The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-04
By FRANK II.
SPEARMAN -:
Sc Sc Sc Eel
The Master Mech0n=
les Story Deiaroo

staggered up the yards. and crawled stupid
into a box car TO die without embarrass-
ing anybody
BY some hook or crook, nobody 10 this
day knows how, that car was switched on
to Maize Simpsons train when 1T was made
UP that day for the West. May be Ii was
done trick TO scare the wind-bag engi-
neer. If so, the idea was successful. When
the hind end brakeman at the second stop
came forward and reported a tramp with
the smallpox in the empty box-car, MAZE
was angry. But his curiosity gradually
got the upper hand This man might be,
by some distant chance, he reflected, p.
Q. W. of A, or a frater, or a fellow, or a
knight something like and when they
stopped again to throw off crackers and
beer and catsup. MAZE went back and en-
tered the infected car like a lion-tamer
to try lodge signals and things on him.
Maze advanced and gave the countersign.
X was not cordially received. He tried
another and another-and another; his
passes were lost in the air. The smallpox
man appeared totally unable to come back
at MAZE with anything. He was not only
delirious, but by this time so frightfully
broken out that Maize couldn't have touched
a sound spot with Masonic signal of
distress. Finally the venturesome engineer
walked closer into the dark corner where
the sick man lay-and by heaven! it was
the Indian wiper Delsroo.
When Maze Sampson got back into the
cab he could not speak-at least not for
publication. He was tearing mad and
sputtered like safety. He gathered up
his cushion and water bottle and bottle
that would explode If water touched il, and
crawled with his plumber into the box-car.
He Strengthened Delaroo up and out and
gave him drink and by way of sanitary
precaution took one personally, for he him
self had never had the smallpox-but once.
When he had done this little for Delaroo
he finished his run and came back to the
Bend hauling his pesthouse box-car. The
fireman quit the cab Immediately after
Maize exposed himself; the. conductor COM
municated with him only by signals The
Anderson operator wired ahead that Maze
Sampson was bringing back man with
smallpox on 30, and when MAZE, bulging
out of the 2e4 cab, pulled into the division
yard nobody would come within a mile
of him. He set out the box-car below the
stockpens, cross-lots from his house I'D on
the hill, and, not being able to get advice
from anybody else, went home to consult
Martie.
Though there were great many women
In Medicine Bend, MAZE Sampson looked
to but one, Martie. the little washed-out
woman up at Sampsons-wife, mother.
nurse. cook, slave-Martie.
No particular color hair; no particular
color eyes; particular color gown; no
particular cut to it. A plain bit of a wom-
an. mother Of six boys, large and small,
and wife of great big windbag engineer
big as three Of her by actual measure
ment. By the time MAZE had taken counsel
and walked down town prominent business
men were Tending off his approach with
shotguns. The city marshal from behind
bomb-proof asked what he was going
to do with his patient, and MAZE retorted
he was going to take him home He wasn't
M. r. w. Of T. nor a p s. c. of w. E.,
but he was a roundhouse man, and be-
tween Maze and railroad man, a wiper
even, there was a bond stronger than
grip or password or jolly business OF any
kind. The other things Maize, without re-
alizing it, merely played at; but as to the
railroad lay-if a railroad man was the
right sort he could borrow anything the
big fellow had, money, plug tobacco, pipe
water bottle, strong bottle, 1T made no odds
what And, the other hand MAZE
wouldn't hesitate to borrow any or all OF
these things in return; the railroad man
who got ahead of Maze Sampson I'm this
respect had claims to be considered a past
grand in the business.
The doughty engineer lifted and dragged
and hauled Delarooo home with him. If
there was no hospital Martie had said. nc
pesthouse, no nothing. just bring him
home. They had all had the smallpox
up at SIMPSONS except the baby and the
doctor had said lately the baby appeared
to need something. They had really every
thing up at SIMPSONS sooner or later;
measles, diphtheria, Group, everything on
earth except money. And Martie Sampson
with the washing and mending and scrub
bling and cooking, nursed the outcast wiper
through his smallpox. The baby took 1t, OF
course. and Martie nursed the baby
through and went on just the same as
before-washing. mending. cooking, scrub
bling. Delaroo, when he got well, went to
firing; Neighbor offered the job as a kind
Of consolation prize; and he went to firing
on the 264 for Maze Sampson.
1t was then that MAZE took Delaroo fairly
In hand and showed him the unspeakable
folly Of trying to get through the world
without the comradeship and benefits OF
the B. s. LIS Of u. and the fraters of the
order of the double-barreled star Of Mac
Duff. Delaroo caught a good deal of II
OH the sidings, where they lay most OF
their time lodging first-class trains; and
evenings when they got In from their runs
to wander, after supper, up to SIMPSONS
At Simpsons he would sit In the shade OF
the lamp and smoke while MAZE, I'm his
shirtsleeves, held forth on the benevolent
orders, and one boy crawled through the
bowels Of the organ and another pulled of
the tablecloth-Delaroo always saving the
lamp, and a third harassed the dog and
fourth stuck pins in fifth-and Mar
tie, sitting on the dim side OF the shade
so the operation would not appear too glar-
ing, mended at Maje's mammoth trousers
Delaroo would sit and listen to MAZE
and watch the heave OF the organ with
the boy, and the current of the table
cloth with the lamp. and the quarter in
which the dog was chewing the baby. and
watch Martie's perpetual motion fingers fol
whole evening, and go back to the board
Ing house without passing a word with
anybody earth, he was that silent.
In this way the big, bluffing engineer
gradually worked nelaroo into ALI tbe