CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1906-02-22
q the pie 7rack, Ne hung. utterly 'mis-


ator as compared with life i'll the cab
| gineer. Nellie. Was there ever a
douglmt girl who didn't? And when
| No. or No. 2 rose smoking out of the
alkali east or the alkali west and the
mogul engine checked its gray string
| of sleepers at the Junction platform.
and Bat Mullen climbed down to oil
round-as he always did-thcre We're
the liveiest kind of heels behind the
counter
Such We're the moments when Bull
head sat in the lunch room. unnoticed.
| somewhat back where the flies We're
bad and helped himself aimlessly 10 the
sizzling maple sirup. Nellie rustling
back and forth for Engineer Mullen.
who ran in for a quick cup and consult
ed after each swallow. Il dazzling open
faced gold watch thin as a double eagle.
for Bat at twenty-one WIS pulling the
fast trains and carried the best. And
with Bulhead feeding OH flannel cakes
and despair and Nellie Cassidy looking
quite her smartest. Mullen would drink
his coffee IN an impassive rush, never
even glancng Bullhcad's way-abso-
lutely ignoring Bullhead What was
he but night n. anyway? Then
Mullen would take as much ms min
ute of his running time to walk for
ward to the engine with Miss Cassidy
and stand in the lee of the drivers chat
ting with her while Bulhead went COM
pletely frantic.
1t was being ignored in that way aft
er her smiles had once been his, that
crushed the night operator. 1t filed
his head with schemes for obtaining
recognition at all hazards He began
by quarrelins violently with Nellie. and
things were coming To serious pass
around the depot when the klondike
business struck the Mountain division.
Ii came with a rush. and when they
began running through freight extras
by way of the Goose River short line.
day and night. the Junction station
caught the thick OF il. II was some
thing new altogether for the short line
rails and the short line operators. and
Bullbead's night trick. with nothing to
do but poke the fire and pop ut coyotes.
became str;iightway a busy and i'm
portant post
On certain night. windier than all
fore. the night operator sat alone in the
office facing a resolve. Goose River
had become intolerable Medicine BEND
was not To he thought OF. for Bullhead
now had n suspicion. due 10 Cailahan.
that he was n good deal OF chunp'
and he wanted to get away from the
ridicule that had always and every
where made life a burden There ap-
pearcd TO Builhead nothing Tor IL but
the klondike. On the table before the
moody operator lay his letter OF resig-
nation, addressed In due form 10 D. ..
Bucks. superintendent. Near H. under
the lamp, lay wen thunibed copy OF
the book OF rules. o.ien at the chapter
on designations, with subhcnds on
Resign. who should.
Resign. how to.
Resign. when to. tSee also fime)
The fact was II had at last painfully
forced Itself on Bullhead that i'e was
not fitted for the railroad business Fat
Francis had unfeelingly told hun 80.
Callahan had told him so: Neighbor had
told him so; Bucks had told him so. On
that point the leading West End ai-
thoritics were agreed. YET III spite OF
these disco'ir;'Sements ne hhn pers'S'eo
and az last made n snow. M" was
now that had shaken MS stubborn con
viction: Bullhead hardly dnre" con
fess.
While he reread his formal letter and
compared on spelling with his pocket
Webster. a train whistlcd. Bullhead
looked at the clock; II 40 y. m. II was
the local freight 10. coming in from