Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1902-08-23
III BriStOW Station.

Brfstow Station was in the Pan
Handle section of Texas, and a more
lonely and dreary place it would be
hard to- find There was but one
building, which served for freight
house, passenger depot, ticket and
telegraph office. Bert Brown, the K.
q M. agent, had to do all the business
and cook his own meals over an oil
stove. There were four trains daily
Ever the road, but, unless tagged, the
ywo passenger trains went through
BrfstoW at a tifty-mile clip. To the
west of the station was a long siding
with cattle pens, then straight track
for thirty miles over the prairie.
Bert could always count on visit
from three or four tramps a day, and,
though the instructions from the di-
vision superintendent were to dis
courage them, he took his own course
in the matter To discourage" them
meant to threaten them with pains
and penalties and refuse them even a
drink of water. To Bert it looked
too much like childish spite, and,
though be may have done some growl-
Ing now and then, he always had a
bite to eat and a bit of tobacco for the
tourist whose language was respect
full. AS a matter of fact there were
times when he could sit down with
one Of Them for an hour and be inter
ested Id the tramps adventures by
food end field.
If Bert did not obey his instructions
to the letter the section boss on that
section did. He was hurley big
fellow, Regarded by his employees as a
bully and a coward,
Agent and boss had never had
word on the subject, however, until
one summer afternoon he happened
along with his car and his gang just
and was resting in the shade. Bert
had not seen the fellow as yet, when
he heard a row outside. The section
boss had spied the hobo and stopped
to give him a drubbing. The tramp
was man about 80, and it needed only
one glance at his face to prove that he
was not born to the road. He had an
Intelligent eye and his speech was that
of an educated man.
y The boss went hunting for tramps.
If one was found track walking he
received such a humping that he could
hardly crawl off to a highway, and no
freight train with hobo on the bump
ers could pass the boss that his sharp
eyes would not detect the culprit.
Perhaps it was the mans fierce
enmity reward tramps that softened
Bert's heart
The section boss was already slam
ming him around when Bert interior
ed. AS the big brute let go of his vic
tim he gave him a whirl and brought
aim down on the iron rail. The hobo
lay there until Bert assisted him to
rise. He complained OF pain in his
side, but after resting for awhile it
seemed to pass off. The story he
told was not new to the agent. Born
of good parents and with a good start
In life drink and a spirit of adventure
had been his bane. He did not men
ton what occupation he hid followed,
and Bert, IN his genial thoughtful way
refrained from exhibiting too much
curiosity After accepting lunch a
bracer Of whiskey and a few coins, he
left the station and continued west
ward. This was toward shutdown.
The tramp had been gone about an
hour when thunder storm came up,
and for an hour it rained furiousIy.
A mile to the east of Bristow they
were putting in a new bridge over a
EmaH creek, with the rails laid on a
temporary track. 1t was not Bert's
business to worry about that bridge,
and he hadn't given it a thought when
he received message from Glars
vile, nine miles to the west, that the
section gang had been dumped into the
ditch and all badly hurt. Then arose
the question whether it was his duty
to remain at the station and be ready
for call, or to make a trip to the new
bridge and see that all was safe.
He knew that the creek would be
bank full from the downpour, and, as
1t was in the dry season when no rain
was expected, the temporary tracks
might be swept away. After fifteen
minutes In doubt and worry he tele-
graphed Clairsville that he was going
to the creek and at once set out on a
run. He had scarcely started when
gale spFang up in his very teeth,
and Within ten minutes it was all he
could do to make way against 1T at a
walk 0axkness had fallen before
ne reached khe culvert. The bridge
was gomez
The iirat krain due was a freight at
. o'clock This train would side-track
at Byistow for the express bound east.
He had bfought red lantern, and this
he managed TO secure to a pole sus.
pended oVer the track. That would
stop the freight. and he would get back
to the station in time to flag the ex.
press
The wind was bowling along at the
rate 81 s4xty miles an hour, and q
dozen dIlEkant times in returning over