The suburban citizen., 1901-11-16

gang, was picked up by the pilot OF
the locomotive. 1t was caught In the
cylinder-cock rigging, with the result
that it wrecked it.
NIuttering softly the driver climbed
down and began the difficult task Of
disconnecting the disabled machinery.
He was not a machinist. Not all en-
CINE drivers can put a locomotive to-
gether; in fact. the best runners are
Just runners. The Englishman stood
by, and when he saw the man tumble
his wrenches offered a hand, The
driver, with some hesitation, gave him
the tools. In a few minutes the Grip
pied rigging was taken down, nuts
were replaced and the discarded
metal was tossed by the fireman on
the rear of the tank.
"Are you a machinistT asked the
driver.
"Yes sir" said the Englishman,
who lowered at least a foot above the
engineer. There's a job for me up the
road if 1 can get there"
"And you're out of 'tallowY"
The Englishman was n2t quite sure,
but he guessed that "taliow" gas a
United States term for money, and
said that he was short.
"All right" said the engine driver,
"climb on"
The fireman was a Teuton named
Martin, who proceeded to make the
Englishman comfortable, but the lat
ter wanted to work. He asked to be
allowed to help fire the engine, and
Martin showed him how to do it.
When they pulled into the little town
of E., the Englishman went over
to the roundhouse, where man was
wanted. The foreman asked him II
he had ever ''railrOaded it, He said
he had not, but that he was a mGchin-
lst. "Well, 1 don't want you" said
the foreman. Disheartened the Eng
lishman went across to little eating
stand where the trainmen We're hav-
ing dinner. Martin moved ~ and
made room for the stranger between
himself and his engineer.
Later, the engineer dropped a little
oil here and there, for another dash;
the Englishman came up to the en-
CINE. He could not bring himself to
ask the driver for another ride, and
he wasn't obliged to. The engineer
gave him lift in the cab, after the
hearty fashion of railroaders, despite
the risk he ran even in those easy
going days
In a little while they pulled into
NJ City, Iowa, at the crossing Of
the Wisconsin Central Railroad. There
the Englishman had to change cars.
W, his destination, was on the
Crossroad, eighteen miles away The
agent wrote on a small piece of paper
folded it carefully and gave it TO the
Englishman "Give that to the con-
ductor." said he. "Be quick-they're
pulling out-runw Painting the Eng
lishman threw himself into a way-car
that was already making ten miles
an hour. The conductor unfolded the
paper, read it, looked the Englishman
over and said, "All right"
1t was nearly night when the train
| arrived at W, and the deadhead
! followed the train crew into an un-
painted hotel, where all hands fell
eagerly to eating supper A man stood
behind a narrow high desk, at the
door, taking money, but when the
Englishman offered to pay he said,
yours is paid fer"
mot mine; nobody knows me here"
"Well" said the landlord, someone
p'inted to you and said L pay fer
him. 1t amt a thing to make n noise
about; It don't make no difference to
me whether it's Tom or Jerry that
pays, so long as everybody is repre-
sented."
"Well, this is a funny country, y
unused the Englishman, as he strolled
over to the shop. Here, once more,
discouragement awaited him. He had
never 'railroaded it," and was denied
q job.
Weary, discouraged, homesick and
heartsick the young man sat and
thought it over, and concluded that
as a last resort he would see the mas
ter mechanic. If he had been a WON
an he might have cried himself tC
sleep that night. If he had been {
"qultter," he would have quit, bu
the constant thought Of the faithful
trusting wife, away back down tn,
track, who had left her home and he
people in England to cast her lot will
him in the strange New World-at tina
moment, mayhap, kneeling on bar
floor, teaching their babes to pray 70
him-the thought of her love and tn
utter helplessness Of the little one
kept his face toward the light an
gave him nerves Of steel.
On the following morning he foun
the local head OF the motiyepcSver dc
partment at his desk, and told hi
story. He had just arrived from Ems
land with a wife and two children an
: a few dollars. "That is all right,
said the master mechanic. "I'll Civ
you a Job on Monday morning"
This was on Saturday, and, durn
the day, the first foreman with whol
d the Englshman had talked wire
= that If he would return to E h
I could find work. The young ma
4 N