Omaha daily bee., 1901-01-31

Man Bence,' the men called him when they
felt good humored--wa wrathful aplenty.
He had rairoaded too many years not to
know that an engines reputation Is as
much matter Of good report as a
woman's, and that it is good bir easier
to set accusing tongues a-wag about either
than to stop them. None the less, 1t was
true that engine 1919 began to make
record for devlltry as soon as she was out
Of the settng-up shop
Though she was a passenger machine. built
to pull the fast mail on mile-a-minute
spurts, they put her on a freight run to
break her in, and Larry Carnahan had her.
On her first trip she foamed like sodg
fountain, kept Larry running foot race be-
tween the two injectors to keep water in
her, and came in covered with alkali and
tgnominy on the second trip she went into
the ditch, and Larry was brought back in
the caboose with a broken arm, an eye
gouged out and a good third Of his scalp
gone.
They picked her up with the derrick car,
rebuilt the side she had torn off in the
plunge down the embankment, and sent her
out again. this time with Amos Gilman at
the throttle Amos was a New Hampshire
man OF the cool blooded type and
born man handler Of machinery. For
time the 1919 hirted with him coyly.
dropped a uuk-bloc nut on one trip
slipped an eccentric on the next, and broke
spring.hanger on the third Then, after
few days OF good behavior to lure him on,
she smashed his record in rear end col
lision. Amos was a man OF few words, and
he took his medicne-thirty days vacation
without pay-with true New England
stoicism. But to us in the roundhouse he
conhded the facts in the case. facts which
= l.. a..
tiou in the carpet session with old man
Bence.
See 'em?-in broad daylight. with
nothin' in the way? OF course | saw EN-
But | couldn't choke that big bitch off no
more'n | cd fly. Throttle was jammed
tigkter'n the bark to a tree, and when I
hossed her over, she jes' growlcd back at
me and slid into 'em as If the track a
been creased a-purpose."
Gilman's lay-off and the i0i9s second re-
building were accomplished in the same
thirty days. but when the unucky engine
was ready to go out the men were shy. No
good man cared to risk his record on her
and tramp engineers, with everything to
gain and nothing to lose, were not plentiful
on the G. q CIR. in old man Bence's time.
The superintendent made his fight against
superstition, like the stubborn old industry
colonel that he was, but he was fairly
beaten. Given a chance to redeem himself
and the 1919 at one and the same time.
Amos Gilman promptly asked for his time
check; and when three other good men
chose like hard alternative. the 1919 was
run in on the "deadpit' and her fire was
banked.
II was at this stage OF the battle that
Harry Spencer came 10 old man Bences $
rescue. Harry was pulling the Lone Pine
.sls,Va
too light for the work and OF his own
motion he went 20 the superintendent asked
for the 1919 and got her. Thereupon the
big flyer seemed to turn over a new leaf.
II was as II she had left the degradation OF
the freight pulling and revenged herself ac-
cordingly. That was what Harry said when
the men toked' him and asked him IL he had
ordered his coffin laughing as he laughed
at everything. But Amos Gilman shook his
head and prophesied. you wait" he said.
shes layin off to fool round till you amt
watchin' her; then she'll up and do ye."
Whereat Harry laughed again and swung
up to the cab to move the big engine slowly
across the fitting turn-table
when she smashes me, I'll smash her -
he said, leaning from the high cab window
when you hear she's killed me, you needn' I
get out the wreck train. there won't be
enough OF her left to make scrap out of
'Begorry, thin, I'm bettin' tin spot ye
don't retorted Carnahan, who was just
getting out after the scalping episode.
'Whin she gets good an ready she'll make
taty- hash iv ye, an niyver turn wan hair. i"
Wen see about that" laughed Harry,
and in the fulness Of time they did see
Notwithstanding the prophecies Of evil,
It seemed for long time as II the lOl9s
demon had been safely exercised. and when
10 h,I H.. -
commodation for a month or more without
mishap Of any kind the powers began to
talk of putting her on the mail run for
which she had been purchased. As to this
Harry had nothing to say as a matter OF
course, but when 1t leaked out that the
10l9s engineer was likely to be transferred
with his engine to the run with the fast
mail he took occasion TO call upon old man
Bence in the 'latters private office.
Just a minute when you get time, Mr..
Hardy" he satd, and when the superin
tendent wheeled around in his pivot chair
he continued It's talked around among
the boys that I'm going to get a chance to
pull the mail II it's so, don't want It,"
Now Mr.. Benson Hardy was true toro
of the Spanish fighting breed in the sense
that he had his particular red rag of en-
ragement and his red rag was the slightest
indication on the part of an engineer that
his nerve was failing Wherefore he
bent his heavy brows on this reluctant
youngster and scowed and rasped out his
disapproval.
whats the matter with you, Spencer
Losing your nerye?"
mo, | guess not. But I'm pretty well
satisfied with the accommodation run"
"Oh, you are, are you? Well so long as
you work for the c. 4 q, r. you1l 20
where you're sent"
OF course Harry laughed. He was OF
those who would laugh and offer to shake
hands with death at the narrowest pass
But there was defiance in his rejoinder.
II guess l don't have to work for the
c. & g. X. when you get through with
me- he said; and so It ended for the time
Since a railroad Office is leaky as any
sieve, It sooa came to be whispered about
that Harry had fatty refused the mai
run and the why was n small mystery
In the wage scale the mail engineers wer,
at the top; and, while the mileage was stin
the runs were fast, and the lay-ovcrs pro,
portionately long, But Harry had reason
Of his own for wanting to keen the ac.
commodation run, and of this reason non,
OF us knew until later The Lone Pine
accommodation was an even days run; ives
from Grand Butte 10 Lone Pine one day
and back the next. This arrangement CAV,