Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-06-12

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poured on him The foolishncss couidnt
quite all Ice driven out In one round.
but jamie Lyons went TO Goose River
fairly well Informed as 10 how much
OF fool he was.
Goose River Junction Is not lively
place. IL has been claimed that even
the buzzar,ls mt Goose River Junction
play solitaire. But apart from the utter
loneliness 1t was hard 10 bod Operators
there on account OF Nellie Cassidy. a
man rarely stayed at Goose River past
the second pay check. When he got
money enough to resign lie resigned.
and all because Nellie Cassidy despised
operators.
The lunch counter that Matt Cassidy.
Nellie's father, ran at the Junction was
iust an adjunct for feeding train crews
and the few miners who wandered
down from the Glencoe spur. Matt
himself took the night turn. but days II
was Nellie who heated the Goose River
coffee and dispensed the pie-contrart
pie made at Medicine Bend and sent
by local freight classified as ammunl'
ton, loaded and released, 0. X.
It was Nellie's cruelty that made the
freouent shifts mt Goose River Not
that she was unimpressible or had no
heroes. She had plenty Of them III the
engine and the train service. 1t was the
smart uniformed young conductors anu
the kerchiefed Juvenile engineers on
the fast runs to whom Nellie paid DEF
erence and for whom she served the
preferred doughnuts.
But this was nothing to Bullhcad.
He had his head so full OF things
when he took his new position that
he failed to observe Nellie's contempt.
He was just passing out Of the prl-
vate detective. stage, just getting over
dental beginnings, just rising to the
responsibility Of the key, and month
devoted to his immediate work and the
study of the rules passed like n lim-
tied train. Previous to the coming OF
Bullhead no Goose River man had
tried study of the rules as remedy
for loneliness. 1t proved Il great
scheme, but 1t aroused the unmeasured
contempt Of Nellie Cassidy. She scorn-
ed Bullhead unspeakably, and her only
uneasiness was that he seemed uncon-
scious Of it.
However, the little Goose River girl
had no idea of letting him escape that
way. When scorn became clearly use
less she tried cajolery-she smiled on
Bullhead. Not till then did he give up;
her smile was his undoing. 1t was 80
absolutely novel to Bullhead-Bullhead,
VINO had never got anything but kicks
and curses and frowns. Before Nellie's
smiles, judiciously administered, Bull
head melted like the sugar she began
to sprinkle In his coffee. That was
| what she wanted; when he was fairly
dissolved Nellie, like the coffee, went
gradually cold. Bullhead became mis-
trable, and to her life ut Goose River
was once more endurable.
1t was then that Bullhead began to
sit up all day, after working all night,
TO get single smile from the direction
of the pie rack. He hung, utterly mis-
cradle, around the lunch room all day,
| while Nellie made impersonal remarks
about the colorless life Of Il mere oper-
ator rs compared with life in the cab
of ten wheeler. She admired the en-.
gineer. Nellie. Was there ever q
doughnut girl who didn't? And when
No. 1 or No. 2 rose smoking out of the
alkali east or the alkali west and the
mogul engine checked Its gray string
of sleepers at the Junction platform,
and Bat Mullen climbed down to oil
round-as he always did-there were
the liveliest kind Of heels behind the
counter.
Such were the moments when Bull
head sat in the lunch room. unnOticed
somewhat back where the nics were
bad and helped himself aimlcssly to the
sizzling maple sirup, Nellie rustilne
back and forth for Engineer Mullen
who ran In for a quick cup ar'l consult
ed. after each swallow, dazzlng oper
faced gold watch thin as a double cage
for Bat ut twenty-one was pulling tn'
fast trains and carried the best. And
with Bullhead feeding OH flannel cakes
and despair and Nellie Cassidy looking
quite her smartest. Mullen would drink
his coffee I'm an impassive rush, never
even glancing Bullhead's way-abso
lutely ignoring Bullhead. What wa'
| he but nightman. anyway? Thel
Mullen would take as much as n min
ute of his running time to walk for
ward to the engine with Miss Cassld.
a and stand in the lee Of the drivers chat
ting with her. while Bullhead went com
lpletely frantic.
Itwas being ignored In that way, aft
j er her smiles had once been his, tia
|, crushed the night operator. 1t hlle'
his head with schemes for obtaining