The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-02-01

McGrath was already promoted to he wipe
over his old superior. Johnnie was in M
wise envious. His only move was to turr
the misfortune to account for an uitcriol
purpose, and he congratulated the boy. af
fecting that he had stayed away to IL
them see what stuff the young fellow was
made off. This put him in Il position 10 ne.
sotiate a small loan from his protege-a
position OF which he never neglected the
possibilities. 1t was out Of the question t.
be mad very long at Johnnie. though on,
might be very often. After n time A!oysius
got to firing. Then he wanted an engine.
But he fired many months, and there came
no promotion. The trouble was there were
no new crews added to the engine service.
Nobody got killed, nobody quit, nobody
dled. one. two and three years without !,
break. and little Aloysius had become a
Digger Aloysius and was still firing He
became also discOurag ed. for then the force,
was cut down and he was put back TO
wiping.
Never v mind, never v mind. Cooney.'
old Johnnie would say. 'ItH come all
right. You'll get y'r ingin yet. Lind me Il
couple iii pay-a-day. Cooney. will you?
III Warrant y yr insin yet. Coone,.'
Nhlch little assurances always cost Alloy
sius s. till pay day. and no end of
trouble getting it back. for when he at
tempted collection Johnnie took a very
dark view of the lads future. alluding
vaguely to people who were hard-hearted
and ungrateful to their best friends. And
Aloysius paid slight attention to the old
sweeper's vaporings; he really was in the
end the means OF the boy getting his en-
gine.
After three years of panic and hard times
on the mountain division the mines began
TO reopen. new spurs were laid out. con-
struction crews We're put on. and Il new
activity was everywhere apparent. But TO
fill the cup of Aloysius's woe. the new
crews were all sent up from McCioud. That
they We're older men In the order of promo
ton was cold co~mfort-Aloysius felt crowd
ed out. He went very blue. and the next
time Johnnie applied for n loan Aloysius
rebuffed him unfeeiinsly. This in turn de-
pressed John.
Never mind, never mind, Cooney. I'll
not be speakin' E Neishbor aE'in' L sat y
up. II y like wipin', stick to ut. I'll not BE-.
troublin' Neighbor ag'in." Johnnie professed
a great pull with the master mechanic.
That Aloysius might feel still more the
sting of his GOODNESS. Johnnie for some LAYS
paid much court to the new fireman and
engine runners. Nothing about the house
was too good for them. and as the crafty
sweeper never overlooked IN opportunity
he was in debt before the end OF the week
to most of the brotherhood.
But the memorable morning for Aloysius
came shortly thereafter. 1t was one of
those keen October mornings that bite so
in the Hills. The construction train. Extra
30 West. had started about o'clock from
the head OF the pass with a load of steel
for the track layers. and stopped for a bite
of breakfast at Wind River. Above the
roundhouse there is q ~switchback. When
the train pulled in the crew got off for
some hot coffee. Johnnie Horigan was
around playing good fellow. and he climbed
into the cab to run the train through the
~switchback while the crews We're at the
aatinU-hnftGa If u-aS frraottlor 70 Ion TO ,ha
engine. but they did. and as for Johnnie
Horigan, he was regularly irregular. There
were sixteen cars of steel in the string, be
sides a cabooseful of laborers. The back
ing up the leg of the nipper was easy. After
the switch was newly set. Johnnie pulled
down the lower leg, and that, considering
the whiskers. was too easy.
When he pulled past the eating-house on
the down grade he was going so lively with
his fats that he was away before the crew
could get out of the lunchroom. In lust
one minute everybody i'm Wind River was
in trouble; the crew because their train
was disappearing down the canyon; the ear
ing-house man because nobody paid him for
his coffee, and Johnnie Horigan because he
found it impossible to stop. He had DUMPED
the sand. he had applied the air. he had
reversed the engine. By all the rules Iaih
stop. But she didn't stop. and-this was
The embarrassing feature-she was headed
down a hill twenty miles long, with curves
to weary a boa constructor. John hung his
head wildly over the drivers. looked back
at the yelling crew. contemplating the load
that was pushing him down the grade. and
his head began to swim. There appeared
but one thing more to do; that was to make
a noise, and as he neared the rounGhouse
he whistled like the Wind. Aloysius
oCooney McGrath, at the alarm. darted out
OF the house like a fox. As he reached the
door he saw the construction train coming
and Johnni Horigan in the gangway look
ing for a soft place to light.
The wiper chartered the situation in a
mental second. The train was running
away ana Herigan was leaving it to its
tate. FROM any point of view it was a
tough proposition, but tough. propositions
come rarely to ambitious railroad men. and
Aioysius was starving for any sort of a
proposition that would help him out of the
waste. The laborers in the caboose, already