Morris tribune., 1906-05-05

lantern on his arm. He walked uncon-
cernedly down the aisle, and l dropped
exhausted into the front seat facing
the Baker heater. 1t was heavenly hot
red hot / have loved car heater ever
since, and Baker to me is hardly lower
than the angels. My togs began to
steam, my blood began to flow. the
train boy gave me wormy apple. an
Irishman with bottle of rank whisky
gave me a singer, and | wanted to live
again.
l curled up in the seat, and in five
minutes l was roasting-oh, such a
heavenly roast - and doing = Lord
what heavenly doze-before that
Baker heater. All night the forward
truck beat and pounded under me. All
night woke and slept in the steaming,
sinking air of the hot car. And when
ever | opened my eyes l saw always
the same thing-a topping tall con-
ductor looming in the aisle, his green
hooded lamp like semaphore under
his arm. And above in the gloom O
bush of black beard and pair of deep
set, shining eyes back under a peaked
cap. Dave often comes back as l saw
him, waking and dreaming, that night
In the smoker of No. l.
1t was breaking day when he bent
over me.
Were getting into the Bend" he
said gruftly. Got any money for
breakfast"
81 haven't a cent on Gods earth"
He put his hand in his pocket and, pull
ing out handful Of loose bills, showed
one into my fingers.
"I'll take it from you, and gladly" l
said, sitting up. "But I'm not beggar
or a tramp"
"Off track?'
eyes. I'm going to enlist" His
teeth flashed. That's worse than rail
reading, amt it," Something came
into my head like rocket.
IF could get started railroading"-
sect started easy enough"
That's how l happened to show him
my Victoria He gave me card to the
trainmaster, and next day | went to
braking for Allbers, who, by the way
was the biggest liar ever knew.
But the morning l got into Medicine
Bend that first time ON No. l | had
another scare. | went into the lunch
room for coffee and sandwiches and
threw my bill at the boy. He opened
it, looked at it and looked at me.
''Well," l growled, for | was impu-
dent with luck and hot stomach.
"Good, amt it,"
Smallest you gotT
/ nodded as if I had a pocketful. He
hustled around and came back with a
handful of money. | said nothing, but
when he spread it out before me l sat
paralyzed. l had just assumed that
Dave had given me dollar. sinkers,
deducting the price of two coffees and
six sandwiches from the bill, counted
out $500 for me.
That change kept me running for
month, and after my first pay day
hunted up Dave to pay him back.
ting alone on the eating house porch,
his feet up against the rail, looking at
the mountains in the sunset.
Never mind" he said as held out
twenty dollar bill and tried to speak
my little piece. He did not move ex-
cept to wave back my hand.
'Oh, but l can't let you do that" l
protested.
"Put up your money, Tommie." He
called me Tommie
NO" he repeated. putting by my
hand, his face set hard = and when
Dawes face did set it set stony. "Put
up your money You don't owe me
l stole it."
1t was queer deal out on the West
End in those days. 1t was a case Of
wide open from the river to the Rockies.
Everybody on the line, from the di-
rectors to the car thinks, were giving the
company the worst of it. The section
hands hooked the ties for the mainte-
nance, the painters drank the alcohol
for the shellac, the purchasing agent
had more fast horses than we had loco
motives, and what made it discourag-
ing for the conductors the auditors stole
what little money the boys did turn in.
A hard place to begin railroading the
old line was then, but that's where |
had to tackle the game. and in 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
to make their reports look right, but
Dave was not a conspirator, never
made confidant of any man in his
stealing or his spending and despised
their figuring. He did as he pleased
and cared for no one. No superior had
any terror for Dave. He had a wife
back east Of the river they
said, that had sold him out-that's why
he was in the mountains-and he lived
among free and easy men a lonely life
If anybody ever got close to him
think maybe l did, though | was still
only freight conductor when the
lightning struck the division.
1t came with a clean sweep through