The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-10-12
TIE EVENING STOR r
Another Glrl in the case.
(By otno B. senga.l

interest the small drivers and cylinders
of his engine.
Not a Pegasus. evidently remarked
one
mo. nor yet a Hebe." laughed the
other
IF you two NUTS are kicking
against Old IS. you'd better cut it out,
interposed the fireman angrily.
I'VE meant no disrespect.' answered
the older of the two. courteously, ''o'ir
attention was attracted because we'd
never seen one like it before
1.-The old girl is no beaut," continued
the fireman, softening somewhat, but
she jumped from here to Boston at
nile-a-minute clip one day last month
That's a mighty good record-we felt
there must be something remarkable
about her, returned one, appeasingly.
IF you've got a story-and I'm sure
you have. come down ana give it to
u.s., urged the other, smiling winning
ly.
She was warm baby in her day."
began the mollihed fireman, but she's
shed her cow-knocker. and for a good
many years she's been doing nothing
better than poking box-cars and fats
around here in the yard. But she got
I a14--@-~N-
over the rails in great shapeY
Something special, I suppose" en-
couraged the older man, passing his
cigar case.
Something specialr Well, should
say" emphasized the fireman, I'VE was
the special. Three Of us-and Old 49,
He rounded his lips, and allowed the
cigar smoke to escape in long, Vapor-
Gus cylinder.
1T was Sunday afternoon reminis-
] - p,-If- 1ly han
q young teller jumped off the trolley Up
there" indicating the street where the
trolley cars ran to Andover, and came
slamming down into the station, as req
/ in the face as If he had buttoneo nest
of hornets in with his vest. He bumped
into old Buster-that's the station agent,
and howled for q special
ssBuster told him he want running
specials as a side line. and there wan
nothing about the yard anyway. but Old
IS, and an old shifter Ike that was
| hardly the thing for special
ssWeH, the young Teller talked all
/ kinds Of languages, and showed al
/ Kinds OF money. He wanted to go TO
New Haven. He'd got telegram. but
4 If didn't reach him until after two
o'clock and he'd got to be in Boston in
to catch the four p. m snort me
express from the South station There
was no connections, any way, from
here. and the special he must have: II
seems ne WAS d SLuQElAL at ~AAO = ------F~
academy in AndoverZand a rafting
! good feller, he was too
/ listeners. and puffed his cigar ENJOY
| paused to whet the interest OF ms
listeners, and pulled his cigar enJay-
s:I'u bet there's girl at the other
end of the lineis cried the man who
was looking for stories -
ssOr q fortune - hazarded the otner-
The fireman grinned at both impair
tally.
saThe young feller's name was Hart
and he had a mighty convincin' tongue
hin him, and the way he slung ms argyr
ruents at old Buster showed ne knew
the way to a mans inside near as
rooed in Engineer Dan Dufry, 100 ana
Dan said old 1S would 90 the 1rfck II
he could have the road.
l. "Old Buster kept the key tapping,
and Conductor Tom Collins picked OUT
| che sshortend' for the train. Ihen
Ruster got the word back from Boston
! All right Give you the road, ana
in lust tvventy-three minutes from, the
| time young Hart had blew IN Win ~
roll and his convincin' eloquences DufIy
fhrowed the throttle wide open, and
the old hooker dashed down the line
as if she'd been on her trial trip
| TANNED her with pine knots soaked
in karesene, and Duffy never took ms
eyes off the rails.
no big engine passed US that Duty
didn't get hand from the CAP mar
was game-we couldn't go too 1ast Aoa
him. and at easy stretches we mus
| have struck q mile a minute II was
lust 2:45 to a dot when we plunged
into the long train house at the nortn
station. Old Is snorting and humping
like she understood she was special
''All the way from Reading 5 70 Bes-
ton in lust 5 minutes and 80 seconds,
and we reckon the run at just about
thirteen miles! could almost see old
IS winl5ing her weather eye at soms
OF them big six-wheelers; ana the KIND
Of a you've-did-w elI-Sissy air that they
seemed to have as they looked down
at her was enough to make man
Iaugh.-a man who can see them
things, you know"
The fireman paused and annoosiy
regarded his dead cigar
young Hart made his train, OF
course ?" - r,
Jumped over to the other station on
the IT, and we let old 1S cool on q
little and then she hitched back to
Beading. But I've kinder noticed g
new pitch to her whistle ever since
and I reckon the old girl knows she
done a big thing that day,
Light up again." urged the seeker
after stories handing the cigar-case
ssthat isn't all?" suggestively.
mo; about two weeks after that
Young Hart run over from Andovel
one day, ana give Ouc u t1RCAC c4S
things to old Buster one to Tom Col
Tins. one to Dan Duffy, and one to me
and mine" triumphantly. SIS as big {
Jim Dandy as the others-they're al
! Just alike!"
He took a small velvet case from hi
pocket. handling It gingerly with hi
grimy fingers.
one of his companions took It ant
: pressed the spring, disclosing a small
scarfpin--a knot of gold with 8 tin!
diamond point.
ssThat ere little stones a real dia
2 mond." said the fireman. proudly, IN
: GROUND glass about thatl wear !
: when I dress up and go some places
, ssIt's all right-a fine thing" adnirel
{ his new friends.
srvveu, goodbye-them's good cigars
see you again sometime, maybe" drop