The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-09-26

stove.
Pat Barie often and often said he recommended
to drink whisky; he only recommended the
whisky. recommend no rising railroad man to ourn
the third letter the subject from his general
manager; merely recommend Bucks. ne was a.
that time running the West End. They had tried
running the West End without Bucks while then
they had tried again running it with him. IN poth
instances it different.
But the next time the general manager was out IN
his "speciar he spoke to Bucks the subject as II
the mention were virgin touch Bucks muttered
something about the general character Of the train
and the decent lives and habits OF the passenger
conductors and finished with incidental expression
Of confidence in the men; that was about ALL
But the headquarters people, who were largely
Boston, had ways and means all their owns ano 1a'i-
ing to interest Bucks in their hobby they took tack
like this.
To begin with, the night was bad. "A holy fright
Pat Francis called it, and Pat had seen most OF the
bad nights mountains for twenty-five years
steady. 1t showing and raining and sleetng that
night all at and it blew-it blew the Oil out OF
the gude-cups. From the platform Of the Wfckiup-
nobody in the gorge would call it depot-from the
: Wckiup platform at Medicine Bend, No. seemed to
roll into division that night one reeking mass OF alka
ce-soda and frost solid from lamp to lamp.
She late, too, with a pair Of the best engines
that ever climbed a mountain heading her. She had
lost time every mile of the from the plains, and
she ordered with another double and a
pusher all the way over the Horseback 1t was
because there Yellowstone excursion aboard.
The Columbian Pacific connection was on that account
especially desired; and that night at twelve O'clock
mountain time, with No especially late into the
bend, and the track especially bad, and the pull
especially heavy it looked-that Columbus Pacific
connecton-especally doubtful, except over i'm the
dspatcher's office, where they were being pounded
to make it by the excursion bureau
Bucks was down that night. There many bad
nights the mountains but Bucks never missed any
of them by gazing to bed. On Bad nights, Bucks like
a switchmans pipe, always out. He-Bucks-
personally appeared at the Wickup to see that things
went. The liked him because he was always
ready do anything he asked them to do There
WAS an esprit, Observation-Disclosures you call 1t-and
loyalty to Bucks personally, which made our men
fake the chances tAat pay checks don't cover
n looked especially doubtful that night nevertheless
n there Bucks, under slouching Stetson and an
RI freze that caught all the water coming its way
standing drivers of the head engine, while Jack
Ky Moore, leather heel to jaw went into the sush
ii her to touch eccentric with reputation
Il for cussedness in pinch And a. minute
fl was walking back figure with the out conductor
II Pat Francis, to make schedule across to Wild
Hat though they talked, each man knew the other
not thinking at all of how to make schedule, but
thinking-though word out loud of it, and hell
to face all the way the gorge on top of 1t-of how
with flesh blood and steel to beat schedule that
night and land the uncertain connection, in spite OF
wind and weather and the bureaus fears and the
dispatchers groWls.
And all this 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 loafng twenty-four
hours longer away from their newspapers and ferries
and street cars. Pat Francis listened grmly A
short, stocky fellow Pat Francis Not fat, but firm
as = Resse1ner bar and with considerably quicker
pav in his Joints. listened grimy, for he thought
he could domino every play Bucks could make when
it came tricks for saving time on the Wild Hat run
Yet it heartened Pat Francis, uncompromisine
and grim, to his superintendent there in the
storm, helping cut out the work for such particu'
larly beastly pull
As Rucks broke away and started for the door q
the Wickiup Morris Barker-the conductor who hat
Just brought train in-saluted, walking out With
his buttoned snug, in the comfortable 1nsolenc'
of A. man going home, Morris stepped to the edge O
the platform to exchange condolences with ia
Francis.
pat there's a half-fare back in the Portland
s1eeper | heard Mcintyre say at McC1oud that som
Of Alfabet Smiths men working here. Any
way there's catteman in canvas coat in the chat
car smooth face, red tie to look out for. He got o.
at Harding and tried short fare sized hin
7. up for a spotter"
"Why didn't you chuck him off?' growled Pa
Francis.
HE put up after while--and you bet that far
goes in with an embroidered report Well, good lucl
Patsy.
! Pat Francis raised his lamp through the fog an
rain at the engineers. Jack Moore coughed suddenl
and twice. with his hollow whistle. The hind engn
s4luted hoarsely; from the the pusher pipe
| shrl and Bucks in the doorway watched the pantn
! train pull taut up the Bend in the swirling snow
| And he knew he watched that nothing worth con
| sidering would get away from Pat Francts-not
! scheme cutoff nor a minute nor a revampe
coupon ticket. Pat, before quitting at Benton P;
| up the gorge and over the Horseback, was pret1
! .ure to catch everything inside the vestibules.
7 He swung up the platform of the baggage c:
| m the train moved out, and shook the snow off
can as he opened the door, He set his lamp on
| n coy trunk took off his overcoat and hung it u
| In the front end of the car a pack OF hunting do
| ze,ned dismal chorus. Old John Parker, the bal
gareman was checking up pile of trunks that ro
tier on tier the roof of the car John Parker wo
i a nair of dsreputable iron spectacles His ha
! scant where it wasn't extinct tumbled about h
| head loose at both ends. His gray beard was go
hit stronger in the fly than in the hoist, and it BILE
! in the wind thin coach whip; but old John HI
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