News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1906-05-16
neslgn, VINO should.
Resign, how to.

Francis had unfeelingly told him so;
callahan had told him so: Neghbor had
told him so; Bucks had toil aim so. On
That point the leading West End au-
horitles were agreed. Yet in spite Of
these discouragements he had persisted
and at last made show. Who was it
now that had shaken his stubborn con-
yiction? Bullhead hardly dared con-
fess.
While he reread his formal letter and
compared ON spelling with his pocket
Webster, q train whistled. Bullhead
looked at the clock; II 40 p. m. 1t was
the local freight, 30, coming in from
the west, working back to Medicine.
From the east No. had not arrived.
She was six hours late, and Bullhead
looked out at his light, for he had Or
lers for the freight. 1t was not often
that such thing happened, because
No. / rarely went off schedule badly
enough to throw her into his turn. He
mad his orders copied and o. KID and
waited only to deliver them.
1t was fearfully windy. The 266
engine, pulling 30 that night, wheezed
| in the gale like a man with the apo
pleXy. She had new fireman on, who
was burning the life out of her, and
as she pulled painfully down on the
scrap rails of the first siding and took
the Y her overloaded safety gasped VIC
1ently.
When the conductor of the No. 80
| train opened the station door the wind
| followed him like a catamount. The
stove puffed open with down draft
| and shot the room full of singing
| smoke. The lamp blaze flew up the
| chimney-out-and left the nightman
and the conductor in darkness. The
| trainman with a swear showed to the
| door, and Bullhead, the patient, turn
ed over his letter of resignation quick
| in the dark, felt for a match and re-
| bghted his lamp. Swearing again at
Bullhead, the freight conductor Swag-
gered over to his table, felt in all the
operators pockets for cigar, tumbled
all the papers around and once more,
on general principles, swore.
! Bullhead took things accomplishing
~, DuL uC w dlClltll IlOoC w as dC
termined to fight if the brute discover
ed his letter of resignation. When the
trainman could think of no further in
dgnities he took his orders, to meet
No. l at Sackley, the second station
east of Goose River. After he had sign
ed BulIhead asked him about the depot
fire at Bear Dance that had been 60
ing over the wires for two hours, re-
minded him of the slow order for the
No. 8 culvert and as the rude visitor
slammed the door behind him held his
band over the lamp. Then he sat down
again and turned over his letter Of res
ignation.
10 make it binding it lacked only his
signature - James Gillespie Blaine
Lyons-now himself of the opinion of
every one else Oh the West End that he
was just natural born blooming fool.
He lifted his pen to sign off the as
pirations of young lifetime when the
sounder began to snap and sputter his
call 1t was the dispatcher, and he
asked hurriedly if No. 80 was there.
mo. 80 is on the Y" answered Bull
head.
Then came a train order "Hold No.
30 till No. arrives"
Bullhead repeated the order and got
back the o. X. He grabbed his hat
and hurried out of the door to deliver
the new order to the local freight be-
fore it should pull out.
To reach the train Bullhead had to
cross the short line tracks. The wind
was securing the flats, and as he tack
ed I'D the platform the dust swept dead
into him. At the switch he sprang
across the rails, thinking of nothing but
reaching the engine cab of the local,
forgetting about the track he was cross
ing. Before he could think or see or
jump a through freight on the short
line, wild, from the west, storminS
down the grade behind him, struck
Bullhead as grizzly would a gnat,
hurled him, doubling, fifty feet out on
the spur and stormed on into the east
without culver out of the ordinary.
One fatality followed another The en-
gineer of the short line train did not
see the man he had hit, and with the
nightman lying unconscious in the ditch
the local freight pulled out for Sackley
BullheGd never knew just how long
he lay under the stars. When his head
began to whirl the wind was blowing
cool and strong on him and the alkali
dust was eddying into his open mouth.
1t was only matter of seconds. though
it seemed hours, to pull himself togeth-
err and to put up his hand msteadily
to feel what it was soaking warm and
sticky into his hair; then to realize that
he had been struck by short line train,
to think of what failure he had lately
acknowledged himself to be and of
what it was he was clutching so tightly
in his right hand-the holding order for
No. 80. He raised his Keeling head.
There was drift of starlight through
the dust cloud, but no train in sight;
No. 80 was gone. With that conscious
ness came a recollection-he had forgot
ten to put out his red light.
His red light wasn't out He kept
repeating that to himself to put the
picture of what it meant before him.
He had started to deliver an order
without putting out his light, and No.
80 was gone-against No. 1, head
~