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

fed as ammunition, loaded and released,
o. r.
1t was Nellie's cruelty that made the
frequent shifts at Goose River. Not that
she was unimpressible, or had no heroes.
She had plenty of them in the engine and
the train service. 1t was the smart
uniformed young conductors and kerchiefed
juvenile engineers on the fast runs to
whom Nellie paid Difference, and for whom
she served the preferred doughnuts.
But this was nothing TO Bullhead. He
had his head so full of things when he
took his new position that he failed to
observe Nellies contempt. He was just
passing out of the private detective stage;
just getting over dental beginnings; just
rising to the responsibility of the key. and
a month devoted to his immediate work
and the study of the rules passed like
limited train Previous to the coming of
Bullhead. no Goose River man had tried
study OF the rules as a remedy for lone
Illness: it proved a great scheme. but it
aroused the unmeasured contempt of
Nellie Cassidy. She scorned Bullhead un-
speakably, and her only uneasiness was
that he seemed unconscious of it.
However, the little Goose River girl had
no idea of letting him escape that way.
When scorn became clearly useless she
tried cajolery-she smiled on Bullhead. Not
till then did he give up her smile was his
undoing 1t was so absolutely novel to
Bullhead-Bullhead, who had never got any
thing but kicks and curses and frowns
Before Nellie's smiles, judciously admin
istered, Bullhead melted like the sugar she
began to sprinkle in his coffee. That was
what she wanted; when he was fairly dis
solved. Nellie, like the coffee, went gradu-
ally cold. Bullhead became miserable, and
TO her life at Goose River was once more
endureble.
1t was then that Bullhead began to sit
UP all day. after working all night to get
single smile from the direction of the
pie rack. He hung utterly miserable, around
the lunch room all day. while Nellie made
impersonal remarks about the colorless life
of a mere operator as compared with life in
the cab Of ten-wheeler. She admired the
engineer, Nelle-was there ever doughnut
girl who didn't? And when One or Two
rose smoking out of the alkali east or the
alkali west, and the mogul engine checked
its gray string of sleepers at the Junction
platform, and Bat Mullen climbed down to
Oii iouuu-dS ne always ulu-lnere were the
liveliest kind of heels behind the counter
Such were the moments when Bullhead
sat in the lunch room, unnoticed, somewhat
back where the flies were bad, and helped
himself aimlessly to the sizzling maple
syrup-Nsllie rustiing back and forth for
Engineer Mullen, who ran i'm for a quick
cup, and consulted, after each swallow, q
dazzling opsn-faced gold watch, thin as
double-eagle; for Bat at twenty-one was
pulling the fast trains and carried the best.
And with Bullhead feeding on flannel cakes
and despair and Nellie Cassidy looking quite
her smartest. Mullen would drink his coffee
In an impassive rush, never even glancing
Bullheads way-absoluteIy ignoring Bull
head. What was he but a nightman, any
way? Then Mullen would take as much as
a minute OF his running time to walk for
ward to the engine with Miss Cassidy. and
stand in the lee of the drivers chatting
with her, while Bullhead went completely
frantic.
was being ignored i'm that way, after
her smiles had once been his that crushed
the night operator. 1t filled his head with
schemes for obtaining recognition at all
hazards. He began by quarreling violent
ly with Nellie, and things were coming to
serious pass around the depot when the
Klondike business struck the mountain di-
vision. 1t came with a rush and when
they began running through freight extras
by way OF the Goose River Short Line, day
and night, the junction station caught the
thick of it. 1t was something new alto
gether for the short line rails and the shor.
line operators, and Bullhead's night trick
with nothing to do but poke the fire and
pop at coyotes, became straightway a busy
and important post. The added work kept
him jumping from shutdown till dawn and
kept him from loafng daytimes around the
lunch counter and running himself on fer
mented syrup.
On a certain night, windier than all the
November nights that had gone before. the
| night operator sat alone in the office fac
| ing resolve. Goose River had become in
| tolerable. Medicine Bend was not to be
thought of, for Bullhead now had a sus-
picion. due to Callahan, that he was a
good deal of a chump, and he wanted to
get away from the ridicule that had al
| ways and everywhere made life burden
There appeared to Bullhead nothing for il
but the Klondike. On the table before the
| moody operator lay his letter of resigna.
a.. -.
superintendent. Near it, under the lamp
lay a well-thumbed copy Of the book OF
rules, open at the cha pier on destinations
with subheads on
| Resign, who should.
Resign, how to.
Resign, when TO. (See also Time.)'
| The fact was it had at last painfully
| forced itself on Bullhead that he was MOI
fitted for the railroad business. Pat Fran
| els had unfeelingly told him so. Callahan
had told him so; Neighbor had told him so
Bucks had told him So On that point the
leading West End authorities were agreed
Yet in spite of these dscouragements h
| had persisted and at last made a show
| Who was 1t now that had shaken his stub
born conviction? BulIhead hardly dared
| confess. But it was undoubtedly one who
put up to be no authority whatever on mo
| tive power or train service or operating
il was Matt Cassdy's girl.
While he reread his formal letter anC
compared on spelling with his pocket Web
ster a train whistled. Bullhead looked a
the clock: 11:40 p. m. 1t was the loca
freight. Thirty, coming in from the West
working back to Medicine. From the East
No. had not arrived; she was six hour!
| late, and Bullhead looked out at his light
for he had orders for the freight. 1t wa
| not often that such thing happened, be
cause One rarely went off schedule badl!
enough to throw her into his turn. He hat
I. a..