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


more of the swing any
way. When Martin came
along, his mother hadn't got over
thinking about Bob. Doubtless she
thought, too of Martin; but he was
kind of overshadowed. Bob began by
ing mail to ~ The pretty girls. His
sympathy for the girls was so great
that after while he began passing out
letters to them whether they were ad-
dressed to the girls or to somebody
else. This gradually weakened his in
fuence with the government. 4.
Martin began work in the telegraph
otflce; he really learned the whole
thing right there at the Bend under
Callahan. Began, carrying Western
Unions stuck at his waist under a
heavy leather belt. He wore in those
days, when he had real responsibility,
a formidable brown Stetson that ap-
peared- bent on swallowing his ears;
It was about the time he was rising
trousers and ii. >-. = :,
: About the time it looked. as if Mar
tin would make a go of it on the road,
the postoffice inspectors were thinking
Bob would make a go of it over the
road. But he was such kid of
fellow that the postmaster convinced
the: detective Bob's way of doing
Things was simple foolishness, which it
probably was, and they merely swore
him out. of the SERVICE
It was then that Martin reached out
a. hand to his elder brother. There
were really just the two brothers.; and
back OF them-as there is, somewhere,
back of, every railroad mana mother.
mother: 1aA quiet, somber little woman
in 50: shawl and a bonnet of no special
shape or sfze--just a shawl and bon
net, that's all. Anyhow, the Duffy
boys mother was that way, and
there's a lot more like her. I don't
know what gets the fathers; may be-,
very often, the scrap. But there's al
most always, somewhere, a mother.
SO after Martin began to make rec
ord, to: help his mother and his
brother both, he spoke for Bob. Cal
Ilahan didn't hesitate or jolly him as
ne used to. do with a good many. He
thought, the company couldn't have
too many Of the Duffy kind; so he said,
Yes, sure" And Bob Duffy was put
messages, reading hair-destroyers and
blowing his salary on pie.
SOD Duffy was taller, than Martin
and would repeat, handsomer; but
can't, because Martin had absolutely
no basis of beauty to start with. He
was parchment-like and palish from
sitting night after night and night
after night over. a sounder. Never a.
sick day in his life; but always over
the sounder until, sleeping or waking,
resting or working, the current purred
and purred thru his great little head
like familiarity-taking old tomcat.
He could guess more off wire than
most men could catch after the whole
thing had tumbled in.
So up and up the ladder he went.
Messenger. operator-up to assistant
dispatcher, up to a regular trick dis
patcher.s Up to the orders and sign
ing the 81. M. Co.. the letters that
stood for our superintendent's name
and honor. Up to the trains and their
movements, up to the lives, then
CHIEF!-with the honor of the divi-
sion all clutched in Martin Duffy's
three quick right fingers on the key
and his three quick left fingers on the
pen at the same instant scratching
orders across the clip. Talk about
Observation-Disclosures didn't know
what it would be like to use one
hand at a time. If Martin Duffy said
right, trains went right. If he said
wrong, trains went wrong. But Mar
tin never said the wrong; he said only
the right Giddings knows; he copied
for him long enough, Giddings and
plenty more of them can tell all about
Martin Duffy. ~s.s.,seasa..,.. --.-.,,- ~.,.-.-..
Bob didn't rise in the service quite
so fast as Martin. He was rather for
having a good time. He did more of
mother, who, on account of her bon
net-and-shaWl complexion, didn't
achieve much that way. Martin, too,
was proud, of his brother, and as soon
as Bob could handle a wire, which
was very soon (for he learned things
in no t1ne) Martin got Callahan to put
him. up at Grant as operator. Bob
got the place because he was Mar
tins brother, nothing else. He held
it about two months, then he resigned,
and went to San Frisco. He was a
restless fellow; it was Bob up and Bob
own F'o Ran q year he wandered around
out .iNItheTee, itelegraphing, then he
I.bobbed! up 1fagain gin Medicine Bend
Quit of 81 Job: He wanted to go to
work. and e well, Callahan Martin s
brother, you know---sel1t him up to
Montair as night operator. Three
months he worked steady as a clock,
Then one night the dispatchers at the
Bend couldn't get Montair for two
hours. It laid out No. and spe-
c1al with the general manager, and
Imade no end Of a row.
Martin said right off he ought to TO
But there was the little mother ur
home, silent, = expect, but pleading
| like. 1t was left largely to Martin
for the young fellow was already
| chief; and that was the trouble-he
hated to- bear down too hard; SO he
| compromised by asking his superin.
+ tendent mott fire Bob, but to sci
him back. They sent him up as night
man to Rat River, the meanest place
| on the whole system. That was the
| summer Of the Templars' conclave al
| San Frisco. ..5.
We worked the whole spring gettine
things up along the line, from Omaha
to the Sierras, for that conclave. En-
gines were overhauled, rolling stock
| touched up, roadbed put in shape
everything shaken from end to end
Not only were the passenger records
to be smashed, but beyond that a lot
of our big general officers were way
| up Masons and meant that our, line
should get not merely the cream. OF
! the business, but the cream Of the
advertising out of the thing. The
general tenor Of the instructions was
to nickel-plate everything. from the
catalpas to the target rods. For three
| months before the conclave date we
were busy getting ready for it. and
when the big day drew near on which
we were to undertake the moving and
the feeding of six thousand people one
way on one track thru the mountains
the cartinks smoked cross-cut and the
Russian sectionmen began to oil their
hair.
Callahan was superintendent under
Bucks, then general manager and
Martin Duffy chief dispatcher, Neigh
Dor superintendent Of motive power
and Doubleday division master me-
chanic, and with everything buttoned
up on the West End we went that
/ Sunday morning on the firing line tC