Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1906-05-12

cap Dave OFTEN comes back as l saw
him. waking aud dreaming, that night
In the smoker OF No. 1.
IL was breaking day when he bent
over me.
Were getting into the Bend" he
said gruflly. Got any money for
breakfastT'
Il haven't a cent on Gods earth"
He put his hand in his pocket and, pull
ing out a handful OF loose bills, showed
one into my fingers.
I'm take Il from you. and gladly" 1
said, sitting up. But I'm not a beggar
or a tramp"
"OG trackT'
yes. I'm going 70 enlist" His
teeth flashed. That's worse than rail-
reading. amt III" Something came
into my head like a rocket
If could get started railroading'-
Get started easy enough"
. That's how / happened 20 show him
my Victoria. He gave me a card to the
trainmaster. and next day I went 90
braking for Allbers. who. by the way,
was the biggest liar I ever knew.
But the morning I got into Medicine
Bend that first time on No. ] 1 had
another scare. went into the lunch
room for coffee and sandwiches aud
threw my bin at the boy He opened
Il, looked at it and looked at me.
well" 4 growied. for I was impu-
dent with luck and "a hot stomach
Good. amt tf'
Smallest you gotT"
/ nodded as IL ! had a pOcketful He
hustled around and came back with
handful Of money. I said nothing. but
when hc spread 10 out before me sat
| paraiyzed. I had just assumed that
! Dave had given me a dollar Sinkers.
deductiug the price OF two coTees and
six sandwiches from the bin, counted
out Sl930 for me-
That change kept me running Tor q
month. and after my first pay day /
hunted up Dave 10 pay him back I
found him in the evening He was sit
ting alone ON the eating house porch.
his feet up against the rail- looking at
the mountains in the sunset
"Nevcr mind.' he said as held out a
| twenty dollar bin and tried TO speak
my little piece he did not move ex-
| cept 90 wave back my hand
"Oh. but ! can't lct YOU DO that" I
protested
Put up your money. Tommlc" lie
called nae Tommie
NO he repeated. putting by my
hand. his face set hard - and when
Dawes face did set 70 set stony "Put
mp your money You don't owe me
anything ] stole &C."
10 was a queer deal out on the West
End boz those days IL was case OF
wide open from the river 70 the Rockies
! Everybody on the line. from the di-
rectors 20 the car links. were giving the
company the worst OF a. The section
hands hooked the Ties for the mainte-
nance, the painters drank the alcohol
for thc shcllac the purchasing agent
had more fast horses than we had loco
motives. aud what made 10 discourag
ing Tor the conductors the auditors stole
what little money the boys did turn in
A hard place 90 begin rallroading the
old line was then. but that's where /
had 20 tackle the game, and ln all the
hard crowd ] mixed with Dave Hawk
was the only big man on the division
There were Others there who Fixed the
thing up by comparing notes on their
collections and turning in percentages
10 make their reports look right. but
Dave was not a conSpIrator. never
made conhdant OF any man ln bis
stealing or his spending and despised
their figuring lie did as he pleased
and cared for no one No superior had
any terror for Dave. lie had a wife
II flrr|I.
said. that had sold him out-that's why
/ he was ln the mountains and he lived
among free and easy men lonely life
II anybody ever got close 10 him !
think maybe { did, though I was still
| only a freight conductor when the
| lightning struck the division
10 came with clean sweep through
the general offices az the river-every
body in the auditing department. the
executive heads down 90 general man
ager, and a whole raft OF East End con-
| ductors It was a shake-out from top
90 bottom. and the bloods on our divl-
sion went white and sickly very fast
OF course 10 was somebody's gain
When the heads OF our passenger con.
ductors began 10 drop they began set
! ting mp freight men. Rocksby had re-
signed q year earlier. and HaVerly. bis
successor. AN cx-dispatcher and as big
a knave as there was on the payroll.
let the men out right and left with the
| sole idea OF saving his own scalp BY
the time ! was put up 10 passenger
train the Old force was pretty much
l cleared out except Dave
| Every day almost we looked 10 see
/ him go Everybody loved him because
he was a master railroad man. and ev-
| erybody except Dave himself was APP
I prehensive about his future He moved
/ on just the same. calm and cold as
I Ice water. taking the same old chances.
| reckless OF everything and everybody
| l never knew TN afterward but the
truth was Haverly, with all his blum
talk. was just enough afraid Of Dave
Hawk 10 want TO let him alone. The
matter, though, focused one day up in
| the Old Office in an unexpected way.
/ Haverly's own seat got so hot that
bedevied by his fears OF losing IL and