The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-09-14

mo. sir; thank you, Mr.. Reed"
But his thank you" was so pleasant
] couldn't altogether ignore IL. | COM
promised with a cough. Perfect cOur-
tesy, even in the hands OF the aWk-
wardest boy that ever wore his trou-
sers short, Is surprisingly handy
thing 10 disarm gTun people with. Ben
was undeniably awkward; his legs
we're too long. and his trousers de-
cidedly out OF touch with his feet; but
/ turned away with the conviction that
in spite Of his gawkiness there was
something 10 the boy. That night
proved il.
When the flyer pulled in from the
west in the afternoon it carried two
extra sleepers. In all. eight Pullmans.
and every one of them loaded 10 the
yentiiators While the train was
changing engines and crews. the ex-
cursionists swarmed out of the
hot cars 20 walk up and down
the platform. They were from
New York, and had band with them
as Jolly a crowd as We ever hauled
and I noticed many boys and girls
sprinkled among the grown folks.
As the heavy train pulled slowly out
the band played. women waved hand
kerChiefs. and the boys shouted them
selves hoarse-it was like holiday,
every body seemed so happy All l
hoped. as I saw the smoke of the en-
CINE turn 20 dust on the horizon, was
that ] could get them over my division
and their lives safely off my hands.
For a week we had had heavy rains,
and the. bridges and track gave us
worry
Half an hour after the flyer left, ~,
the fast stock freight. wound like
great snake around the bluff. after it.
Ben Buckley. tall ana straight as a
pine. stood on the cabOose. II was his
FIRST train. and he looked as II he felt
H.
In the evening got reports of heavy
rains east OF US, and after II reported
"out" Of Turner Junction and pulled
over the divide towards Beverly, IL was
storming hard all along the line. By
the time they reached the hill Ben had
his men out setting brakeS-tOugh work
on that kind Of a night; but when the
big engine struck the bluff the heavy
train was well in hand. and II rolled
down the long grade as gently as
curtain
Ben was none too careful, for half
way down the hill they exploded tOrpe-
does Through the driving storm the
tail-lights of the flyer were presently
seen AS they pulled carefully ahead.
Ben made mis- way through the mud
and rain 10 the head end and found
the passenger train stalled Just be-
fore them was Blackwood creek, bank
( full. and the bridge swinging over the
stream like a grapevine.
At the foot of Beverly hill there Is a
siding-a long siding. once used as a
sort OF cutoff 10 the upper GAINESVILLE
yards. This sidetTack parallels the
main track for half mile. and on this
siding Ben. as soon as he saw the sit
uatiop, drew in with his train so that IL
/ lay beside the passenger train and left
/ the main line clear behind. Il then
/ became his duty 10 guard the track
| 10 the rear. where the second section Of
/ the stock train would soon be due.
/ II was pouring rain and as dark as
a pocket He started his hind-end
/ brakeman hack on the run with red
/ lights and tOTpedOes 10 warn the sec
/ ond section well up the Hill. Then.
walking across from his caboose. he
] got under the lee OF the hind Pullman