The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-09-13
CONDUCTOR PAT FRANCS

from the auditing department that the men of the
punch were not dividing fairly with the conpanv
To this effect the general manager wrote Bucks SUI
perntendent 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 pro
posed to write part Of il on our backs Bucks got
another letter; he threw it in the stove.
I'aiIie Oiten and often said nc recommended no
man 10 drink whisky: ne onty recommended the
whisky. recommend no rising railroad man to burn
the third letter on the same s1tfect from his General
manager j merely recommend Bucks lie was at that
tiihe running the end without Bucks a while:
Dotn instances it was different.
g. but the next time the general manager was out
m his special he spoke to Bucks on the subject
II the mention a virgin touch Bucks muttered
sonethlng about the general character OF the
zen ana the decent lives and habits of the passenger
tCHuuctors, and finished with incidental expression
OI confidence in the men; that was about an.
lon, had ways and means all their own; and falling
70 interest Bucks in their hobby, they took like
To begin with, the night was bad "A holy fright"
Fat francis called il, and Pat had most the
ECU lIshts IN the mountains Tor Twenty-Five years
steady II was showing and raining and seeting that
guide-cups From the platform of the WfcEi
uI1-nooCdy in the gorge would call it depot-frOm
70 roll into division that night reeking sheet Of
akali ice-soda and frost solid from lamp to lamp.
she was late, too with a pair of the best engines
lost time everV mile Of tie W. f tt ti d'd
she was ordered west with another doube-head and
a pusher all the way the Horseback. was be
cause there was Yellowstone excursion aboard The
Columbian Pacific connection was on that account
especially desired; and that night O'Clock noun
tain time. with No. i especially late into the bend
and the especially bad and the pull especially
heavy, it looked-that Columbus Pacific connection
especially doubtful except in the dispatcher's
office where they were being pounded to make it 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 Ike
q sWltcnnan s pipe, was always out He-Bucks-
personally appeared at the WicSup that things
VEN. Inc men liked him because he was always
e'uy 10 90 any Ihlng ne asked them TO do There
an esprit. morale-whatever YOU call it-and a low
atty to Bucks personally. which made men take
the chances that pay checks don't cover.
So although the Columbian Pacific copnection
looked especially doubtful that night nevertheless
there was Bucks under a souching Stetson and am
Irish frieze that caught water coming its way
Moore, I'm leather heel to jaw went into the slush
under her to touch up eccentric a reputation
was walking back to figure with the out conductor.
Pat Francis, how to make schedule across TO Wild
Hat though. as they talked, each the other
was not thinking at all of now to make schedule but
thipking-though never word out loud of hell
with flesh and blood steel to beat schedule that
night and land the uncertain connection in SNIFF of
wind and weather and the bureaus fears and the dis
patcher's grows.
And all this for what? To dump hundred or two
Brooklyn people into the Yellowstone twenty-four
hours earlier than they otherwise would have been
dumped. though without doubt they would have been
just that much better off loahng twenty-four hours
longer away from their newspapers and ferries and
street cars Pat Francis listened grmly A short.
stock fellow Pat Francis. fat but firm as a Ees-
sener bar and with considerably quicker play in his
JOINTS 10 listened grmly for he thought he could
domino every play Bucks could make when it came
10 tricks Tor saving time Hat RIM Yet
it heartened even Pat Francis uncompromising and
grim to have his superintendent there in the storm
Rel pin cut out the work for such particularly beast
As Bucks broke away and started for the door Of
the Wickiup Morris Barker-the conductor who had
Just brought the train n--saluted walking out With
his coat buttoned snug, in the comfortable Incidence
platform to exchan ge coincidence With PAT France
Pat there's haffare back in the Portland sleep
Alfabet Smiths are working up here Anyway
there's cattleman in canvas in the chair car
smooth face red tie, to look out for. He got at
Harding and tried short fare on me. sized him up
why didn't you chuck him Off" growled Pat
Francis. al
He put up after while-and YOU bet that fare
goes IN with an embroidered report. Well good luck
Pat Francis raised his lamp through the fog and
rain at the engineers. Jack Moore colghed suddenly
and twice with his hollow whistle The hind engine
sauted hoarsey from the rear the pusher piped s6rl
pun taut up the Bend in the swirng snow. And he
knew as he watched that nothing worth considering
would get away from Pat Francs-not a scheme nor
cutoff nor minute. revamped coupon ticket.
sure to cacth everything inside the vestibules,
He swung up on the platform of the baggage. car
as lIe ram moved out and shook the snSw off his
overcoat and hung it the front emo Of the car
Il PACK or hunting dogs yelped dismal chorus. Old
JUN 'iIhel the D'ssageInan, was checking up
pile of trunks that rose tier of the
81, 49, 49, ~ M MOLe PAIR OF disreputable iron
spcClCeS- MS mar scaht where 1t wasn't extinct.
tumbed about his head at both ends His gra,-
hoist and it blew the wind thin as a coach lIbi,.
but old John had behind his dirty spectaces pair of
box and asked the baggageman why he didn't kin
those dogs. and getting ansWer-fOr John Parker
was checking hard and stopped only shift his ,bis-
kers of the elliptic conductor out his blue nenciI
and his black pencil and filed them away took nm his
punch and his trip checks and put them in their prDner
pockets shifted his timetable from box TO stiH an
other pocket and picked up his lantern The head-end
brakeman coming in just then with a sash puIler
Francis asked him to clean the globe.
While the brakeman hshed for piece of waste the
conductor moved his wet OvercOat a peg nearer the
stove and spread il out better listened to wild
Tumor old John Parker had picked up about No rs
being turned into strictly limited" carrying
diner west of Bear Dance. without wasting anv
comment Pat looked at his watch and listened to the
click Of the truck the fish plates under foot and
90 the angry. trcmuloUs of the three furnaces
melting coal to push No up against the wind that
Curled Ike corksCrew down the long gorge.
Then ne took the lantern from his mental strobe
quickly through the vestibule into the dirty light
foul air OF the smoker
-'rlc<etstr
NO please that night; just Tickets short and
spN an bear trap. He could talk very differently
~ nome 10 the babes-but there was no suggestion
on Aootsyng IN the tone that called for transporta
.ioh IN me smoker. He passed down the aisle pull
ING H"uIhg' shaking the snorting brutes, noting
punching checking under the rays of his lamp until
the iasI man was passed and ne walked into chair
car. There was only one ''go-bacI" sleepy Italian
NH