Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-29


Now that he has proposed that you visit him
tomorrow at Des Cartes, you will have no
hesitation in doing So
"Of course | will not; but / wonder what
he means to offer me in the way OF work?
at is hard to guess what it will be, l pre-
sumo he will give you something IN his othce
or it may be he viii make you brakeman on
the cars.
"If | had my choice 1 would take neither
of them"
"Why not?"
81 am so used to being outdoors that it
would be hard for me to be confined IN the
close air of room, and a brakeman llte Is
of no account as it seems to me. :,
"But | have read that many OF the leading
railroad men began there. If am not mis-
taken, Mr. Dunbar himself was brakeman
six wears ago. on the Midland Central.
"Weil, / viii be glad enough to take what
ever he offers, but l would prefer to go on
the locomotive. 1t seems to me that the man
who guides the engine is to be envied.
"But it is very dangerous said the mother'
with n slight shudder.
mo more than all the positions on the
train The engineer has as good chance us
any one when an accident happens ,s
al suppose, after all, that when , those dEeau, t
full mishaps take place there rs ntt,e eIS,ee n,,
of position; but it is not likely that Mr. Dun
bar will have ready the precise situation you
want, and you may he Obliged to accept some
thing of which you haven't even thought
'And l will lose no time in taking II, you
NAV be sure of that" said Jarvis, who shortly
after kissed his mother goodnight and went
TO bed to dream about locomotives, trestle-
works, draw bridges, cows on the TRACK Noo
frey Dunbars and all that sort OF thing
dts funny said he TO himself, after wax
ING I'M from scene in which he had grasped
the pilot of an engine and thrown 1T and me
whole train across a gilly from which the
trestle- work had been washed away, but
mother knows all about my cutting the ears
( Al har md
of it. / suppose she couldn't do justice TO
her feelings | wish she had little more
spunk, and would tell me to punch the boys
when they don't act right For all that, shes
the best mother in the world. =,
His slumber was again disturbed by the odd
fancies which ran riot in his BRAIN; but ne
bounded out of bed, wide awake and In hnc
spirits, long before the sun was above the
kettle put on while he busted himself with
his outdoor chores The morning was CRISP
and inyigorating, and he worked with overflow
When he returned to the house. the room
was aglow from the roaring fire, the tea-ket-
tie was boiling the snowy linen covered the
table in the middle of the room, and his
mother. bright and cheerful, was preparing
breakfast Dollie was not yet awake.
Before the meal was finished, however, the
natter of chubby feet sounded overhead, and
the little one could be heard busyng herself
about the room, getting ready to join the 9th
ers. She had been taught, young as she was;
to undress and dress herself without help, and
never to appear below stairs until tully attlreu
and ready for breakfast.
Her little fingers seemed to inherit her
mothers deftness, and she bestlrred herself
with such industry that very speedily she
burst upon their vision like whole bundle OF
| her chair and made the interesting announce
ment that she never was 30 hungry IN all
her life.
| She knew nothing of the events of the pre-
vious night, and it was not thought best to
tell her. She babe Jarvis goodby, as she
always did when he started for school, sup
posing the usual program would be followed.
"Mr. Dunbar said in his letter that he
thought the first train would pass over the
| trestlework about noon; SO I'm likely to
have plenty Of spare time on my hands. ''
| Jarvis first thought was TO spend the fore
noon at school, and then to walk to Merton,
but he was in that restless state that he knew
inattention; so, before going westward, he
turned to the east and followed the same route
that he did the previous evening. He wanted
to see how the broken trestle-work looked by
daylight.
Iplanted between the rails, and saw, before
reaching the spot, that fully score of men
were there, toiling like beavers, Two hand
ears stood on the track; they had been used
to bring the tools and dinnerpails of those
who were WEI we working with might and main Inr un-
lder the direction of the "boss."
This person, as usual, gave his orders in q
loud voice, and accompanied them with more
vigorous language than was necessary. He
IN and seemed on the point of shouting
some command to him, but did not.
By-and-by other of the neighbors gathered
around, and in the course OF an hour fully q
dozen were standing on :. the bank watching
aaaued In feel more interest in the DFocaed