Barton County democrat., 1901-08-02
CHAPTER I.

It's close. Hot and strong the slant
ing sunbeams beat upon the grimy
roofs of the train and threw dis
torted shadows over the sand and
sage brush that stretched to the far
horizon. Dense and choking, from
beneath the whirring wheels, the
dust clouds rose in tawny pillows
that enveloped the rearmost coaches
and, mingling with the black smoke
of the s'double-header" engines,
rolled away in the dreary wake.
East and west, north and south, far
as the eye could reach, hemmed by
tow, dun-colored ridges or sharply
outlined crests of remote mountain
range, in lifeless desolation, the
landscape lay outspread to the view.
Southwark, streaked with white
fringe of alkali, the fat monotone of
sand and ashes blended with the fat
ter, fawless surface of a widespread
ing, ash-colored inland lake, its
shores dotted at intervals with the
bleaching bones of cattle and scanned
with ancient wagon tracks unwashed
by not as much as single drop from
the cloudless heavens since their first
impress on the sinking soil. Here
and there along the right of way-a
right no human being would care to
dispute were the way ten times its
width-sOme browsing lizards,
sprawling in the sunshine along the
ties, reused at the sound and tremor
of the coming train to squirm off in
to the sage brush. But no sign of
animation had been seen since the
crossing of the big divide near Prom
ontory. The long, winding train,
made up of mail, express, baggage.
emigrant, and smoking cars, tour
lists coaches" and huge sleepers at
the rear, with a "diner'' midway in
the chain, was packed with gasping
humanity westward bound for the
far Pacific-the long. long, tortuous
climb to the snow-capped Sierras
ahead, the parched and baking valley
of the Great Salt lake long, dreary
miles behind. 1t was early June of
the year '9s, and the war with Spain
was on.
There had been some delay at Og-
den. The trains from the east over
the Union Pacific and the Denver G.
Rio Grande came in crowded, and
thc resources of the Southern Pa
cific were suddenly taxed beyond the
expectation of it's officials. Troops
had been whirling westward through
out the week, absorbing much of the
rolling stock, and the empty cars
were being rushed east again from
Oakland Pier; but the nearest were
still some hundreds of miles from
this point of transfer when a car
load of recruits was dumped upon
the broad platform, and the superin-
tendent scratched his head, and
screwed up the corner of his mouth,
and asked an assistant how in hot
ter place than even Salt Lake valley
the road could expect him to forward
troops without delay "when the road
took away the last car in the yard
getting those Iowa boys out"
There amt nuthin' left 'cept that
old tourist that's been rustin' and
kiln-dryin' up Iongside the shops
since last winter" said the junior
helplessly. "Shall we have her out ?''
Guess you'll have to-" was the an
swer. 'It's that or nothin';" and the
boss turned on his heel and slammed
the office door behind him. ''Ten to
one," said, he, ''there'u be kick
comm when the boys see what
they've got to ride in, an I'll let jim
take the kick"
The kick had come, as predicted,
but availed nothing. A score of lusty
young patriots were the performers
but, being destined for service in the
regulars, they had neither senator
nor state official to "wire" to in
wrathful protest, as was usual or
such occasions. The superintendent
would have thought twice before ever
suggesting that car as a component
part of the train bearing the volun
teers from Nebraska, Colorado OF
Iowa, SO recently shipped over the
road. 'They could have made it hot
for the management" said he. Blu,
these fellows, these waits, were from
no state or place in particular. They
hadn't even an officer with them, bu
we're hurrying on to their destination
under command of veteran gunner
"lanced" for the purpose at the re
cruiting station. He had done hi
best for his mea. Ruefully the,
looked through the dust-covered in
terror and inspected the mudd,
trucks and brake gear. "She wheeze
like she had bronchitis" said th
corporal, "and the inside's cross be
tween hencoop and coal bin. Yo1
amt going to run that old rocker,
for n car, are you?"
BEST we've got," was the curt re
ply. Yet the yardman shook hi
head as he heard the squeak of tn
rusty journals, and ordered his me-
to pack in fresh waste and stoucl
'em up somehow" Any man VIII
had spent week about railwa,
could have prophesied 'shot boxes
before that coach had run more thai
fits own length, but it wouldn't do fo
an employe to say so. The corpora