West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-07-19

I ioto The mountains. sowcthinu In ~
looked Ike fate For my part. rclt
! murIcr gu!ly.
What want YOU 10 do Dave" add.
! ci Bucks evenly. "is t1 como into tho
1 office here with mo and look after the
train crews. Just at present I've got 90
lean considerably on trnnmastcr.
DO you want the jobP"
The silcnt conductor turned 20 stone.
''Thc men who own the road arc new
men, Dave They didn't steal lt: they
bought It and paid for H. They want a
new deal, aud they propose 70 gIvc a
new deal 90 the men They will nav
salaries a man can live on honestly;
they viii give no excuse FOR knocking
down they want what's coming 60
them, and they propose the men shall
have their right share Of II IN tho pay
checks.
but there's more than that In Il.
They want TO build up the operating
force, rs fast ms II can hc built. from
the men I'm tho ranks. aim TO mako
+, start now on this division III you're
with me. hang up your coat here the
lst OF the month and take the train
crows"
Dave left the o1lcc groggy. The best
Bucks could DO he couldn't get posi-
! tive answer out OF him. He was over.
! como and couldn't focus on the proposl.
uon. Bucks snw how ne had gone 10
! pieces ana managed diplomatcaly 90
! leave the matter Open Callahan. whom
Bucks had brought with him ns MS.
slsmnt filling I'm meanwhile ns train
! mastcr
| The matter was noiscd. II was known
that Dave admittedly the hrninicst and
! most capable OF the old guard. had
been singled ont. regardless OF his past
record for promotion. "I'm not hero
sitting IN Judgment on what was done
Inst year." Bucks had said plainly.
| "Its what Is done this year ard next
that Will count I'm this Office" And the
conductors, thinking there was a
| chance, believing that mt last II they
did thclr work right they would get
their share of the promotions. began to
! carry thoE lanterns as II they had
! more important business than holding
mp stray furcs
! Meantime Dave hung to hls run
! Somehow the old run had grown a part
! ~ him. and ho couldn't rlvo 10 m
! When uc told Bucks nt the end of the
/ wo"k thnt ho would Ike another ,vcok
! make hi1 decision a.. wpcrinteul.
cW waved 10 to him Everybody began
! g. mako gc.t hiugs of Dave Somo or
! tno boys called hm uulumnstcr and
t"li hm to drop hi punch a0d give
! 1Hmni' show.
! Tie didn't take the hum0r the way
! one would eNpoct Always slou. hp
gIew move thnn thot e,mbor ana dc
/ jt,'ol We never saw n smile ON his
/ CJc' "DBVo ls on" mutorrI Henry
| t'vlunugh hIs old bagpaecmuu II
| dan't understand a. He's on You
| ought 90 talk - him. Tommlo You're
the only man on the division can do it,
! ! was ordered west that night to
! bring a military special from Wushu
! k.e. ! rode up on Dawes train. The
! hind Los Angeles sleeper WINS loaded
light. aud whom Dave had worked tho
train and walked into the statcroom
! 20 sort his collections / followed him
We sat half an hour alone ana undis-
| turbcd but he wouldn't talk. II wns "a
heavy train and the wind was high
We made Rat River after midnight,
aud ! was stllI sitting alone in the
open statcroom when / saw Dawes
! green light coming down the darkened
aisle. He walked In, put his lamp on
tie floor, sat down and threw his feet
! on the cushions
! 'IlOw's TOmmle toulghtT lac asked,
! leaning back us If he hadn't seen mo
| before In his old teasing way He
! played Hight heart sometimes, but IL
was no more than played; that was
easy seeing.
"How's DsveT He turned. pulled
the window shade and looked out.
! There was n moon. and the night was
bright, only windy.
What are you going to do with
! Bucks. DaveT
do you want my punch, TommleT
you know better than that don't
your"
Il guess So"
You're blue tonight What's the mat
tori" lie shifted and It wasn't like
him TO shift
I'm going 90 quit the West End"
"Qultf what do you mean7 You're
not going 20 throw over this trainmas-
ter offerT
I'm going 60 quit WHAT'S the user
| he went on slowly "Ifow can / take
charge Of conductors. talk 70 conduct
orsf How can ! discharge conductor
for stealing when hc knows I'm thief
b. mysclff They know g. Bucks knows
/ lt There's no place among men for n
thief"
Dave. you take II TOO hard. Every
thing ran wide open here You're the
best railroad man on this diyi8loH ev-
/ orybody. old and new. admits that"
~ ought 90 be- "a railroad man held
down % division on The Panhandle when
J was thirty years old"
Were you railroad superintendent
rt t'rtyT
II was % truinmastor at twenty
/ I'm fOriyuun now. and % thief The
woman Chat diehod mo o. dead: tho
/ man She rau away with l5 dead. my
| baby dead long 1go" Te wns look
ing ont aa % spoke 0n fh. 9y.ur desert
nohcn u f.. Moonlight Iu tH. cor tho
/ poseug. u bard arY and we
/ tearl oul 'I slew of ,re eusiunz
/ lrngo rn# .. muuoI ueat ~ nr
. heavy truck under ut
There uI av on HH that WIN
/ Keep wr. Ir1u leaving iho track
once in arI.o argued "Moras
+. none lo f.. him from nrhUuq L'4
F. trucks WHOM Goo chance s offered +
e1y r.n bound to t1 if M YOU
won't ~ Ire elo9o your pi1c..
/ and fI e. with vou This s big
country rarc Hang it Iu ~ any
wherc Hou Gre my partner aren't