The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-03-31

! vas order>4 wcs, that nSht is orsu<
. military special from Wssaakic II
rode TIP Cn pa.c.s train. The bnd Lest
Angeles sleeper vas loaded laghs. ard
when Dave had worked THE tram ana !
walked into tie staterocm 10 sort h&s
collections i follow q him We sat halsl
n hour u~u3.starbea. 81. - uoaa3u.
talk I. VAS ; hea ) trata an ;ar pa
was high.
We made Tat River - m.3a ST. aai !
was still sitting alone In - open state
room when I SAW Dawes E--n Ueht
coming down tho a4rkeusd IL
walked II. rat his lamp ou rs. fo SAT-
doWa anl lreye lis fes. IS A,
ions
Ho~ Tommie tonight g. ASKED
leaning back as 4 he hAsinf seen M 81
fore in his old teasing way Il. played
light heart sometimes bur t ua> n,
more thar played. that was easy seeing
How's Dave He tlrust fausd nc
window shade and looket ou, Tere vas
. moon ana the ni-At vas bright. oaIy
windy.
"what are you going to 90 with Bucks
Daye2"
. you want nv punch. Tommle
You know better than that, don
you?'
4 guess 50
You're blue tonight. what's tbs
matter ~
He shifted. and it wasn't nk him TO
shift.
IN going to qui, the west End
quit What DO ycu mean You're
not going = throw over this t~rainmaster
OFFER"
I'm going to quit. What's the usoa
he went on slowly. How can take
charge OF conductors, talk TO conductors
How can l discharge a conductor for
stealing when he knows I'm a thief ny
self? They know it; Bucks knows it,
There's no place among men for a thief
Dave, you take it too hard. every
thing ran wide open here. You're the
best railroad man on this division,
everybody, old and new. admits that
II ought to be q railroad man. | held
down a division on the Panhandle when
Was thirty years old"
Were you a railroad superintendent at
BOO"
4 was a trainmaster at -. I'm 40 now
and a thief. The woman thai ditched me
IS dead; the man she ran away with is
dead; my baby is dead long ago" He
was looking out. as he spoke, on the fly
ing desert, ashen in the moonlight. In
the car the passengers were hard asleep.
a. ! we heard only the slew of the strain
ing flanges and the muffled beat of the
heavy truck under US.
There's no law on earth that Will keep
q man from leaving the track once IN
a while" [ argued. There's none TO
keep him from righting his trucks when
the chance is offered. | say. a mans
bound to do il. If you won't do it here,
choose you place and III go with YOU.
E This is a big country, Dave Hang il.
III go anywhere. You are my partner,
aren't yOu?"
He bent to pick up his lantern. tom
ME, you're a great boy"
'Well | mean it" He looked at his
watch: l pulled mine: it was l o'clock.
"Eeuer go TO sleep, Tommfe.' |
looked up into his face as he rose. r.
looked for an instant steadily into mine
Go to bed, Tommie,' he smiled, pulling
down his visor ana turning, he walkee
slowly forward. l threw myself on tn,
e couch and drew my cap owe my eyes
The first thing felt was a hand on m,
! shoulder. Then l realized ! had beer
I asleep and that the train was STANDING
! still. A man was bending over me
lantern in hand. 1t was the porter.
s whats wrong?" l exclaimed.
There's trouble up ahead, Mr.
t Burnes." he exclaimed huskily. I spranl
TO my feet.
Have you got your pistol?" he slut
: tered.
| Somebody came running down tn,
$ aisle and the porter lodged like a hare
behind me. It was the hind-end brake
man, but he was SO scared ne could no
speak. hurried Onward.
i Through the head Los Angeles sleeper
Q the San Francisco cars and the Portland
n I ran without meeting a living soul; bu
Il the silence was ominous. When | caugh
I a glimpse of the inside of the coach
saw the ferment. Women were scream
ing and praying and men We're burrowint
" under the foot-rests. They've kiile
y everybody in the smoker shouted
a travelling man, grabbing me.
G "Damnation, make way, won't you"
exclaimed, pushing away from hi1
= through the mob. At the forward door
!; taking me for one of the train robbers
q there was another panic. Passenger
T from the smoker were damned togethe
there like sardines. had to pile thor
Y bodily across the seats to get througI
5 and into the forward car.
4 It was over. The front lamps were on
II and the car smoking blush. A cowbo
hung pitched head and arms down ovc
h the heater seat. In the middle Of ~
car Henry Cavanaugh, crouching in IN
aisle, held in his arms Dave Hawk. \
the dark front end of the coach l sa'
the outline of a man s%prawled on his fac
!, in the aisle. The news agent craWle
out from under a seat. It must hay
been short and horribly sharp.
They had Tagged the train east Of Bca
Dance. Two men boarded the frOl
platform of the smoker and one the rea
But the two in front opened the smoke
door just as Dave was hurrying forwar
TO investigate the stop. He was no ma
to ask questions. He saw the masks an
covered them instantly. Dave Hawk al
time and anywhere was a deadly sho
= Without a word he Opened OF the fol
ward robbers. A game cOboy back
him pulled a gun and cut into il, an
! was the first to 80 down, wounded Bt
the train boy said Hawk himself ha
dropped the TWO head men almost imm
" ! diataIv af+ap rho firing h4p4O ard StOO