The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-17

on the trstle west Of it and they
waited only for the breaking Of the
suspense that settled heavily over
them.
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty minutes
went, with Martin Duffy at intervals
vainly calling. Then-as the crack
opens in the field Of ice, as the snow
breaks in the mountain slide. as the
sea gives up at last it's Dead the
sounder spoke-Rat River made the
dlspatcher's call. And Martin Duffy,
staring at the copper coil. pushed him.
self up in his chair like a man that
chokes, caught smothering at his neck,
and slipped wriggling to the floor.
Carhart caught him up, but Duffy's
eyes stared meaningless past him. Rat
river was calling him, but Martin
Duty was past the taking. Like the
sprang into the chair with the I. I. D.
The surgeon, Giddings helping,
dragged Duffy to the lounge in Gala
hans room-his chief was more to
G1ddlngs than the fate of special 326.
But soon confused voices began to ring
from where men were crowding round
the dispatchers' table. They echoed
to where the doctors worked over the
raving chief. And young Giddings,
helping, began, too, to hear strange
things from the other room.
"The MOON
1.-THE moon? 2" t-szS
THE MoON!" -
"What?" s.&
Barnes Tracy was trying to make
himself heard: Efi's
"The moon, damn it! MOON!
That's English, amt it? Moon"
Who's talking at Rat River?" de-
manded Benedict Morgan, hoarsely.
Chick Neale, conductor Of Third
Eighty; their train is back at Rat
River. God bless that man." STAN
m0ra0 R9rnaS win h
head, feverishly; hes an old operator.
He says Bob Duffy is missing-tell
Martin, quick, there isn't any wreck
quick!''
What does Neale say?" cried
Doubleday with an explosion.
Tracy thought he had told them, but
he hadn't. HE says it's Engineer
Abe Monsoon, was scared by the moon
rising just as they cleared Kennel
butte Butt explained Tracey, unsteadily:
Special S26 and jumped from his en-
CINE. The fireman backed the train to
Rat River-see?'
While Tracy talked, .Mallers at the
key was getting it all. Look here"
ne e., exclaimed, did you ever hear Of
head brakeman of the freight was in
the cab, Neale says. He and the en-
glneer were talking bout the last Con-
clave train wondering where they
were going to meet it, when the brake
man spied the moon coming up around
Kennel Butte curve. There's the 326
specia1!' he yelled, and lighted out Of
the gangway. Monson reversed and
jumped off after him so quick he
Knocked the fireman over in the coal.
When the fireman got up-he hadn't
heard a word of it all-he couldn't
see anything ahead but the moon. So
ne stops the train and backs up for the
Two guys. When Nea1e and he picked
them up they ran right back to Rat
Rlver for ORDERS They never got to
got two miles east of Rat River"
/ And where's Special 326?'' cried
doubleday.
AT Rock Point, you loco. She
must mus BE- there and waiting yet for
fnaic Eighty. The stopping of the
make the meeting point, don't YOU see.
and there she -sweating-yet. Neale
is an old operator. BY heaven! Give
me man of the key against the
world Praise God from whom all
blessings fowl
ventured shy little lady homeopathic
physician, who had been crimped into
me tray to help do up the mangled
knights and was modestly waiting her
opportunity.
MOT Tonight" announced Tracy
j with the dignity Of man temporarily
IN charge of the entire division.
"A yell went out Of the room like a
tldal wave. Doubleday and Benedict
Morgan had not spoken to each other
THAT was two years. They turned
Wonder-struck to each other. Double
gay 1mpulslvely put out his hand and.
pe1ore he could pull it in again, the
wreck1ng boss grabbed it like pay
cneck. Carhart, who was catching the
"a Ia ~
dings, went wild trying to repeat it to
Dutty without losing it in his throat.
The chief was opening his eyes, try
ing to understand.
Medical men of violently differing
schools, a1lopaths, homeopathic, osteo-
paths, eclectics-made their peace
with a. whoop. A red-headed drug
glst, who had rung himself in for a.
free ride to. the horror, threw his
emergency packets into the middle Of
, the hoor. The doctors caught the i'm
pulse; instrument cases were laid
} with solemn tenderness on the heap.
ana dozen crazy men, joining hands
around the pyred saws and gauze.
struck up "Old Hundred"
Engineer Monsoon was new man,
VINO mad been over the division only
l twice before in his life, both times in
: daylight. For that emergency Abe
: Monsoon was the man Of all others,
! because 1t takes more than an ordin-
airy moon to scare a thorobred West
, End engineer But Monsoon and his
: moon headlight had between them
saved De Molay from the scrap.
The relief arrangeme and Mon
soon's headlight were the fun of it,
but there was more. Martin DUFFY
lay eleven weeks with brain fever be-
fore they could say moon again to
him. Bob had skipped into the noun
tains In the very hour that he had
disgraced himself. He has never
shown up at Medicine since; but Mar
tin Is still chief, and they think more
OF him on the mountain district than
ever. 49,
Bucks got the whole thing when De
Molay 4 reached Rat River that night.
|, Bucks and Callahan and Moore and
Oyster and Pat Francis got it and
smiled grimly. Nobody else on Spe-
cial 326 even dreamed Of leaving a
J bone that Sunday night in the Cinna-
mon cut. All the rest of the evening
Bucks smiled just the same at the
knights and the knightesses, and they
thought him for a bachelor wonder
fully entertaining. -
A month later, when the old boys.
| more or less ragged, came straggling
back from Frisco, Bucks crowd
stayed over a train, and he told his
Pennsylvania cronies what thew had
slipped thru in that delay at Rock
Point. -
Just luck" laughed one Of the
, eastern superintendent, who wore on
h "a h hot