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

.5ttetl ou his srlu. lie walked uncop.
,eiDoIly down Ae aisle. ,,uj l dropped
/ exhausted iu,o sle front scat facing
! tt b0se, heater, it was heavenly hot:
/ r'l aot < have loved car heater ever
since. oul Baker 20 ne is hardly lower
! .h-u tAc ansels. Ny toys began 20
steam, my blood began to flow. the
/ trash boy save mc wormy apple an
/ iriSAnun with bottle OF rank whisky
/ save mc singer. and wanted 10 live
vsaln
curcd up Ia The seat. aud IN nve
I minutes was ro1stiuc-oh. such a
| heavenly roast anl dozlng Lord.
|. what "a heavenly doze-before that
/ Baker heater Al night the forward
truck beat and pounded under mo. An
! night ! woke and slept IN the steaming.
! stiuh,ng air OF the hot car And when.
/ ever 4 opened my eyes I saw always
the same thing topping tall con.
| dnctOr looming IN the aisle, his green
| hooded lamp like somaphorc under
his arm. Aid above IN the gloom n
| bush Of black beard ana pair OF deep
! set, shining eyes back under peaked
| cup. Dave often comes back as | saw
him. waking aud dreaming. that night
| In the smoker OF No. /
II was breaking day whom he bent
| over me.
Were getting into the Bend" he
| said gruhiy. Got any money for
| brcakfastT'
II haven't cent ON Gods earth"
/ lie put Ills hand in his pocket and. pull
Ing cut a hanlful Of loose bills showed
one into my hngcr5
IN take Il from you, and gladly"
said, sitting up. but I'm not a boggar
| or tramp"
ION traCkf"
Yes. I'm going To enlist" His
/ teeth dashed, That's worse than rail.
roading. au't itf" Something came
into my head Ike rocket
IF could gct started railroading'
Get started easy enough"
! That's how l happened TO show him
| my Victoria. lie gave me card 10 the
| ta.uuaster. and next day went to
\ brab,ng fOr Al.bcrs. who, by the way.
| WAS tie biggest li8r ever knew.
But the morning ! EJt into Medicine
| Bend thut hrst time ON No. ! had
! uuother scare. ! went into the lunch
! room for coffee aud sandwiches and
! threw m, bin at the boy lie opened
! ST, looked az it Und looked at me
We'll" J gIowlcd. foi was inpu.
/ dent with luck aud bot stomach
! "Gool. Hiut itf"
Smallest YOU s,tF"
! nodded as 2 had p5cketgul Ic
! lusueI abound and came back with
| hgudfr. of money } SAID nothing but
/ when Ae spread BE- oJJ before mc sat
/ p.a.yH.l } hal ju5, assumed l.t
/ Dave hoI gIynu Iuc dollar snkprs
/ dc3ucaug tle price OF t,vo clToes aud
SIX sandwiches from the BIN, couu,cI
! out $i3.3J fOr me
That change Kept mc running for q
/ month Hal after my nrst pas day
J hunted up paye 90 pay him back
found him lu the evening Tie wns go.
tins alone on the eating house p1rcl.
| his feet UP against the ral. looking al
! the mountains IN the sunset
'Ncvcr mind" he said us held ont q
twenty do,lur bin oud tried to speak
! my little piece. lie did not move exc
| ccpt 10 wave back my hand
oh, but can't let you do Tint"
protested
Put up your money. Tommic" Io
called mo Tommie.
NO" he repeated putting by my
hand, his facc set hard ana when
! Dawes face did set IL set stony Put
! up your money You don't owe ne
anything stole IT,"
Il was queer deal out on the Wclt
! End in those days II was a case Of
wide open from the river 20 The Rockies.
Everybody on the line from the di-
rcctors TO the car links. were giving tho
! company the worst of H. The section
! hands hooked the ties for the malnte-
nance. tie painters drank the alcohol
foe the shcllac the purchasing agent
had more fast horses than we had loco
motives, and what made II discourag.
Ing for the conductors the auditors stole
what little money the boys did turn IN.
! hard place 60 begin railrOadlng the
! old line was then, bat that's where |
had 10 tackle the game. aud IN all the
hard crowd ! mixed with Dave Hawk
was the only big man on the division.
There were others there who fixed the
thing up by comparing notes on their
| collections and turning IN percentages
10 make their reports look right but
Dave was not consplrator. never
made a colndant Of any man I'm bis
stealing or his spending and dcsplscd
their figuring lie did as ne plensed
and cared for no one No superior had
any terror for Dave Ic had "a wife
somewhere back east Of the river they
aaid. that bad sold him out that's why
he was in the mountains and ne lived
| among free and easy men a lonely life.
II anybody ever got close TO him /
think maybe I did, though 7 was stli
only freight conductor when the
! lightning struck the division.
II came with % clean sweep through
tho general Offices nt the river every
body iu the auditing department. the
/ executive heads down % general man
ogcr. and a whole iaft Of Eost End con
| ductor5. 70 was a shake out from top
o. bottom. and the biOOis ON our divi-
a'Ou went white md sictiy very last
Of course 70 was somebody's gain
Whom The hc1Gs of our passenger con
/ duct9rs began 10 drop they began set.
ting up freight mon Rock ly had no.
signed ycIt earlier. and IIavcuy. bis
su.co eo- era displtrac- rnd as big
lHI.. as flefc was aI t payroll.
/ lct tae MON o1, tight ava l..f with the
cole .1rl W fH1r.ng DIS own .i'u Ry
OBJ. t.mc w p1t up 90 passenger
frs.n tl. OH farc. uas pretty much
c,enr.1 out eseDpt Dave
Every day almost we looked tJ eco
him e1 Everybody loved him because
he vas master railroad m8u. and ev.
eryhojy except Dovo himsclg was no.
| prchcusivo about his future Hc moved
on just tic same. calm and cold ag
/ See water. taking the same old chances.
reckless of Everything and everybody.
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