Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1906-06-08
Copyright, 1900, bu s. S.
McCffrc Co.


every night and morning, but HALEY
lit his pipe with their alarms. THAT
bridge will go when the mountains
CO." was all he said.
Tuesday was his wedding date, old
Denis told Peeto 1t was Hailey's
wooden wedding and when he found
everybody knew they were going TO
have little spread over at the cottage
HALEY invited the boys up for the even
ing-just little celebration, HALEY
said and everybody he spoke to wrunS
his hand and slapped his iron shoulders
till HALEY echoed good cheer through
and through. -i,t5 ftS
1t was o'clock. night. and every
star blinking when HALEY looked IN
again ut the office for the track walk
ers' reports and the railway weather
bulletins. Bucks. Callahan and Peeto
sat about Duffy. who in his shirt sleeves
threw the stuff out off the lsounderf as
1t trickled in dot and ,dash. dot ana
dash over the wires. The west wire
was good. but east everything below
Peace river was down. We had to get
the eastern reports around by Omaha
and the south. good 1000 miles Of a
Hoop. but bad news travels even round
"a Robin Hood loop. ~ ~ -
And Wild Hat came first from the
west with a stationary river and the
Loup creek falllng-clear-good night.
And Ed reeto struck the table heavily
and swore 1t was well In the west.
Then from tho east came Prairie Port
age, all the way round, with a north
west rain, a rising river and anchor ice
pounding the piers badly, track in fair
shape and-and-
The wire went wrong. AS Duffy knit
his eyes and tugged and cussed a little
the wind outside took up the message
and whirled bucket of rain against
the windows. But the wires wouldr't
right. AND stuff that no man could get
tumbledl in like a dictionary upside
down. And Bucks and Callahan and
HALEY and Peeto smoked, silent. and
listened to the deepening drum OF the
rain on the roof.
Then Duffy wrestled nightly yet
once more, and the long way came
word OF trouble in the Omaha yards
with the river at twenty-five feet and
cutting; rising at Bismarck one foot en-
hour.
Hell to pay on the Missouri. of
course" growled the foreman. staring
single eyed at the inoffensive bulletin.
"Well, she don't run our way; let her
boilv'
keep STILL" exclaimed Duffy, leaning
heavily on the key. Here's something
--from-the Spider"
Only the hum of the rain and the ner-
vous break of the sounder cut the
smoke that curled from the pipes.
Duffy snatched pen and ran 1t across
clip. and Bucks leaning over read
aloud from his shoulder:
Omaha
j. r. Bucks - Trainmen from No. rs
stalled west of Rapid City-traclS afloat in
Simpsons cut-report Spider bridge out
send
And the current broke.
Callahan's hand closed rigdly over
his pipe; Peeto sat speeches.; Bucks
read again at the broken message, but
HALEY sprang like man wounded md
snatched the clip from the superin
tendent's hand.
they burnt his eyes, and then, with ar
oath frightful as the thunder that broke
down the mountains, he dashed the cliI
to the floor. His eyes snapped greenisl
with fury, and he cursed Omaha
cursed its messages and everything
. that came out of it-slow at first, blu
I bitter, then fast and faster until al
the sting that poisoned his heart In hi
= unjust discharge poured from his lips
\ 1t flooded the room like spillinl
I stream, and no man put n word ngains
u 1t, for they knew he stood n wronge,
Q man. Out it came-all the rage, all tn
heart burning, all the bitterness-an
l. he dropped, bent into chair and COY
o cred his face with his hands; only tn
Z sounder clicking iron jargon and tn
j. thunder shaking the Wickiup like
l. reed filed the ears about him. The
+ watched him slowly knot his finger
Il and loosen them and saw his face rls
u dry and hard and old out of his hands
q Get up an engine"
10 "Not-youre not going down ther
o tonight stammered Bucks.
a "Yes; now-right Off! Peeto, get oil
W your crew"
III Tho foreman jumped for the doc
T. Bucks hesltated barely an instan
70 then, turning where he sat, cut tel
y phone plug into the roundhouse. Call
y han saw him act and, leaning forwar'
d. spoke low to Dury. The dispatche
snatching the train sheet, began Il
er stantly clearing track for a bridge Up
III cial, 'f'" ''r' l@l" or
o, in. twenty minutes twenty men wei