The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-04
Tales Of Life on the Rail.
.--LITTLE HALLELUJAH'S CONVERT.
Copyright by IS. s. Mcclure Co.
By ALVAH. MILTON KERR.


sold, Barrett. trainmaster, held that
when an engineer had once gone, un-
killed, through a head-end collision, he
4 was never so much a man of courage af-
terward. But Nat Shandon's deed at
Muley Fork gave Barrett's theory a refu-
tation so marked that T. for one, never
heard the "cld man" Chew that argh-
ment more. S.s
1t was Shandon, you know, who brought !
the Star Route it's first fame for quick |
service by driving the 4o7, hooked to Gov
ernor2 Graham's special, across the state
in two hours and forty minutes. The
hostler ran the engine into the house.
s. when the hot clip was finished, with her
frame cracked and her driver Hanges
Whitfield to knife blades. Barrett; was
wroth, being gray and conservatives; but
Superintendent joy younger and Of the
new school of haste, slapped Shandon on
the back and praised him. He was get
ting in some new passenger engines. and
Shandon would be expected to see what
sort of speed lay in the first one that
should arrive. That one proved to be the
famous 990 -, 80 a.. -.
Prior to the Governor Graham run
Shandon had snapped a dinky ;caboose
fronfS the tail of a, wild stock train on the
eastern division, taking the string down
a grade and around a curve SO fast that
the little caboose flew the track, turned
over and skated across frozen creek, in
juring several people. Shandon was
charged, with being reckless from drink,
but investigation failed to make the ac-
cuSation stick. " - -- 10
Next came the experience In which
Shandon met the monster face to face,
that dementing thing which Barrett
averred made towards Of engineers; for
1t was he who sat on the right hand side
Of the cab of the old 200, going up Angel
Pass, when Jerry Burns came down with
the big 722 and piled the gulch with ruin.
Jerry was not at fault, for he couldn
hold seventeen OF steel rails on a
slippery mountain track when something
was wrong with the brakes. Jerry and
the firemen of the colliding engines
jumped, with natural and calamitous re-
suits; but Shandon stuck and saw the
supreme vision.
.Shandon was a large man, or perhaps,
to put it more precisely, a big boy. Even
such gravity as seems natural to one ap-
preaching lfe's thirtieth year was rarely
his. When his hand was on the throttle
and the machine was going fast, he was
sometimes sober and looked his age; but
for the most part he was ''cutting up.
But he had a great heart, a prodigal be.
nevolence of nature that kept him always
looking for the pay-car and a fearessness
of railroad officials which was fairly ap
pallng. AS 1 remember him, he stooc
something more than feet in f1at-heelet
shoes, was powerfully fashioned in bod!
and limb, slightly stopped in the shoul
ders, with head and face nearly handsome
but almost too small for his frame, ant
medium sized gray eyes that looked
square into the eyes of other people am
danced with bantering smiles.
Round Hill, the division station. was
wet town, for what town beyond tn
line of tho Rockies could hope to eNcit
the envy of it's rivals unless its saloon
ut-numbered it's stores? The place wa
wicked, not with the brutal abandon
the mining camp, but chiefly in the wa
of rccreat ton. Perhaps it was for this rea
son. because it was agreed that a
aggregation Of western railroad men cou
rerforce not be else than in need
grace. that the drums and tambourines
the Salvation Army started it's main sire
ha bitucs one February evening. III
''Halleluiah People, had arrived.
Nat ShandOn was passing, on his way
his engine. that first evening, and pause
a moment to see what was going o
Three persons, fronting a crowded sid
walk, were singing in gleeful fashio
Two of the singers were girls, and ca
of them ratified a tambOurlne. The thi
was middle aged man, clean shaven a
happy looking, but with the tracery
outlived disspa lion thick upon his face
Shandons initial impression was tt
street fakrs were selliug Wizard Oil
something after that sort, and he big
cracking jokes he laughingly look
over the heads of the crowd toward
singers. But a moment later one of
girls stepped upon q box at the edge
the sidewalk and looked round on
torch-lit faces of the curious concour
Instantly Shandon was a serious man.
The young woman was small and h
face thin, family olive in tone, delica
ly featured. with big, dark. sorrOWful e,
that dominated the countenance. AS
looked down on the faces Of the crowC
little smile ran about her lips. an engs
ing yet pathetic gleam of appeal VIII
somehow mingled friendship and pity
riously. Shandon felt the look and
spirit of her face enter him as someth
that passes to the heart of matter
leaves no sign wound. He, drew il
deep breath glanced up at the clear st
overhead. dropped his eyes to the crc
and made movement as if to go.
world had suddenly changed. Then
turned toward the face again. "Shut u
he said to a noisy fellow at his elb
unconsciously ending the gruff comm
with OATH
The girl was speaking. Shandon liste