The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-04-28
BY
FRANK Fl.
SPEAR MN


with his umbiIcals and asked Neigh
Dor what man with the smallpox
ought to do with it. Nelghbor
wouldn't run, not even from the small
box. but he told Delaroo what 1t
! meant to get the smallpox started IN
the roundhouse. and Delaroo wan
/ dered quietly away from the depot
grounds a pretty sick man then, stag
gered up the yards and crawled IN
side a box car to die without emoar-
RAISING anybody.
BY some hook or crook. nobody to
this day knows how. that car was
switched on to Maze Simpsons train
when It was made up that day for the
vest. Maybe 1t was done as TICK
to scare the Windbag engineer If so,
the idea was successful When the
hind end brakeman al the second stop
came forward and reported a tramp
with the smallpox in the empty box
car Maze was angry, but his curiosity
gradually got the upper hand. This
man might be by some distant chance,
he reflected P. Q. W. of a, or a
frater, or a fellow, or knight or
something like, and when they stopped
again to throw off crackers and beer
and catchup Maze went back and en-
/ tered the infected car like a lion tanner
to try lodge signals and things on him.
MAZE advanced and gave the counter
sign. It was not cordially received.
He tried another and another and an
other; his passes were lost in the air.
The smallpox man appeared totally
unable to come back at MAZE with
anything. He was not only deltrious,s
but by this time so frightfully broken
out that Maze couldn't have touched
sound spot with a Masonic signal OF
distress. Finally the venturesome en-
gineer walked closer into the dark
corner where the sick man lay-and,
by heaven. it was the Indian wiper
Delarooi
zzrta, NTa4a eCnoDgou cot har4~ into
the cab he could not speak-at least
not for publication. He was tearing
mad and sputtered like 8 safety. He
gathered up his cushion and water
bottle and a bottle that would explode
if water touched it and crawled with
his plumber into the box car. He
Strengthened Delaroo UP and out and
gave him a drink and by way OF sani-
tary precaution took one personally,
for he himself had never had the
smallpox-but once. When he had
done this little for Delaroo he finished
his run and came back to the Bend
hauling his pest house box car. The
fireman quit the cab imme diately after
Maze exposed himself. The conductor
communicated with him only by Sig
nails. The Anderson operator wired
ahead that MAZE Sampson was bring
ing back a man with smallpox on 80,
and when MAZE, bulging out of the 264
cab pulled into the division yard no
body would come within mile Of him.
He set out the box car below the stock
pens cross lots from his house UP on
the hill. and. not being able to get ad-
vice from anybody else, went home TO
consult Martie.
Though there were a great many
women In Medicine Bend, MAZE Samp-
son looked to but one, Marte, the lit
tie washed out woman up at Samp-
on's-Wife, mother, nurse, cook, slave
i=Martie.
No particular color hair; no particu-
lar color eyes; no particular color
gown; no particular cut to 1t. A plain
bit of a woman, mother to six boys,
large and small, and wife OF a great
big windbag engineer-big as three of
her by actual measurement. BY the
time Maze had taken counsel and
walked downtown prominent business
men were Tending off his approach
with shotguns. The city marshal from
behind a bomb proof asked what he
was going to do with his patient and
Maze retorted he was going to take
him home. He wasn't a NJ. r. ". of
7. nor a P. S. G. of W. E. but he was
a roundhouse man, and between MAZE
and a railroad man, wiper even,
there was a bond stronger than grip
or password or jolly business of any
kind. The other things MAZE, without
realizing it, merely played at, but as
was the right sort he could borrow
anything the big fellow had-money,
plug tobacco, pipe. water bottle, strong
bottle=it made no odds what. And,
on the other hand, MAZE wouldn't hest
tate TO borrow any or all of these
things in return. The railroad man
who got ahead Of MAZE Sampson in
this respect had claims to be consid-
cred a past grand in the business.
The doughty engineer lifted and
dragged and hauled Delaroo home
with him. If there was no hospital.
Martie had said, no pest house. no
nothing, just bring him home They
had all had the smallpox up at Samp-
had said lately the baby appeared to
need something. They had really ev-
i erything UP at SIMPSONS sooner or
/ later-measles, dipththeria, Group,
/ everything on earth except money And
/ Martie Sampson, with the washing
and mending and scrubbing and cook
4 ing, nursed the outcast wiper through
his smallpox. The baby took 1t, Of
course, and Martie nursed the baby
through and went on Just the same as
/ before-Washing. mending, cooking.
| scrubbing. Delaroo when he got we'll
went to firing; Neighbor offered the
4 job as kind Of consolation prize, and
he went to firing on the 264 for Maze
/ Sampson.
/ 1t was then that MAZE took Delaroo
/ fairly in hand and showed him the
unspeakable folly of trying to get
1 through the world without the com
radeship and benefits of the B. S. LIS
Of U. and the fraters of the order of
the double barreled star of Macduff
Delaroo caught a good deal of it on
the sidIngs. where they lay most Of
their time dodsine first class trains,
and evenings when they got in from
their runs, Delaroo, having nowhere
else to go, used to wander after sun
1 per up to SIMPSONS. At Sampson s
he would sit in the shade of the lamp
and smoke while MAZE, in his shirt
sleeves, held forth on the benevolent
orders and one boy crawied through
the bowels of the organ and another
pulled off the tablecloth, Delaroo al
ways saving the lamp. and a third
harassed the dog and a fourth stuck
pins in a ffth-and Martie, sitting on
the dim side of the shade. so the op-
GRAFTON would not appear too glaring,
f.~,epdad Of Ma fas,s ~ ~ -, ,r&S, t~o,-