The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-08-21

- n Id" BARRETT, trainmaster, held that when
an engineer had once gone, unkilled, through
u a head-end collision, he was never much a
man of courage afterward But Nat Shandon's deed
at AIuley Fork gave BaTretts theory refutatiOn so
marked that l. for one, heard the "Old man
chew" that argument more
It was ShandOn, you know, who brought the Star
route its first fame for quick service by driving the
407, hooked to Governor Grahams special across the
state in two hours and forty minutes. The hostler
ran the engine into the house. when the hot clip was
finished, with her frame cracked and her driver
hanges whitfield to knife blades Barrett wroth,
being gray and conservative; but Superintendent
JOY younger and of the school of haste slapped
Shandon on the back and praised him. He was get
ting in some passenger engines. and Shandon
would be expected to what sort of speed lay in
the first that should arrive. That proved to
be the famous $50.
Prior to the Governor Graham run Shandon has
snapped" dinky cabOose from the tail of a wild
stock train the division taking the string
down grade and around fast that the lit
tie cabOOse few the track turned and skated
across frozen creek injuring several people. Shan
don vas charged with being reckless from drink, but
investigation failed to make the accusation stick.
Next came the experience in which Shandon met
the monster face TO face, that dementng thing which
Barrett averred made towards OF engineers; for it
he who sat the Tight-hand side of the cab of
the old 200, going up Angel Pass. when Jerry Burns
down with the big 722 and piled the gulch with
ruin jerry was not at fault for he couldn't hold
enteen cars OF steel rails slippery mountain track
when something wrong with the brakes. Jerry
and the fireman Of the eOllding engines jumped with
natural and calamitous results; but ShandOn stuck
and the supreme vision.
Shandon large man, perhaps, to put it
more precisely, big boy. Even such gravity as
natural approaching lfes thirtieth year
was rarely his When his hand the throttle
and the machine going fast, he was sometimes
sober and looked his age but for the most part he
was cutting up" But he had great heart, prod
lgaI beneVoence or nature that kept him always look
ing for the pay and fearessness of railroad Of
fcials which was fairly appalling AS ! remember
him, he stood something more than six feet in fat
aIad chg
limb, slightly stopped in the shoulders with head and
face nearly handsome, but almost too small for his
frame. and medium-sized gray eyes that looked
square into the eyes Of other people and danced with
bantering smiles.
Round Hill, the division station. was wet"
town, for what town beyond the line of the Rockies
could hope to excite the envy Of its rivals unless its
saloons outnumbeTed its stores? The place was wick
ed. not with the brutal abandon of the mining camp
but chiefly in the way OF recreation Perhaps it was
for this reason because it agreed that an ag-
gregation OF western railroad could perforce not
be else than in need of grace that the drums and
tambOurines Of the Salvation Army startled its main
street habitues February evening The Halle
lujah People" had arrived
Nat Shandon passing his way to his en-
CINE. that first evening and paused moment 10 see
what going on. Three persons fronting a crowd
ed sidewalk, were singing in gleeful fashion Two
OF the singers girls, and each of them ratified
tambourine. The third was middle-aged man. clean
ly shaver and happy looking but with the racery of
outlived dissipation thick upon his face.
SnanuOhS initial impression that street fakirs
selling Wizard Oil or something after that sort
and he began cracking jokes he laughingly looked
over the heads of the crowd toward the singers But
a moment later of the girls stepped upon a box
at the edge OF the sidewalk and looked round on the
torch-t faces Of the curious cOncourse. Instantly
ShandOn was a serious man.
The young small and had a face thin
family olive in tone, delieately features with big
dark soTrowful eyes that dominated the countenanee
As she looked down the faces OF the crowd lit
tie smile about her Ops an engaging vet pathetic
CLEAN Of appeal which somehow mingled friendship
and pity cuTiously. Shsndon felt the look and the
spirit Of the face enter him something that passes
10 the heart Of matter and leaves sign or wound
He drew in deep breath, glanced up at the clear
stars overhead, dropped his eyes to the crowd and
made movement as if to go His world had sud
denly changed. Then he turned toward the face
again. Shut up" he said noisy fellow at his
elbow. unconsciously ending the gruff command with
oath.
The girl was speaking Shandon listened mo-
ment, then pushed round the crowd and in near
the speaker Her voice thready from hoarse-
ness yet sweet with sympathy and tenderness She
was telling why they had among the people
OF Round Hill OF the work of love they hoped to do
OF the friendship and help they craved. Then with
lifted eyes she began TO tell the story Of the crueed
and risen Lover of all life.
Many in the crowd grew quiet; others continued
stirring about seraping such merriment as they
could from the odd situation. Shandon listened