The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-05-05

Very able men have given their lives
to the study of Monsoon e headlight,
vet science, after no end of invest1ga-
ton, stands in its presence bamed.
The source of its illumination IS be-
lieved to be understood. I say believed,
because in a day when yesterday pc
fiefs are tomorrowfs decisions l COM
nit myself personally to no theory
Whether it is thing llVlng or DEAD
whether maIign to mackerel or potent
in its influence on imperfectly under
stood atmospheric phenomena 90
NOT know. I doubt whether anybody
knows except maybe Monsoon himself
1 know only that on the " est Emo
Monsoon's headlight from every point
of view stands high and that on one
occasion it stood between Abe Monsoon
and frightful catastrophe
There have been of late studied Ell
forts to introduce electric headlights
on the Mountain division. But there
are grizzled men in the cab VINO LOOK
with dissatisfaction, it is true, yet dis
tr1lst-On the claims put forth for
them. While Monsoon's headlight does
its work=as it has done even long be
fore Monsoon followed II to the West
End and will do long after he leaves
the West End-why, they say, and rea-
sonably enough. take on new ana the
oretical substitutes?
While the discussion deepens and
even RACES in the Wicklup, monsoon
himself is silent. Brave men are mod
use adjectives. Where Monsoon is
known it is not necessary to put any
thing ahead of his name, except maybe
once a month on the payroll, When the
crcsseyed accountant adds A or ape
or Abra ham. just as he happens to De
fixed for time MOnsOOn's name IN It.
self stands for great deal. When his
brother engineers, men VINO nave
grown seamy and weatherbeaten IN
the service put up their voices for
NTnVcror,sc headlight when talkaJlEe
storekeepers, who servllely Jump at
HEADQUARTERS experiments in order to
court the favor of the high. speak Tor
electricitv Abe Monsoon himself is 81
lent. His light is there; let them take
it or leave it, as they Will. II the SUI
perintendent of motive power should
attempt to throw It out for the new
tangled arrangement Monsoon would
doubtless feel that it was not the first
time Omaha had gone wrong, and. for
that matter, neither he nor anybody
else had assurance it would be the last.
However,
The story opens on Bob Duffy Bob
right from the start was what call a
good locker, and. being the Oldest boy,
he had more of the swing anyway
When Martin came along his mother
hadn't got over thinking about Bob
Doubtless she thought, too, of Martin,
but he was kind of overshadowed. Bob
began by clerking in the postOffice and
delivering mail to all the pretty girls
His sympathy for the girls was SO
great that after awhile he began pass
ing out letters to them whether they
were addressed to the girls or to some
body else. This gradually weakened
his influence with the government
Martin began work in the telegraph
Office He really learned the whole
thing right there at the Bend under
Callahan. Began carrying Western
Unions stuck at his waist under
heavy leather belt He wore in those
DAYS. when he had real responsibility,
a formidable brown soft hat that APP
reared bent on swallowing his ears. It
was about the time he was rising
trousers and eleven. Nobody but Sink
ers ever beat Martin Duffy delivering
messages, and nobody, bar none-Bull-
head, McTerza, anybody-eyer beat
him eating pie. 1t was by eating pie
that he was able to wear the belt SO
/ long, and you may take that either
way. But I speak gladly of the pie, pc
/ cause in the usual course of events
! there is, by very large odds more anx-
| iety than pie, and I introduce the pie
not to give weight to the incidents
/ that follow, but rather to tighten them,
| though as Duffy has more recently
/ admitted this was not always the ef-
feet of the pie itself.
I do not believe that Martin Duffy
ever had an enemy. A right tight little
/ chap he was, with always a good word,
even under no end of pressure on the
single track. There's many a strug-
Cling trainman that viii look quick and
/ grateful when any fellow far or near
] speaks a word about Martin Duffy
/ Fast he climbed. His head never swell
/ ed. His hats rested, even after he got
/ a key, same as the original one, right
on the wings of his ears. But his heart
/ grew right along after his head stop
ped, and that's where he laid over some
other railroad men 1 could mention
if had to, which I don't-not here
About the time it looked as If Mar
/ tin would make a go of 1t on the road
I the Dostofffce inspectors were think
ing Bob would make go of 1t over the
road But he was such a kid of a fell
! low that the postmaster convinced the
| detectives BOb's way of doing things
was simple foolishness. which it prob
1 ably was and they merely sWore him
! out of the service.
It was then that Martin reached out
a hand to his elder brother. There
4 were really just the two brothers, and
/ back of them-as there is somewhere
! back of every railroad mana mother.
/ No father-nOt generally; just moth
er. a quiet, somber little woman in
a shawl and a bonnet of no special
/ shape or size@just shawl and bon
net. that's all. Anyhow, the Duffy
boys mother was that way, and there
/ a lot more like her. I don't know
| what gets the fathers Maybe very
often the scrap. But there's almost al
/ ways somewhere a mother So after
Martin began to make a record, to help
his mother and his brother both, he
spoke for Bob. Callahan didn't hest
tate or jolly him. as he used to do with
| a good many. He thought the com
/ pany could not have too many of the
Duffy kind. So he said, yes, sure.
And Bob Duffy was put at worlS-same
thing exactly. carrying messages. read
Ing hair destroyers and blowing his
salary on pie.
But pie acts queer Sometimes ii
makes a mans head solid and his
heart big. and again it makes a mans
head big and his heart solid. I'm no
saying anything more now. except thai
pie certainly acts different
Bob Duffy was taller than Martin
and I would repeat, handsomer, but
can't because Martin had absolutely
no basis of beauty to start with. He