The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-31

they had long since ceased to move US Yet |
Siclone's engine STAYED i'm the roundhouse
Then after Foley and Mc,cerza and Sim
clair, came Fitzpatrick from the East. Nc
Terra was put on the mails, and, coming
down one day on the White Flyer, he blew
out cylinderhead ont of the 4l6.
Fitzpatrick was waiting 10 take her out
when she came stamping in on one pair of
drivers-for were using engines worse
than horsefesh then. But, of course, the
4l6 was put out. The only girl left in the
house was the 313.
l imagine Neighbor felt the finger of fate
in it. The mail had TO go. The time had
come for the 313: he ordered her fired.
The man that ran this engine swore he
would kill the man that took her out" said
Neighbor, sort of incidentally, FitZ.
stood by waiting for her to steam.
suppose that means me-" said Fitz-
patrick.
Il suppose it does"
Whose engine is it?''
'SiclOne Clark's"
Fitzpatrick shifted to the other leg
Did he say what 1 would be doing while
this was going on?'
Something in Fitzpatrick's manner made
Nelghbor laugh. Other things crowded in,
and no more was said.
No more was thought, in fact. The 313
rolled as kindly for Fitzpatrick as for ST.
clone, and the new engineer, quiet fell
low like Foley, only a bit heavier, went on
and off her with never a word for anybody.
One day Fitzpatrick dropped into a bar
Der shop to get shaved. In the next chair
lay Siclone Clark. Siclone got through first,
and, stepping over TO the table to get his
hat, picked up Fitzpatrick's first, by mis-
take. and swall1ed out with it, He discov-
cred his change just as Fitz. got out of his
chair. Siclo1e came back replaced the hat
ON the table, took up his own hat, and, as
FftZ. reached for his, looked at him.
Everybody in the shop caught their
breaths.
us your name Fitzpatrick"
Eyes SIR
Mine is Clark"
Fitzpatrick put on his hat
You're running the 313, believer" con-
tinued Siclone
Yes sir"
That's my engine"
81 thought IL belonged to the company"
Maybe ii does; but I've agreed TO kill
| trouble is settled" said Siclone, amiably.
Fitzpatrick met him steadily. "lf you'll
let me know when it takes place I'll try
and be there"
warning; any of the boys will tell you
that" continued Siclone Maybe you didn't
| know my word was out?"
Fitzpatrick hesitated. I'm not looking
for trouble with any man." he replied
| guardedly. But since you're disposed to
be fair about notice, it's only fair to you TO
out 'N'
Still you took her?''
| 1T was my orders"
MY word is out; the boys know it is
good. L don't jump any man without fair
warning. L know you now, Fitzpatrick and
| the next time see you, look out, and with
Il out more auO SlclOne walked out or the
! shop, greatly to the relief of the barber, if
| not of FitZ
Fitzpatrick may have wiped a little
sweat from his face; but he said nothing
| only walked down to the roundhouse and
| took out the 313 as usual for his run.
week passed before the two men met
| again One night Siclone, with a crew of
the strikers, ran into half dozen OF the
| new men, Fitzpatrick among them, and
! there was q riot. II was Siclone's time to
carry out his intention for Fitzpatrick
rn try IN Opf a n
| tree ever breasted a tornado more sturdily
than the Irish engineer withstood Siclone;
but when Ed Banks got there with his
Wrecking crew and Strengthened things out.
Fitzpatrick was picked UP for dead. That
| night Siclone disappeared
Warrants were got out, and searchers
| put after him. 1t was generally understood
| that the sudden disappearance was one of
Siclone' freaks. If the ex-cowboy had so
determined he would not have hidden to
| keep out of anybody's way. / have some
| times pondered if shame hadn't something
| to do with it. His tremendous physical
strength was fit for so much better things
! than beating other men that maybe he him
self sort of realized 1T after the storm had
passed.
Down east of the depot grounds at Nc
| Cloud stands, or stood, great barnlike no.
| tel, built in boom days, and long favorite
| resting place for inValids and travellers en-
route to Sa th MA by easy stages 1t was
men boarded there, and the new engineers
| liked it, because it was close to the round
|
! Fitzpatrick, without a whine or a COM
| plant, was put to bed in the barracks, and
Holmes Kay, one of our staff surgeons, was
was provided. besides. Nobody thought the
/ injured man would live. But after every
| care was given him, we turned our atten-
| tion to the troublesome task of operating
/ the road.
The 313, whether it happened so or
| whether Neighbor thought it well to drop
| the disputed machine temporarily, was not
| taken out again for three weeks. She was
| looked on as a hoodoo and nobody wanted
! her. Foley refused point-blank one day to
| take her, claiming that he had troubles of
his own. Then one day something hap
| pened to McTerZas engine; we were
| stranded for a locomotive, and the 313
was brought out for McTerza; he didn't
| like ii bit.
Meantime nothing had been seen or heard
| of Siclone. That, in fact, was the reason
| Neighbor urged for using his engine; but
1t seemed as If every time the 3l3 went
out it brought out Siclone, not to speak of
| worse things.
That morning about o'clock the un-
! Flyer. The night boy at the barracks al
| ways got up hot lunch for the incoming
and outgoing crews on the mail run. and
| that morning when he was through he for
| got TO turn of the lamp under his coffee
tank. It overheated the counter, and in
few minutes the woodwork was ablaze. If
the frightened boy had empted the coffee
on the counter he could have put the fire
! out; but instead he out TO give ;he
alarm, and started upstairs to arouse the
! guests.
There were at least fifty people asleep i'm
| the house, travelling and railway men. Be-
] ing a wooden building ii quick prey
| and in incredibly short time the flames
were leaping through the second-story win
dows.
/ When I got down men were jumping in
| every direction from the burning hotel
Railroaders swarmed around busy with
! schemes for getting the people out, for none
are more quickwitted in time of panic
Short as the opportunity was, there were
! many pretty rescues, until the flames,
shooting up, cut off the stairs and left the
! watch the destruction of the long, rambling
building. Half dozen of us looked from
the dispatchers' offices in the second story
of the depot. We had agreed that the peo-
! pie were all out, when Foley below gave
| cry, and pointed to the south gable Away
up under the caves at the third-story. win
| dow we saw FACET Fitzpa tricks.
Everybody had forgotten Fitzpatrick and
his nurse. Behind, as the flames lighted the
| opening, could the struggling
TO get him to the window. Ii was plain that
/ the engineer was in no condition to help
! himself: the two men were in deadly peril
great cry went up.
The crowd swarmed like ants around the
! south end; a dozen men called for ladders,
but there were no ladders. They called for
! volunteers TO go in after the two men, but
the stairs were long since furnace. There
| were men in plenty TO take any kind of
chance, however slight, but no chance Of
/ fered.
The nurse to and from the window
| seeking n lOODhOlp for pScaDp ri