead time in Grand Butte
haunting the house-furnishipg shops.
But the disappearance of the "symp-
| toms" proved to be only temporary. Once
again, when he was passing freight
train at a blind siding, with the 5O7
plunging along at 5o-mile gait the
| nearest switch-light sputtered and turn
ed first blue and then red. But 1t went
white again before he could do anything
| more than shut off steam; so nothing
| worse than another of the terrible nerve
shskings came of this.
Yet II was enough to send him to Phe-
mic in despair; and the next evening,
when they were alone together IN the
| office at Lone Pine, he made a clean
breast Of his troubles eye-wise.
you poor boyr' she said (he was Ave
years her senior and big enough to make
two such men as her father, why didn
you tell me before?"
II haven't had the heart to tell any
body. You see. il means lot to me,
Phemie. If admit 1t as fact, I've got
to throw up my job"
at would mean a lot to any one.
Can't you account for 1t in any way?'
mo, Doc kinnebrew said II was liver,
but pshawl I'm as strong as a mule and
as we'll as a man can be and not burst"
She was sewing on a piece OF red stun
he had bought for her, and for time
her needle few IN silence. Then she
said: "Has it-have you ever thought
that somebody might be playing tricks
on your
Maoartney's tilted chair came TO the
floor with a crash. by Georger' he
said: then he shook his head. Il though,
l had a notion but Il won't nj all the
times"
Tell me-" she commanded.
The first time Il happened was when
was passing Bert Logan's train al
Maverick. The next time ! was dead.
heading with him on No. IS. Last night
Il was his train again that was pass
ing at the blind siding. But be had moth.