The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-11-14


watching freight train moving out
Of new town. over a new track. A
pinch-bar, left carelessly by a section
gang, was picked up by the pilot Of
the locomotive. 1t was caught In the
cylinder-cock rigging with the result
that 1t wrecked 1t.
Muttering softly the driver climbed
disconnectlng the disabled machinery.
He was not machinist. Not all en-
gine drivers can put locomotive to-
gether; In fact the best runners are
Just runners. The Engllshman stood
by, and when he saw the man tumble
his wrenches offered hand. The
driver, with some hesitation, gave him
the tools. In 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 machinist?" asked the
driver.
Eyes, SIR" said the Englishman,
who lowered at least foot above the
II
road If can get there"
"And you're out Of 'tallowT"
The Englishman was not quite sure,
but he guessed that "tallow" was
United States term for money, and
said that he was short.
"All right" said the engine driver,
"climb on"
Il
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 1t.
When they pulled into the little town
Of E., the Englishman went over
to the roundhouse, where man was
wanted. The foreman asked him If
he had ever "railroaded It," He said
he had not, but that he was a machin-
ist. "Well. l 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 aside and
made room for the stranger between
uluuSell anu MS cllSlueeT.
Later, the engineer dropped little
oil here and there, for another dash;
the Englishman came up to the en-
glne, He could not bring himself to
ask the driver for another ride. and
he wasn't obliged to. The engineer
gave him a lift in the cab, after the
hearty fashion of railroaders. despite
i'll H. tt.
going days.
In a. little while they pulled into
M 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 small piece OF paper,
folded it carefully and gave It to the
Englishman. "Give that TO the con
ductor," said he. "Be qulcl;-they're
pulling out-runr Painting the Eng
lshman 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'lnted to you and said, i pay fer
him. 1t amt thing to make 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"
mused the Englishman, as he strolled
over to the shop. Here. once more,
encouragement awaited him. He had
never 'railroaded it," and was denied
a job.
Weary, discouraged. homesick and
heartsick the young man sat and
thought 1t over, and concluded that,
as a last resort he would see the mas
ter mechanic. If he had been wom-
an he might have cried himself to
sleep that night. If he had been a
"quitter," he would have quit, but
the constant thought of the faithful,
trusting wife, away back down the
track. who had left her home and her
people in England to cast her lot with
him in the strange New World-at that
moment, mayhap. kneellng on a bare
floor, teaching their babes to pray for
hlm-the thought of her love and the
utter helplessness of the little ones
kept his face toward the light and
gave him nerves of steel.
On the following morning he found
the local head OF the motive-power de-
partment at his desk, and told his
story. He had just arrived from Eng
land with a wife and two children and
few dollars. "That is all right"
said the master mechanic. "I'll give
You a job on Monday morning
This was on Saturday, and. during
the day, the first foreman with whom
the Englishman had talked wired
that If he would return to E. he
could find work. The young man
showed this message TO the master
mechanic. II should like TO work
Tor YOU" he said; ''you have been
very kind. to give me employment
4 a I..wl