Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1906-04-14

4 dcpol AT 4 o CLOCK Dlat SUNDAY even
( ing. l don't know how much sleep
Blackburn had had during the day, but
I he had been at Fred Norman's bed
most of the afternoon with Doubleday
i and Carhart, so he couldn't have had
much. About half past Maxwell sent
me over there with a note and his storm
f, coat for him, AMI the three men were
in the room then. B0ylike. 1 hung
around until Il was time for Black
! burn to take his trick. and then he and
Doubleday and walked over to the
| Wicklup together.
At shutdown everything was ship
shape. There hadn't been an engine
failure IN the district for twenty-four
hours, and every hand car was run
| ming smoothly. Moreover. there were
no extra sections marked up and only
! one special on the division card-a the
| atrical train eastbound with Henry Irv-
/ ing and company from Frisco to Chica-
/ go. The Irving special was heavy. as
1t always is. That night there were five
| baggage cars. a coach and two sleepers
/ am particular TO lay all this out Just
as the night opened when Blackburn
I took his train sheet because sometimes
I these things happen under extraorii-
/ nary pressure on the line and some
/ times they don't: sometimes they hap
pen under pressure ON the dispatcher
| himself. II was an fixed. too, for Black
, burn 10 handle not only his own trick.
| but the first two hours OF Fred's trick.
which would carry tn o'clock I'm the
morning. At 6 Maxwell was TO double
into four hour do2 watch. and Gala
han was TO sit I'm an noon.
There was noth.n- to hold the big fell
lows around the depot that night. and
/ they began stra ggiiuc homo through the
! rain about % o'ciocS Before 10 Bucks
| and Callahan had left the office. 10y Il
! Neighhor had got away from the round
| house; Doubleday bad gone back TO sit
with Fred Norman
The lights .n thc yard were low. aud
the drizzle had casol into mist: il was
| a nasty night. ana set one never prom
Used better for quiet Before midnight
i the switchmen were snug in che yard
shautics: In the Wi0kiup there were the
| night ticket agent downstairs aud the
night baggagemau Upstairs every door
was locked and evo.y room was dark
| except the disp8tcher's office In that
Blackburn sat 80 h.s key. Nearby. but
| closer 20 the stove. sat the night caller
FOR the train crews. trying 20 starch his
| hair with "a ten cent novel
The wcstbound overland passenger.
! No /. was due t0 leave Ames at 1910
a. m. and ordinarily would have met
special Ike the Irving nc Rosebud.
which Is a good h.t west OF the river.
l But No. is engine had been steaming
badly all the way from McCloud. and
on her schedule which was crazy fast
all night. she dH not make Ames tin
some fifty minute late While there
were no special s'-jors. 10 was under
I, stood We were Co help the Irving train
as much as possible anyway. Bucks
had made the acquaintance of the great
man aud his fellows on the westbound
run, and, as they had paid us the par
uculor complInCut OF return trip. we
were minded to give them tho best or
IT, even against 80 I. which was 90
ways rather sacred on the sheet This.
J say. was pretty generally understood.
for when 10 was all over there was no
criticism whatever on Blackhurn's In
tention OF making meeting point for
the two trains. as they then stood. at
o'Fallon's siding.
Between Amcs and Rosebud. twenty
miles apart. there are two sidings
O'Fallons, west of the river. and salt
Rocks. east There was no operator rae
either place The train G.at leaves
Ames wcst'1md is Zoo the open Tor
! twenty miles, with only schedule rights
or di~uatehcr's tissue between her
and the worst OF o. All O'Clock that
morning En. Sburu wired au order 10
| Ames Tor $50. 20 hold az O'Fauon for
| Special POI. s. minute later he sent an
! order Tor Special 2O2 90 run 20 O'Falon
| regardless or SO. /. At least hc thought
he sent such on order. but he didn't
| He made "a mistake
When De had liked the meeting point.
| Blackburn rose from his chair and sat
| him till, falling into a dOZe as / eyed
him drowsily. he began TO loom up IN
| his chair and 90 curl and twist toward
| the roof ike signal column. Then the
I front legs OF his chair struck the floor.
j and with start / woke just as he
! stepped huricdly back 20 his table and
| picked mp the order book
The FIRST suspicion ! had that any
thing was wrong was an exclamation
| from Blackburn as be stared at the
book. Putting il down almost at once
and holding the page open with his
left hand, he plugged Callahan's house
wire and began drumming his call.
Galatians Aye. aye" came back In
side Of a minute, and Blackburn tap
! ped right at him, Come down" And
A began 10 wonder what was up.
There was an interval; then Gala
han asked What's the matter?"
got up aud walked over 20 the wa
ter tank for "a drink. Blackburn again
pressed the key and repeated 10 Gala
han precisely the words he had used
! before. Come down"
/ His face was drawn into the very
shape Of fear, and his eyes. bent hard
on me, were looking through me and
| through the Shivering window know