The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-02-16

put out there under HALEY. were fight
ing 10 mold the Raj valley levels where
they hug the river on the west slope.
1t wasn't really Hailey's track Bucks
sent him over there because he sent
HALEY wherever the emneror sent Ney.
Sunday while HALEY was at Wild Hat
it began raining. Sunday it rained;
Monday it raincd all through the noun
tains; Tuesday it was raining from
Omaha to Eagle pass, with the Their
mometer climbing for breath and the
barometer fat as an adder-and the
Spider woke.
Woke with the April water and the
June water and the rain water all at
once Trackmen at the bridge Tuesday
night tagged No. l and reported the
river wild and sheet ice running 4
wire from Bucks brought HALEY out
brought him to reckon for the last time
with his ancient enemy.
He was against it Wednesday morn
ing with dynamite. All the day, the
night and the next day the sullen roar
of the giant powder shook the ice jams
Two days more he spent there watch
ing, with only an occasional thunder
bolt to heave and scatter the Spider
water into sudden, shivery columns of
spray: then he wired, Ice out" and
set back dragged and silent for home
and for sleep-ten hours out of two
hundred, maybe, was all he reckoned
to the good when he struck a pillow
again. Saturday night he slept, and
Sunday all day. and Sunday night.
Monday about noon Bucks sent up to
ask. but HALEY was asleep. They
asked back by the lad whether they
should wake him; Bucks sent word,
NO"
Tuesday morning the tall roadmaster
came Gown fresh as sunshine and all
day he worked with Bucks and the dis
patchers watching the line The Spider
raced like the Missouri, and the men
at the bridge sent in panic messages
every night and morning. but HALEY
lit his pipe with their alarms. That
bridge will go when the mountains
GO" was all he said.
Tuesday was his wedding date, old
Denis told Peeto. 1t was Iailey's
wooden wedding, and when he found
everybody knew they were going to
have little spread over at the cottage
Haley invited the boys up for the even
ing-iuSt little celebration, HALEY
said, and everybody he spoke to wrung
his hand ana slapped his iron shoulders
till HALEY echoed good cheer through
and through.
1t was 8 O'clock night, and every
star blinking when HALEY looked in
again at tie office for the track walk
ers' reports and the railway weather
bulletins Bucks. Callahan and Peeto
sat about Duffy, who in his shirt sleeves
threw the stuff out off the sounder as
it trickled in dot and dash, dot and
dash over the wires. The west wire
was good, but east everything below
Peace river was down. We had to get
the eastern reports around by Omaha
and the south, a good 1000 miles of a
loop, but bad news travels even round
Robin Hood loop.
And Wild Hat came first from the
west with a stationary river and the
Loup creek falling clear-good night.
And Ed Peeto struck the table heavily
and swOre it was well in the west.
Then from the east came Prairie Port
age, all the way round, with north
west rain, a rising river and anchor ice
pounding the piers badly, track in fair
shape and-and--
The wire went wrong. As Duffy knit
his eyes and tugged and cussed a little
the wind outside took up the message
and whirled bucket of rain against
the windows. But the wires wouldn't
right, and stuff that no man could get
tumbled in like a dictionary upside
down. And Bucks and Callahan and
HALEY and Peeto smoked, silent, and
listened to the deepening drum of the
rain on the roof
Then Duffy wrestled nightly yet
once more, and the long way came
word of trouble in the Omaha yards
with the river at twenty-five feet and
cutting; rising at Bismarck one foot an
hour.
Hell to pay on the Missouri, of
course" growled the foreman, staring
single eyed at the inoffensive bulletin.
"Well, she don't run our way; let her
boil"
keep STILL" exclaimed Duffy, leaning
heavily on the key. Here's something
-from-the Spider"
Only the hum of the rain and the ner-
vous break of the sounder cut the
smoke that curled from the pipes.
Duffy snatched pen and ran it across
clip, and Bucks leaning over read
aloud from his shoulder:
Omaha.
]. f. Bucks - Trainmen from No. IS
stalled west of Rapid City-track afloat in
Simpsons cut-report Spider bridge out
send
And the current broke.
Callahan's hand closed rigidly over
his pipe; Peeto sat speechless; Bucks
read again at the broken message, but
HALEY sprang like man wounded and
snatched the clip from the superin-
tendent's hand.
He stared at the running words till
they burnt his eyes, and then, with an
oath frightful as the thunder that broke
down the mountains, he dashed the clip
to the floor. His eyes snapped greenish