The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-08-05

wore rough clothes, which showed he
want afraid to work aud never thought
about how he looked
| 80 when Jim Furness saw her from
| a parlor car window enc day and threw
his baggage Off and lost his ticket lust
| through crazy idea of winning her
Lois turned him down so quick that |
didn't have chance 70 say wore,
mad as ! was. You know how Lois
is when she's stirred up like this. She
just looks and turns away, and there's
no need for her nor anybody else TO say
word.
Well with other folks that woull
have ended il, but Jim lie just turned
round and got job firing on local
engine that helped pun freight up our
side of the divide. You see. he SCENE |
to understand by instinct that Lois ana
| believed in work and didn't care for
dressed up effect. But. pshaw! You |
know how it is with Jim. Put him on /
the drtiest job going and his hands |
will stay white and soft like girls. |
and the toughest clothes ever was have
a way of hanging on him like they
were tailor made, and, as to his voice.
If you turned his engine end over ana
down the mountain when il got to the
bottom Jim's voice. If he had any left.
would be as soft and drawing as ever.
I'VE saw good deal Of Jim now, for,
with me as station agent and our liy-
ing rooms upstairs, Lois and | weie
sort Of chums with everything on the
railrond. Maybe that was what started
Jim TO getting his job SO quick and
having il so he could switch back aad
'orth in front of the station every few
lours and stay in our town over night.
Maybe be figured that Just being "a
abroad man would he sort of rec
but If so il didn't seem to help him
much. There were big. stropplng eng.
leers on the road who had done things
isked life and looked square at death
without winking. and there were con
uctors and section bosses and one 10
M superintendent and passenger
gent who liked Lois and who would :
ave been glad for her 10 have liked e
lcm. and nearly all had done things.
on see, our section right along here is y
tough piece Of road. and all the en-
loyees who have been on il 4 few years =
nd are not killed have stories TO toll :
'ow hut Lois hates personal talk
nat touches on brag. 80 il doesn't mat
r.
But. as | was saying. pretty much =
le whole road liked Lois. and Eois. =
le liked the whole road rs a whole.
II wouldn't single ont any one In par p
GUAR Aud. as for Jim. she scorned q,
I'M openly. aud he knew it, =
Now. I didn't like Jim myself 50 Of !,
'urse I couldn't feel the pity for him -,
nj ] would for anybody else But h,
'haw, If he felt il be never showed
! any signs He just came and took N,
$ scorn aud ioled and laughed anl -,
ade uS laugh and then came back for ~
ore scorn the very next time his Oh
nc pulled in. Now. 7 ask caudidly y,
hat can You do with n fellow like in
ltE TIE others laughed NJ him. and
laughed with them. Then after 4 go
iIiF Spilie 81 TIE more rough ones
hiking him soft and good naturcd and ia,
thOnt backbone went e little too FAR.
Il bis white fingers CLOSED together
g steel springs. and more tilan ole
them had To lay Of for repairs. Bu,
n didn't seem 10 hold any er7ilirce Pr
; laughed and talked 10 those who 4
atei him the worst until thcy had ed
larch AMI talk hack. and then the sal