The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-11
A. M. ALLEN IN ARGoNAUT.

Jack pulled out the smoking bar,
tossed it on the tender, and stood in the
gangway cooling his burning face in
the breeze The 42S-high-bred and
speedy which, with the more cumDrOuS
80, was TO take No. 1 out of town-Was
fmpatiently kissing and sizzling while
her fireman touched up her brass mere
and there Beyond her, far down the
track, the headlight of No. glim-
mered through the cottOnwOOdS ring
ing the Rattlesnake. Family Mona
ghan's whistle reached his ears. blow
ing for a crossing, the last one on the
run.
While Jack was leaning there getting
his breath. Barney had worked around
to the left hand, and paused, torch IN
hand. and read a note, while two young
women and a man stood at his elbow.
The fireman looked down just as the
engineer grumbied:
IF the old man says so it goes, l
s'pose Get up there on the left-hand
side and don't fall out of the WIN
dow
Raising his voice. he called up to
Jack: Get your oil cans out OF the
day, so these folks won't get grease on
their clothes. They're going to ride
over the hill with us"
1t had been a little over two years
since Jack had parted with Kitty Far
ley-the dainty telegraph operator OF
the uptown office-in a foolish tiff, and
had left the city and county and state
without saying the word which would
have mended their difference.
Now here she was
The same Kitty he had loved so well
the slender, graceful figure, the soft
golden hair piled fuffily, the blue eyes
with long lasheS that served the merry
glances in their game of hide-and-seek
not five feet from him, and he gazed,
safely if hungrily, as she stepped
lightly to the engine deck. To be sure,
Dick Summers and Belle Leonard were
with her, but Belle was her dearest
friend. and Dick was Bellies shadow.
They made no difference and didn't
count, except to show that Jacks old
place in the quaTtette had not been
flied That thought gave him a glow
of hope but altogether it was an eX-
asperating state of affairs for the sooty
lover, and darkness seemed his best
friend
Once. or twice he thought that recOg-
milton was at hand, but No. pulled in
Ito save him. Passengers getting on
and off; the loading and unloading OF
baggage and express matter; changing
of engines and testing the atr-all
served to turn the triO's attention to
the station platform and away from
Jack. When at last Barney anu lag
gett came back from the dispatcher's
office with their orders, and the lights
flashed "AII aboard!" down the length
of the train, his sigh of relief answered
the low whistles of the engines.
As the first chugsi of the exhaust
sucked up the. flames, he pulled open
the fire door and dropped scoopful after
schoopful of coal where the white glare
shone. fiercest,s then stepped into the
gangway to watch the black smoke roll
from the stack.
Barney had notched her up, and the
Swallowing coughs quickened into an
uninterrupted roar. The town with its
lights dropped behind, and only an oc-
casional ranch house shone like stray
FREELY through the night Not star
was in sight in the overcast sky.
In the darkness of the cab, within
reach of his arm, was Kitty. What
would she say, or do. or think, If she
knew that he was standing there?
The black smoke changed to brown.
the brown thinned to white, and once
more the door was pulled open with a
clang, and the cloud from the stack
glowed with the light Of the furnace as
it rolled out inky black again. Back