The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-09-04
RoMANcE oF A cABoInsE.

hill rather pretty girl, dressed in a blue gingham dress, used to come out of the house and watch the cars go by with a deeply interested look. She did this day after day, and the train hands began to look for her whenever they passed.
 T wonder. Frank. if she'll be on hand, to-day" Bill, the conductor, would remark. Its queer. ain't it, what a peculiar holt a train has on women folk I tell you, Frank, the women are more dead set on trainmen than they are on soldiers. i
 Frank was paying little attention to what Bill was saying. He was as curious as Bill, but. as he was the younger of the two and was growing a little interested in the little girl held his tongue. Some innate good feeling prevented him. from indulging in any fippant remark. He felt proprietor ship in the little girl, and in his heart he began to call her his little girl,'' though, perhaps, she had never noticed him any more than she had noticed the engineer or the fireman. st.,
 Frank was, however, careful to see that she saw him, for when he was nearing the solitary farmhouse, set on a great flat plain close to the tracks, he would get on the roof of the caboose so as to be in plain view. . ;, B..
 A-goin' to see your gal?" was Bills remark as he began on the roof, Well, well, she'll be seeing you for sure up there.''
 This time Frank determined that he would make some sign to let her know that he was awaiting her coming to the side of the track, so he timidly waved his hand.
 She gave him swift look and then became absorbed in the locomotive,
 Frank returned little crestfallen.
 T dare say that you were a-waving your mitt to her" said Bill, and she turned you down cold.'
 Frank made no answer. ..:..
 Well don't be discouraged at that" continued the conductor consoIihgiy. There's many a gal who turs man down just to keep him on the string so you get up there again tomorrow and wave like the muschief. You keep on a-doin that, and perhaps about this time next year, If lsde doesn't get mar ried, she will kind of take some no- tice."
 Bill was right. After few days the girl returned a tilnid recognition and Frank was in the air. ....
 ''I'd like to write to her and tell her how rnnch l think of her, he conf1ded to Bill. .%a< r
 You big lout,l' was the reply, "have you ever written love letter to gal? Don't you know that is the worst kind of writing, a darned sight worst than an accident report, and here you are a. goin to write her and you don't. know her name" .,
 That's no matter. can throw it off to her." said Frank.
 Yes, that's so, and I'll help you write the letter. It won't do to make mistakes. She may be one of the eddi- cated sort, and she may laugh at the note and tell you what, lad, it's all U. P. when a gal laughs at man"
 Frank, with the aid Of the erudite conductor wrote letter which was begun with "Honored Miss, and wound up with Yours Running" This, Bill explained, was to show that the writer was Ion the jump" and so she would excuse any errors in the epistle.
 Attaching the tender missive to g. piece of coal Frank hurled 1t at the girl as she stood by the track, and he saw to his intense satisfaction that she took it and tore the envelope open be- fore he was out of sight.
 He sent her another letter on the down trip, and then next day he told her to fasten letter. if she cared to reply, to the end of the hoopstick and he would catch it as he passed.
 There was the girl on the next trip with a letter, and Frank caught the precious missive.
 It was a simple little note, telling him how she liked to see the train pass by, and so accustomed was she to see the cars that, if anything happened to the train, she would feel as if she had lost the best friend on earth. -..
 Other letters passed and then Frank announced to her that he was going to get leave of absence and was coming to call on her
 He secured the leave and in due time made his appearance at the girls house. He was welcomed warmly There were so few people passing by the lonely farmhouse that Frank was the hero of the day. He was pressed to stay longer, and there was no se- cret made of the friendship that had been formed from the top of the ca- boose.
 When Franks leave expired he left the place with a lump in his throat and promised that the letter would be daily one.
 He determined that when he got his promotion he would go back to the house and marry the little girl. She was This little girl'' now. 4
 All the trainmen conceded that fact, and, though he had not spoken love to her. he felt there was a bond of sym- pathy between them which would one day be strengthened by the bonds of matrimony.
 Then Frank heard there was g. chance of promotion. He was offered job as conductor on the Oregon Short Line and his headquarters were to be in Ogden. He had to break the news by letter. He received an answer congratulating him on the promotion and concluding with the hope that one day he would return to visit the farm