The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-20


Crouching instant. the giant muscles
OF his back set in tremendous effort: The
wreckage snapped and groaned, the Knot
ted legs slowly and painfully Strengthened,
the cab for a passing instant, rose in the
air and in that instant Neighbor dragged
George McNeal from out the wise or deatn
and passed him, like pinch-bar, TO the
men waiting behind. Then Neighbor pulled
Dad back. blind now and senseless. when
they got the old fireman out he made pit
iful struggle to pull himself together. he
tried TO stand up, but the sweat broke over
him and he sank in a heap at Neighoors
feet.
That was the saving Of George McNeal
and out there they will still tell you about
that lift of Dad Hamiton's.
We put him on the cot at the hospital
next to his engineer. George, dreadfully
bruised and scalded, came on fast in spite
of his hurts. But the doctor said Dad had
wrenched tendon in that frightful effort
and he lay there a very sick and very OLD
man long after the young engineer was up
and around telling of his experience.
When we cleared the chutes saw white
bedside. Il knew we had the right of way
over everything. 1t was hustle, anyway,
on that schedule. Mr.; Reed; you know that:
choked her a notch to run the yards; didn't
mean to do it with the Junction grade TO
climb just ahead of us. But L looked out
again, and, by hockey! l thought I'd gone
crazy, got color blind-red signalsl OF
course, L thought must have been wrong
the first time l looked. / choked her, L
ems. she never felt it, L couldn't figure how
we were wrong, but here was the red light.
yelled. Jump. Dad! and he yelled. Jump,
Son! Didn't you, Dad
He jumped; but l wasn't ever going to
jump with my engine going full against
red lamp Not much.
Il kind of lodged down behind the head;
when she struck it was biff, and she jumped
about twenty feet UP straight She didn't?
Well, 1T seemed like it, Then it was biff,
biff, biff, one after another. With that
hob ind hnr chaf hos
Beverly hill. Did you ever buck snow with
rotary, Mr.. Reed? Well, that was about
it, even to the rolling and heaving. Dad,
low behind you. Isn't that better. Poor
Musgrave he added speaking of the en-
n6 the OF 90 %no MAS %aS rd nes eq but d
rather have 1t that way, l guess, II l was
wrong. Eth. Dad?"
Even after Georgia went to work Dad lay
in the hospital We knew he would never
shovel coal again. 1t cost him his good
back to lift George loose. so the surgeon
told US; and L could believe it, for when
they got the jacks under the cab next
morning, and Neighbor told the wreeking-
gang that Hamilton alone had lifted 1t
six inches the, night before on his oack.
the wrecking boss fairly snotted at the
statement; but Hamilton did, Just the
same.
Son" muttered Dad one night to
George, sitting with him, Il want you to
write letter for me-"
i've been sending money to my boy back
East, explained Dad, feebly. az told you
he's in school,"
81 know, Dad"
81 haven't been able to send any since
when get my relief. Not so much as L
used to send. want you to kind Of explain
why"
whats his first name?'
"Scaylor-Emphraim Scaylor.''
"Scaylor?" echoed George, In amaze
ment.
why, that's the man mother and had
so much trouble with. / wouldn't write
TO that man. He's a rascal, Dad"
mother?"
"I'n tell you. Dad; though it's matter
L don't talk much about. My father had
ago. He was running an engine and had
a wreck; there were some passengers
killed. The dispatcher managed to throw
the blame on father, and they indicted him
for manslaughter. He pretty near went
crazy, and all of a sudden he disappeared
and we never heard from him from that
stuck to it. knew something about where
| father was; only he always denied it,"
Trembling like a leaf. Dad raised upon his
| elbow What's your mothers name,
son? What's your name?"
| George looked confused. 'Tll tell you,
Dad, there's nothing to be ashamed of. /
| out on strike with the engineers down
there. / was only a kid, and we were all
| blacklisted. So l used my middle name,
McNeal; my full name is George McNeal
| Sinclair"
The old man made a painful effort to sit
| up, to speak, but he choked. His face con-
| tracted and George rose frightened. With
| herculean effort the old man raised him.
self up and grasped Georges hands.
Son., he gasped to the astonished boy,
| don't you know me?"
''Of course know you, Dad. What's the
| matter with you? Lie down."
Boy, I'm your father: My name is Da-
~ a mil oil hn1 tkA
| trouble-Georgie." He choked up like a
| child, and George McNeal went white and
scared; then he grasped the gray-headed
When 1 dropped in an hour later they
| were talking Historically Dad was ex-
planning how he had been sending money to
tending that neither he nor his mother
| had ever seen a cent of it. But one great
fact overshadowed all the villainy that
| night; father and son were united and
| happy, and message had already gone
back to the old home from George to his
| And that indictment was wiped out long
| ago against father" said George to me;
| but that rascal Scaylor kept writing him
for money to fight 1t with and to pay for
my schooling-and this was the kind of
schooling | was getting all the time.
Wouldn't that kill you?'
/ couldn't sleep till 1 had hunted up
Neighbor and told him about ii and next
morning wired transportation back for
Mrs Sinclair to come out on.
| Less than week afterward a gentle lit
| tie woman stepped off the flyer at Zanes-
vile and into the arms of George Sinclair.
| A smart rig was in waiting, to which her
son hurried her, and they We're rapidly
| driven to the hospital. When they entered
| the old fireman's room together the nurse
| softly closed the door behind them
| But when they sent for Neighbor and me,
/ suppose we were the two biggest fools in
| the hospital, trying to look unconscious of
| all in the faces of the group at
| Dads bed.
He never got his old strength back, yet
| Neighbor fixed him out, for all that. The
! skyscraper, once our pride, was so badly
stove that we gave UP hope of restoring
| her for a passenger run. So Neighbor built
| her over into a sort of dub engine for short
runs, stubs and so on, and though dad
| had vowed long ago. when uajustly con-
| demned. that he would never more touch
scraper and the Acton run.
| And when George, who takes the flyer
every other day. is off duty. he climbs into
| Dads cab, shoves the old gentleman aside
and shoots around the yard in the re-
juvenated skyscraper at hair-raising rate
of speed.
After a while the old engine got so full
| of alkali that George gave her a new name
Soda Water Sal-and ii hangs to her yet
| We thought the best of her had gone into
the Harvard wreck, but there came time
| when Dad and Soda Water Sal showed us
that We were very much mistaken.