West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-07-26
.,cly novel to MISUNDERSTANDING.

had never got anything but kicks
,hi curses nnd frowns. Before Nellie's
smiles. judiciously administered, Bull
head melted like the sugar she began
10 sprinkle in his coifcc. That was
what she wanted; when he was fairly
dissolved Nellie. Ike the concc. went
gradually cold. Bullheal became mis-.
cradle. and TO her life at Goose River
was once moro endurablc
Ii was then that Bullhcad began TO
sit up MI day. after working an night.
10 get a single smile from the direction
OF the pic rack. lie hung. utterly mis-
VraDlc, around the lunch room all day,
While Nellie made impcrsonal remarks
about the colorlcSs life OF a mere opcr-
ator as compared with life In the cab
OF ten wheeler She admired the en-.
. ncos. Nellie. Was there over a
.sugiinut girl who didn'ty And when
N. or No. = rose smoking out OF the
Ulkali east or the alkall west and the
mogul engine checked Its gray string
of slcepcrs at the Junction platform,
and Bat Mullen climbed down TO oil
round-as he always did-thcre were
the livel,est kind OF heels behind the
counter.
such were the moments when Bull
head sat In the lunch room. unnoticed.
somewhat back where the lies were
had aud helped himself aimlcssly TO the
sizzling maple sirup. Nellie rustllng
back and forth for Engineer Mullen.
who ran In for quick cup and consult
ed. after each swallow. dazzling open
faced gold watch thin as double eagle.
for Bat at twCnty-onc was pulling the
fast trains and carried the best. And
with Bullhead feeding on flannel cakes
and despair and Nellie Cassidy looking
quite her smartest, Mullen would drink
his coffee I'm mn impnssive rush, never
even glancing Bullheads way-abso-
lutely ignoring Bullhcad What was
he but u nightman. anyway Then
Mullen would take as much as min
ute Of his running time 10 walk for
ward 20 the engine with Miss Cassidy
and stand In the Ice OF the drivers chat.
ting with her. while Bullhcad went com.
pletely frantic.
IL was being ignored In that way, aft
er her smiles had once been his. that
crushed the night operator. II filed
his head with schemes for obtaining
recognition at ali hazards. lie began
by qunrreling violently with Nellie. and
things were coming TO serious pass
around the depot when the KlondIke
business struck the Mountain division.
IL came with rush. and when they
began running through freight extras
by way Of the Goose River short line.
day and night, the Junction station
caught the thick OF IT, Ii was some
thing new altogether for the short line
rails and the short line operators, and
Bullhead's night trick, with nothing TO
do but poke the fire and pop nt coyotes,
became straightwny busy and i'm
portant post.
On certain night. windler than all
the November nights that had gone be-
fore, the night operator sat alone I'm the
office facing resolve. Goose River
had become intolerable. Medicine Bend
was not TO be thought OF. for Bullhead
now had suspicion, due to Callahan.
that he was good deal of q chump,
and he wanted to get away from the
ridicule that had always and every
peared TO Bullhead nothing for It but
the Klondike On the table before the
moody operator lay his letter Of resig-
nation. addressed In due form TO j. s.
Bucks. superintendent. Near II. under
the lamp. lay n well thumbed copy OF
the book of rules. open at the chapter
on reslgnations, with subheads on
Resign. who should
Resign, how to.
Resign, when TO. (See also TlmeJ
The fact was II had at last painfully
forced itself on Bullhead that he was
not fitted for the railroad business Pat
Francis had unfeellngly told him so;
Callahan had told him so: Neighbor had
told him 30; Bucks had told him so. On
that point the lending West End au-
thorities were agreed. Yet ia spite OF
these discouragements lac had persisted
and Mt last made show Who was Il
now that had shaken his stubborn con
viction? Bullhead hardly dared con
fcss.
While be reread his formal letter and
compared on spelling with his pocket
Webster. train whistlcd Bullhead
looked at Vie clock; II 40 D. m. 10 was
the local freight. %. 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 az his light, for he had or
ders for the freight II was not often
that such a thing happened. because
No 1 rnrely went or schedule badly
20 ffsN, A. fsr 10
had his orders copied and o. KID and
waited only 20 deliver them.
II was fcnrfully windy. The PCS
engine. pulling 30 that night. whcezed
in the gale Ike "A man with the apo
plexy She had now fireman on. who
was burning the NE out OF her, and
az she puned painfully down ON the
scrip rails Of the FIRST siding and took
the Y her overloaded safety gasped vio-
icntiy
when tho conductor Of the No. 30
tru'r opened the station door the wind
followed him Ike a catamount. The
stove puIcd open with down draft
ana shot tho room full Of singing
smoke. The lamp blaze few up the
chimney left the u'ghtman
ana the conductor I'm darkmc-s Tho
trniuman with a swear shove" to the
door. and Bullhead the patio. turn
e1 over his litter N resign quick
ln the dark, felt for a match md re-
lighted hls lamp. Swearing again at
Bullhcad. the freight conductor swag-
gored over 10 his table, felt I'm all the
operators pockets for cigar. tumbled
oil the papers around and once more.
on general principles. swore.
Bullhead took things accomplishing
iy. but he watched close and was de
tormlned 10 fight n the brute discover
ed his letter Of resignation When the
trninman could think OF no further 10.