Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-04

| George assailed him with a torrent Of
abuse.
What do you mean, you red-headed lub-
ber?" he shouted. with much the lungs OF
his father What are you doing switch
ing coal here on the main line?"
In fact, George called the astonished fire.
| man everything he could think OF. until his
1 father, who was laundering forward on his
| side of the engine. hearing the voice. turned
and ran around behind the tender to take a.
| hand himself.
Mean" he roared above the blow of his
safety. Mean he beloved in the teeth
of the wind Mean? Why, you mpudent.
empty-headed ungrateful rapscallion. what
| do you mean coming around here to abuse
a man that's saved you and your train
| from the scrap?''
And big Dick Burns. standing by with
his torch. burst into an Irish laugh. fairly
doubled up before the nonplussed boy, and
listened with great relish TO the excited
father and excited son. II was not hard
to understand Georsie's Amusement and
anger at finding Soda Water Sal behind
three cars of coal halfway between sta
tons on the main line and on his time
and that the fastest time the division.
But what amused Burns most was to see
the imperturbable old Dad pitching into his
boy with as much spirit as the young man
himself showed.
1t was because both men were scared out
of their wits; scared over their narrow es-
cape from frightful wreck: from having
each killed the other. maybe-the son the
For brave men do get scared; don't be-
lfeNe anything else. But between the fright
or a coward and the fright of n brave man
there Is this difference The towards scare
Is apparent before the danger, that of the
brave man after 1t has passed; and Burns
laughed with a tremendous mirth, at tn
Two o thin a-Jawin'." as he expressed 1t.
No man on the West End could turn on
his pins quicker than George Sinclair.
though, if his hastiness misled him. When
1t all came clear he climbed into the old
cab-the cab he himself had once gone
against death inland with stumbling words
tried to thank the tall Irishman, who still
laughed in the excitement of having won.
And when Neighbor next day, thoughtful
and taciturn, heard 1t all, he very carefully
looked Soda Water Sal all over again.
Dad said he. when the boys got
through telling it for the last time. shes
a better machine than / thought she was"
There's isn't a better pulling your
coaches maintained Dad Sinclair. stoutly.
I'm put her on the main line, Dad and
give you the les for the cutoff. HIM.
The 16S will suit me. Neighbour; any old
tub-eh, Foley?" said Dad, turning to the
cheeky engineer, who had come up in time
to hear most of the talk. The old fellow
had not forgotten Foley's sneer at Soda
Water Sal when he rechristened her. But
Foley, too. had changed his mind, and was
ready to give in.
That quite right Dad he acknowledged.
You can get more out of any old tub on
| the division than the rest of us fellows can
get out of Baldwin consolidated. l mean
| II, TOO. II the pest lnlflS ever uedIu Ok
What are you going to do for Burns. Neigh-
| bor?'' asked Foley, with his usual assur-
ance.
Il was thinking I would give him Soda
Water Sal, and put him on the right side
| of the cab for a freight run. l reckon he
earned it last night
| In a few minutes Foley started off to
hunt up Burns .
See here, Irish" said he in his off-hand
way next time you catch a string of runs
aways Just remember to climb up the lads
ri boo lNr.fN rNln
| It VIII save a good deal of wear and tear
| on the pilot bar-see? / hear you're going
| to get a run: don't fall out the window
when you get over on the right
And that's how Burns was made an engt-
neer and how Soda Water Sal was rescued
from the disgrace of running the trolley.