Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-06-19

BQt MuttGH SuuuCftB SeuCh "so eS"sP wv
of the tDtnd0to.
headed for Sackley. While It was all
going on Bullhead lay on the wind
swept platform at Goose River with q
hole In his head that would have killed
anybody OH the West End or. for that
matter, ON earth except James Giles
pie Blaine Lyons.
After No. 80 had passed so impudent-
" No. 1 felt hor way rather cautiously
to Goose River, because the dispatchers
couldn't get the blamed station. They
decided, of course, that Bullhead was
asleep and fixed everything at the
Wickiup to send a new man up there
on No. 3 in the morning and fire him
for good.
But about ] o'clock No. rolled, bad
tempered, into Goose River Junction,
and Bat Mullen, stopping his train,
strobe angrily to the station. 1t was
dark as a pocket inside. Bat smashed
In q door with his heel, and the train
men swarmed in and began looking
with their lanterns for the nightman.
The stove was red hot, but he was not
asleep in the armchair nor mapping un-
der the counter on the supplies. They
turned to his table and discovered the
broken window and thought Of hold
ND. They saw where the nightman had
spilled something that looked like Ink
over the table. over the order book,
over the clip, and there was a hand
print that looked inky on an open letter
addressed to the superintendent and a
little pool Of something like ink under
the key.
Somebody said suicide, but Bat Null
len suddenly stuck his lamp out of the
broken window. put his head through
after It and cried out. Setting his lam
tern down OH the platform, he crawled
through the broken sash and picked up
Bullhead.
Next morning It was all over the
West End.
"And BulIheadw cried everybody.
"That's what gets me. Who'd have
thought 1t Of Bullhead%
When they all got up there and saw
what Bullhead had done everybody
agreed that nobody but Bullhead could
have done 1t.
The pilot bar Of the short line mo-
gul In swiping Bullhead unmercifully
had really made railroad man OF
him. 1t had let great light IN on
the situation. Whereas before every
one else on the line had been to blame
for his failures, Bullhead now saw that
he himself had been to blame and was
man enough to stand up and say so.
When the big fellows, Callahan and
Kenyon and Pat Francs, saw bis trail
next morning, saw the blood smeared
over the table and saw Bullhead's let
ter Of resignation signed In bis own
blood manual, and heard his straight
out story days afterward,' they said
never word.
But that morning, the morning after
Callahan picked up the letter and put
It lust as It was between the leaves OF
the order book and locked both IN hia
grip. It was some weeks before he
had a talk with Bullhead. and he spoke
then only few words, because the
nightman tainted before he got
through. Callahan made him under
stand. though. that as soon as he was
able he could have any key ON that di'
vision he wanted as long IS he was
running II, and Callahan Is running
that division yet.
It all came easy after he got well
Instead Of getting the worst Of 1t from
everybody Bullhead began to get the
best Of 1t, even from pretty Nellie Cas-
sidy. But Nellie had missed her open
ing. She tried tenderness while the boy
was being nursed At the Junction. Bull
head looked grim and far on through