Mexico Missouri message., 1901-11-14
"RGd Line No. $685."
BY JAMES o. WHITTEMORE.

(copyrisht, 1901. by Daily Story rub. Coz
Find tob5 and you can have two
weeks more-and bring us home a
deer"
That was the send-off got from
Motley as passed his desk on my way
out Of the Office for a two weeks vaca-
ton down in Maine. II was cruA In
Motley to send me on a pleasure trip
with the ofiico hoodoo ringing in my
cars, for being out OF the sound OF
"5055" was one Of my most anticipated
enjoyments.
Motley was the chief and one Of the
numerous subordinate clerks in the
car-clearing house OF the Consolidated
roads Our work was monotopous and
embarrassing enough, keeping track OF
the thousands OF freight cars rolling
about over our division. We had
prided ourselves upon the record OF
our Office unit 1.-The case OF Red Line
5O55" had come up and wrought hui
initiation.
It was In our particular division that
"5055" had been lost and we were con-
stantly reminded OF the fact officially
and unoffcially This car had been
sent way down in Maine with a load
OF potato planters from Toledo. 1t
had been started towards home empty
and disappeared en- route. The road
upon which 1t started declared that
they must have delivered 1t to the con-
Meeting road and the officials OF the
latter were as positive that they had
Ing was not as effective as now and
but little satisfaction could be OBJ
tanned from the Maine roads.
'1f you think we have the car, come
down here and find it," was the gist
OF their replies to our many inquiries.
Tracors were passed along until they
were all worn out. Lost car men"
secured New England, but in vain.
Red Line 5055" was lost indeed.
Most people go totho great Maine
woods for the hunting and fishing but
I went TO see Nellie, an old wseetheart
OF mine with brown eyes, hair like
and al THAT. Nellie and Thad gradu-
ated from the high school in the same
class on the same June day and as we
stepped out into the din of life's bat
tie" which the valedictorian told about
| left the little village for the city and
the car office and soon after, Nellic's
father was appointed general man" ger
of an immense plant in one of those
mushroom pulp-mill towns In the
Maine Wilderness and went there, TAX
ing Nellie with him
We correspondent, she giving me lots
Of good advice and | confiding my
hopes and aspirations and so it was
that accepted one OF the several hun
dred postscript invitations to spend my
vacation in the pulpmill town.
l found Nellie more beautiful than
and all that. or course 1t did not
seem Just proper to spend all the time
basking in her smiles, so to vary the
delightful monotony war dered down
to the little railroad station and struck
UP an acquaintance with the station
agent, who was also the operator,
yard-master and most everything else
about the place. He was bright young
fellow named Ross, think, and knew
enough about the business totalk shop
to our mutual entertainment.
One day was paying him a call
when he called my attention to a
strangely appearing figure coming
along the station platform toward u.s.
See that fellow? They call him
Brick Kelley. He was one OF the
smartest and most popular men on the
line-brok head on HaggeI 3
freight Now he's clear ofr'n the iron"
How was that?" l inquired. casual
ly interested.
His train WAS ssettng of a hot-box
at some little siding down the line
when a special came along and lacked
up their roar. Brick was making a
hitch or something and in the mix-up
got a thump in the head which put
him out of the business. He's gone
clean daft But the smash seems TO