Morris tribune., 1906-05-05

word. His eyes went out the window
into the mountains; something in it
looked like fate For my part, / felt
murder guilty.
What | want you to do, Dave" add
ed Bucks evenly, lis to come into the
Office here with me and look after the
train crews. Just at present I've got to
lean considerably on a trainmaster.
Do you want the job?"
The silent conductor turned to stone.
''The men who own the road are new
men, Dave. They didn't steal it; they
bought it and paid for it, They want a
new deal, and they propose to give a
new deal to the men. They will pay
salaries man can live on honestly;
they will give no excuse for knocking
down; they want what's coming to
them, and they propose the men shall
have their right share of it in the pay
checks.
But there's more than that in it.
They want to build up the operating
force, as fast as it can be built, from
the men in the ranks. I aim to make
a start now on this division. If you're
with me, hang up your coat here the
LIST Of the month and take the train
crews
Dave left the Office groggy. The best
Bucks could do he couldn't get posi-
tive answer out Of him. He was over
come and couldn't focus on the PROPOSE
ton. Bucks saw how he had gone to
pieces and managed automatically to
leave the matter open, Callahan, whom
Bucks had brought with him as as
sistant, filing in meanwhile as train
master.
The matter was noised. It was known
that Dave. admittedly the brainiest and
most capable of the old guard, had
been singled out, regardless of his past
record, for promotion. I'm not here
sitting in judgment on what was done
last year" Bucks had said plainly.
''It's what is done this year and next
that will count in this Office And the
conductors, thinking there was
chance, believing that at last if they
did their work right they would get
their share Of the promotions, began to
carry their lanterns as if they had
more important business than holding
up stray fares.
Meantime Dave hung to his run.
Somehow the old run had grown a part
of him, and he couldn't give it up
When he told Bucks at the end Of the
week that he would like another week
to make his decision the superintend-
ent waved it to him. Everybody began
to make great things of Dave. Some of
the boys called him trainmaster and
told him to drop his punch and give
Tommie a show.
He didn't take the humor the way
one would expect. Always silent he
grew more than that-somber and de-
jected. We never saw a smile on his
face. "Dave is off," muttered Henry
Cavanaugh his old bagga geman Il
don't understand it. He's off. You
ought to talk to him, Tommie. You're
the only man on the division can do it.
was ordered west that night to
bring a military special from Washa-
kie l rode up on Dawes train. The
hind Los Angeles sleeper was loaded
light, and when Dave had worked the
train and walked into the stateroom
to sort his collections l followed him.
We sat half an hour alone and undis-
turbed, but he wouldn't talk. 1t was
heavy train and the wind was high.
We made Rat River after midnight,
and l was still sitting alone in the
open stateroom when | saw Dawes
green light coming down the darkened
aisle He walked in, put his lamp on
the floor, sat down and threw his feet
on the cushions.
'How's Tommie tonight" he asked,
leaning back as if he hadn't seen me
before, in his old teasing way. He
played light heart sometimes, but it
was no more than played; that was
easy seeing.
''How's Davew He turned, pulled
the window shade and looked out
There was a moon, and the night was
bright, only windy.
"What are you going to do with
Bucks, Dave?"
do you want my punch, Tommie?'
"You know better than that, don't
your
81 guess So"
you're blue tonight. What's the mat
ter?" He shifted, and it wasn't like
him to shift
''I'm going to quit the West End
"Quit? What do you mean? You're
not going to throw over this trainmas-
ter offer?'
I'm going to quit. What's the use?''
he went ON slowly. ''How can I take
charge of conductors, talk to conduct
ors? How can discharge conductor
for stealing when he knows I'm a thief
myself? They know 1t; Bucks knows
It, There's no place among men for
thief
"Dave, you take it too hard. Every
thing ran wide open here You're the 4
best railroad man on this division; ev-
erybody, old and new, admits that
II ought to be railroad man. held
down division on the Panhandle when
/ was thirty years DID,
ssXVpre Won a railroad sI1norintondo,,t