The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-27

nothing. But the man who was part or
the engines life, who spurred her up the
long. steep, climbing mountain grades, and
coaxed her around dizzy curves and sent
her down the long level stretches with the
flight of an arrow who knew how to
humor all her caprices, and coaxed and
petted and urged her through binding
storms and rayless nights and blistering
heat and singing cold, until engine and
engineer seemed to be body and soul of one
existence, then when this man at last gets
his final orders and crosses the dark river
alone, with only the fadeless target lights
of sure and eternal promise cleaning
brightly on the other side; and when there
is a new man on the right-hand side and
new face looks out of the engineers win
dow, then / think l can see profound and
sincere sorrow in the painting spirit of
power. standing in the station, draped with
fiuttering sable emblems of its woe. waiting
for the caressfng touches of the dead hands
that it will never feel again. And engineers
tell me that for days and days the engine
is fretful under the new hands; ii is rest
less and moody. starts off nervously and
impatiently. and then drops into suilen
gait and loses time; that no man can get
gineer. Recently an engineer on the Chi
cago, Burlington & Quincy running west
from Chicago died on his engine. sitting in
his place and running his ponderous ma
chine, hand on lever. mis- sightless eyes
staring classify down the track unnoticed
until the fireman looked up to see why he
did not sound his whistle between Gales
burg and Monmouth, Ill. How many miles
that train had Numbered along with the
dead engineer looking out of the cab win
dow into eternity no one will ever know.
Xxx
1 did not make my trip up among the
peaks, coves and ravnes of the Cumberland
mountains before being coached bit by
an old friend at Middlesboro, KY He told
me of several things I must not do and on
several occasions / had reasons TO feel very
grateful.
One day when was well up among the
moonshiners / suddenly scented the aroma
given out by "A still and at the same instant
discovered long-haired, rough-looking old
mountaineer seated on a roadside rock with
a double-barreled shotgun across his legs.
4 saluted him. removed my pack and sat
down for a smoke When he had lighted
the cigar offered him / asked:
rs there much wild game in these noun
tains?'
Il suppose you kill bear now and then -
Yes, [ reckon | do"
Then i questioned him about the farms
the crops, the schools, the churches and
other things. and he not only answered me
briefly. but l could not fail 10 that he
was closely watching me- BY and by he
asked my business and when 1 told him he
seemed to grow even more suspicious
wanted some information about the route
and wanted to get him i'm a good humor
and so l kept rafting on for quarter of an
hour. l finally spoke of Middlesboro and
my. friend down there and the old man
turned TO me with:
What. Dye know Jim Carter down
thar at Middlesboro''
why. certainly"
What sort of lookin' man is he?"
"A large man, red faced, light hair, scar
on his chin; keeps grocery"
That's the critter Yo had a talk
Yes, long talk"
Him told you somethin'. reckon"
Yes, many things. One of them was
that 1 shouldn't smell anything up here
until | had mentioned his name"
Stranger, gin us your pay,'' said the
as a dashboard. did yo' know / was
watchin yo'T
81 suspected it..
Yes, l was a watchin' yer nose The
boys hev got purity hot fire under the
still. and the smell comes up purity strong
up that nose and shifted and snuffed befo
yo' mentioned Jims name / should hev
turned loose on yo' for a revenoo spy and
taken my chanches OF bein' right Glad
to see yo'-mighty glad. Come over TO
the cabin and bring yo'r nose along and
!. .CharlssteH1s Ind,