The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-11-21
ANE CREEK was a railroad
( crossing OH the S. and g. C..

I\ crossing OH the y, ana &. 4.
r. lsan mo,,'o9S "a. sPooi s.21,,a two ;sr%aa %nsi
at Mercer. 1t was In the midst of q
scrubby pine forest. with n sandy road
crooking out from the trees on one
side and into the trees on the other
There were only two or three houses
q little general store with a porch like
the visor of a military cap. and q
school house, all arranged in a scraggy
row along the railroad track.
A dozen trains whlrled through
Kane Creek every day with only n
shrek Of greeting and whipping
wake of fine sand. Only two of them
paid the slightest attention to the girl
in n blue gingham dress who stood In
the little observation window. One OF
them was the way freight which
stopped at Kane's every time IL came
along while the conductor handed the
girl a bundle of yellow papers and
received another like II in return. The
other was the night express, westward
bound from st. Paul. and running at
spA'y bi'i'o ah hbhis ~ wac 81 NIl'hhih
train-ten cars. with the finest engine
on the road, big Number Six Hundred
Six. As its glaring eye flashed around
the bend in the direction Of Mercer the
girl in the gingham dress often thought
OF the great train as a powerful and
ferocious beast snorting and roaring
westward on race with the sun. II
was a beast. but It was well trained.
and she knew the hand that trained
IT. When the train was n mile away
there were always two blasts on the
whistle. Every one else in Kane's
thought they meant simply, wake
up, look out!'-for that 10 what all
locomotives say at every crossing
but the girl in the gingham dress heard
Hello. Polly" and darted out on the
platform and waved her handkerchief.
AS the great train thundered nearer n
hand was thrust from the engineers S
window, and, although It was usually
dark, she could see the flutter OF some
thing white, and oftcntimcs rs the en-.
gine dartcd past the station she heard
the blurred sound Of n voice and
caught the glimpse Of a grimy face and
n blue jean jacket. And then she went
back TO her place in the little station
with a sigh of deep contentmcnt.
For ii was 4 moment of great Joy to
Polly Marshall when her fathers en-
gine went through. Polly was the
station agent at Kane Creck-any one
II
sided in the little depot, for was there
not always n bouquet in the window
and dainty pictures surrounding the
grimy time tables on the walls, and n
kitten curling upon the doorstep? At
seventeen Polly had gone in as assist
ant to learn tclcgraphy. and when
Clark, the agent. was called to Mercer
the company had left the independent
girl in charge she and her father
lived in one of the wooden houses n
stones throw back from the depot and
since Pollys mother died they had
been everything to each other.
Engineer Marshall was q big. silent
man. and his companions, some of
them. thought him gruff and ill-tem-
pered, but TO Polly he was always ten.
der as kitten. Often when she was
a little girl he took her down with
him 10 Mercer on his engine. and
while she sat on his black leather seat
ut the cab window clnging on with
both hands. he explained to her how
the BIC black creature under them was
started and stopped. what this brass
crank was for and how, when the en-.
gine squcaked here and squealcd there,
little oil was needed in this cup or in
that crevice And Polly had learned
10 know an engine rs well as she knew
The neat little pantry in the house at
nome. Indeed. she had more than once
managed the levers and the throttle
although 1t was very heavy work FOR
a girl to do.
II was one night late I'm the fall that
Polly Marshall had need of all hei
knowledge Of engines. She was sitting
at her desk in the little observation
window. a shaded light throwing Il,
rays down on her telegraph instru
ments and the sounder clicking sleep
lily. Suddenly she was startled by IN,
sudden call of her number. Instant,
her fingers sought the keys. ana sh,
gave the answer that slgniied that shr
was all attention.
Look out for" clicked th
sounder. and then IL suddenly ceased
and try ms she would Polly could &c
no further Communication with th
station next 60 the eastward. Wha
could the trouble be? What was sh
90 look out for? Polly sprung TO he
feet. remembering that the night ex
press. OF which her father was eng
neer. was the next train due. Coul
anything be the matter? She ran on
Oh the dark platform to see that he
lights were all in place and that th
switches were properly set. so that th
express would slip past the static
without an accident. Then she wen
back and called up Mercer.
"Can you get PinckneyT she asked
Pinckney was the station which ha