The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-09

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 wouldn't find in dozen years.DF ~ ry #
 Mccarthy was an engineer before he came to Colorado In 1s73 and he has been an engineer eyer since. barring three years when he was in the sheep busi- ness in Lincoln lCounty--s disastrous three years ending In total loss of 1.oa. sheep. which gave up the ghost under the asphyxiating force of waterspout.
 And that's the way went out of the sheep business and back to railrosding.
 But Mir. Mccarthy is modest man. fl his hair is sliort on top. and doesn't talk unless he is drawn out. There are those who can draw him out. however. and one of those got at him the other night and touched the right spring.
 No, I'm not superstittous,'' he began, as they all begin when they are asked If they have any haunting ideas. "but don't mind telling you a curious thing which happened to inc back East when used to work a throttle on the Fort Wayne road.
 "A little bird lit bn the pilot of my ef- zine one day as we. were passing through kokomo. Ind. Some crumbs of.@,read or something that had been left on the small platform by somebody attracted its at- tention. It picked and picked at the crumbs til we had travelled twenty miles further to Peru. Ind. There it finished its meal and flew away. I didn't think any more about the circumstance till the next day. when on my return through Peru I again noticed this small brown bird. It huttered about the pilot for . moment and seemed to miss something Realizing at once that this was the same little bird which had travelled with me on the previous day. at once unpacked my lunch box and threw some crumbs out on one of the running boards.
 ''1he bird caught on at once. He was an awfully cute little fellow and began to pick at the dinner had thrown out to him. He rode hack with me to Kokomo and there deserted me. The next time came through he was waiting for me. and had his breakfast ready for him, all spread out.
 well, sir. that little fellow rode with me for two years. l took great interest in him. and he got so. tame he would como right up into the cab and eat lunch with me. l inquired and found that Mike, as we called him, was one of the despised English sparrows, but we didn't 'despise him; we thought the world of him-Joe Hennessey. my fireman, and l. We didn't. know that crusade was on against the sparrows or we would have looked out better for, Mike, but one day when we came through kokomo Mike missed his train. It was the first time hes had missed 1t since We had made his acquaintance. and we worried about him throughout the whole run. When we got back to. kokorpo on the return trip we learned that there had been great slaughter of sparrows, and we ew4little Mike had been. one of the victims.
 well, it just knocked us out. We had learned to love the pert little rascal, and we rnourped for him as if he had been some close friepd or relation. And, strange as ia. may seem. things began to go wrong right away A draw~head went out almost every day for a week. and one of the driving rods snapped of and nearly ended us both. the second trip we made without our mascot.
 'eThen poor Joe suddenly sickened and died, and had green cub in with me who got me into trouble every day. and then I had d narrow escape from run ming into a work train, and--weil, l quit and came to Colorado. thought I'd bet ter do it before something serious hap. pened.
 Then you attribute your good luck te the presence of Mfke?" fi
 "No-o-o, I can't say I do.' said Mir Mccarthy "Pm not superstitious. 70, know, but I did feel awful safe .wher Mike was along" ,...