The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-13


Dig fairly with the company.
To this effect the general manager wrote
Bucks. superintendent OF the mountain
division Bucks filed the letter away in the
stove. Another communication Jared no
better But there were some new people at
headquarters; they had record to make,
and they proposed TO write part Of il on our
backs Bucks got another letter; he threw
IT In the steve.
Pat BarIie often and often said he re-
commended no man 10 drink whisky; he
only recommended the whisky. l recon-
mended no rising railroad man to burn the
third letter on the same subject from his
general manager; 1 merely recommended
Bucks. He was at that time running West
End. They had tried running the West
End without Bucks a while; then they
had tried again running 1t with him. In
both instances ii was different.
But the next time the general manager
was out in his special he spoke TO Bucks
on the subject as If the mention were
virgin touch. Bucks muttered something
about the general character OF the train
men and the decent lives and habits of the
passenger conductors, and finished with an
incidental expression of confidence In the
men; that was about ALL
But the headquarters people, who were
largely Boston, had ways and means all
their own; and failing to interest Bucks in
their. hobby. they took tack like this.
To begin with the night was bad. "a
holy fright" Pat Francis called it, and
Pat had seen most Of the bad nights In the
mountains for twenty-five years steady. 1t
was showing and raining and sleeting that
night, all at once. and blOwing-it blew the
oil out OF the guide-cups- From the plat
form OF the Wickiup-nobody in the gorge
could call it a depot-from the Wiclxiup
platform at Medicine Bend No. seemed
TO roll into division that night one reek-
ing sheet of alkah ice-soda and frost solid
from lamp to lamp.
She was late, too, with pair Of the best
engines that ever climbed a mountain head
ing her. She had lost time every mile of
the way from the plains, and she was
ordered west with another double-head and
pssher ali the way over the Horseback.
1t Was because there was a Yellowstone
excursion aboard. The Columbian Pacific
connection was that account especially
desired; and that night at II O'Clock, noun
tain time. No. /. especially late into the
bend. and track especially ,bad, and the
pull especially heavy, it looked-that
Columbus Pacific connecton-especially
doubtful, except over in the Dispatcher
office, where they were being pounded to
make il by the excursion bureau.
Bucks was down that night There were
many bad nights in the mountains, but
Bucks never missed any Of them by going
TO bed. On bad nights, Bucks. like a
switchman's pipe, was always out. He
H. IL ~
to see that things went. The men liked
him because he was always ready to do
anything they asked them to do. There was
an esprit, morale-whatever you call it
and a loyalty to Bucks personally. which
made our men take the chances that pay
checks don't cover
So,, although the Columbian Pacific con-
nection looked especially doubtful that
night. nevertheless there was Bucks. under
slouching Stetson and an Irish frieze
that caught all the water coming its way,
standing at the drivers of the head en-
CINE, while Jack Moore. in leather, heel to
jaw. went into the slush under her TO
touch up an eccentric with reputation
for cussedness In pinch. And a minute
later Bucks was walking back to figure
out with the conductor. Pat Francis, how
TO make schedule across to Wild Hat,
though. as they talked, each man knew the
other was not thinking at all of how TO
make schedule. but thinking-though never
word out loud Of it, and hell TO face all
the way up the gorge top of it-of how
with flesh and blood and steel to beat
schedule that night and land the uncertain
connection, In spite OF wind and weather
and the bureaus fears and the dispatcher's
growls.
And all this for what? To dump hun
dred or two Brooklyn people into the yell
lowstone twenty-four hours earlier than
they otherwise would have been dumped
though without doubt they would have
been just that much better off loafing
twenty-four hours longer away from their
newspapers and ferries and street cars. Pat
Francis listened grimly. A short, stocky
fellow, Pat Francis Not fat but firm as a
Bessemer bar, and with considerably
quicker play IN his joints. He listened GRIM
ly. for he thought he could domino every
play Bucks could make when it came to
tricks for saving time on the Wild Hat run
Yet IL heartened even Pat Francis uncom-
promising and grim, TO have his superin-
tendent there in the storm helping cut out
work FOR such particularly beastly pull
AS Bucks broke away and started for the
door of the Wickiup. Morris Barker-the
conductor who had pust brought the train
iE-saluted, walking out. With his coat
buttoned snug. in the comfortable insoIence
of man going home. Morris stepped to the
edge OF the platform to exchange conf
dence with Pat Francis.
Pat, there's a half-fare back in the
Portland sleeper. 1 heard Mcintyre saw at
McCloud that some of Alfabet Smiths men
are working up here. Anyway there's a
cattlsman in canvas coat in the chair car.
smooth face, red tie, 10 look out for He
got at Harding and tried short fare
on me. / sized him up for a spotter"
why didn't you chuck him ~" growled
Pat Francis
He put up after a while-and you bet
that fare goes in with an embroidered re-
port. Well, good luck. Patsyi"
Pat Francis raised his lamp through the
fog and rain at the engineers. Jack Moore
coughed suddenly and twice, with his hol-
low whistle. The hind engine saluted
hoarsely; from the rear the pusher piped
shrill, and Bucks in the doorway watched
the painting train pull taut up the Bend in
the swirling snow. And he knew as he
watched that nothing worth considering
would get away from Pat Francis-not a
scheme nor a cutoff nor a minute nor a
revamped coupon ticket Pat. before quit
.f.-xr q