Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-06-26


or dead, whether malign to mackcrel
or potent in its influence OH imperfect
ly understood atmospheric phenomena,
I do not know. / doubt whether any
body knows, except maybe Monsoon
himself. know only that on the West
End Monsoon's headlight from every
point of view stands. high, and that on
one occasion it stood between Abe Mon
soon and frightful catastrophe.
There have been Of late studied ef-
forts to Introduce electric headlights
on the Mountain division. But there
are griZzled men in the cab who look
with distrust-silcnt. it Is true, yet dis
trust-On the claims put forth for
them. While IonsoOn's headlight Goes
its work-as it has done even lon: be-
fore Monsoon followed it TO the West
End and will do long after he leaves
the West End-why, they say. and fea'
sonably enough. take on new and The
oretical substitutes?
While the discussion dccpcils an!
even RACES in the Wickiup, Monsoon
himself Is silent. Brave men are mod
est men. Among ourselves we don't
use adjcctivcs. Where Monsoon is
known it is not necessary to put any
thing ahead Of his name, except m"TDe
once month on TIE payroll. VIE! iA'
crosseyed accountant adds y. G" .'.'
or Abraham. just as he happens 10 be
fixed for time. MonsoOn's name in IL
self stands for great deal. When his
brother engineers, men WHO Lave
grown seamy and weatherbeatcn III
the service. put up their voices f3I
Monsoon's headlight, or when ta!Ia;iyt
storekeepers. who seryilcly jump at
Headquarters experiments In o"acr to
court the favor of the high. speak for
electricity. Abe Monsoon h.:ir"f is 81
lent His light Is there: let them take
1t or leave it, as they will. If the ~.
perintendent Of motive power should
attempt to throw it out for the new
tangled arrangement MoasCon would
doubtless feel that 1t was not the fist
time Omahn had gone wrong. and. foR
that matter, neither he nor anybody
else had assurance it would be the l"S;'
However,
The story opens Oh Bob Duffy. Bol
right from the start was what l call /;
good locker, and. being the oldest boy
..s Ina
When Martin came along his motheI
hadn't got over thinking about Boo
Doubtless she thought, too, OF Martin
but he was kind OF overshadowed. Boi
began by clerking in the poStoilicc an'
delivering mail to all the pretty girls
His sympathy for the girls was 81
great that after awhile he began pass
ing out letters to them whether the!
were addressed to the girls or To some
body else. This gradually weakened III
influence with the government.
Martin began work in the telegraph
office. He really learned the whole thliIi
right there ut the Bend under ta!lahalI
Began carrying Western Unions stucl
at his waist under heavy leather bell
He wore I'm those days. when he hat
real responsibility, formidable brow
soft hat that appeared bent on swal
lowing his ears 1t was about the tim
he was rising trousers and eleven. NC
body but Sinkers ever beat Martin Dui
fy delive. ing messages, and nobody. Da
none-Bullhead, McTerZa, anybody
ever beat him eating pie. 1t was D.
eating pie that he was able to wear tn
belt so long. and you may take tina
either way. But speak gladly OF III
Die. because In the usual course O
events there isn't much pie in Il dis
patcher's life. There Is, by very larg
| odds. more anxiety than pie, and | IL
troduce the pie not to give weight I
the incidents that follow, but rather
tighten them, though as Duffy has NOR
recently admitted this was not AWAY
the effect of the pie itself.
I do not believe that Martin Dun
| ever had an enemy. A right tight ltt
| chap he was, with always Il good wore
even under no end of pressure on I'll
single track. There's many stru:
| Cling trainman that will look quick an
| grateful when any fellow far or nei
speaks word about Martin Dun.
| Fas. he climbed. His head never swell
ed. His hats rested, even after he got
key. same rs the original one. riSl
on the wings Of his ears. But his heal
grew right along after his head stoppe'
| and that's where he laid over some otl
| er railroad men / could mention II
| had to. which don't-not here.
About the time 1t looked as II Ma
tin would make a go Of 1t on the roa
the postoilice inspectors were thinkhl
Bob would make go Of 1t over IL
road. But he was such kid OF a fe
low that the postmaster convinced Il
detectives Bob's way Of doing thinf
was simple foollshness. which 1t pro-
ably was, and they merely swore hi
out Of the service.
1t was then that Martin reached OF
hand to his elder brother. Thel
were really just the two brothers, an
back of them-as there Is somewhel
back of every railroad mana mothe
No father-not generally; just mot
err. A quiet, somber little woman
shawl and a bonnet of no sneci
shape or size-just shawl and a DO
net. that's all. Anyhow. the Dun
boys' mother was that way, and there
n lot more like her. don't know VIII
gets the fathers. Maybe very orc
the scrap. But there's almost alwa.
somewhere a mother. So after Mart
| began TO make record, TO help Ii
mother and his brother both. he spol
for Bob. Callahan didn't hesitate
iolly him, as he. used to do with go'
many. He thought the company co'l
not have too many OF the Duffy KIN
So he said. "Yes, sure" And 81
Duffy was put at work-same thing G
actIy. carrying messages, reading III
destroyers and blowing his salary
| pie.
But pie acts queer. Sometimes
makes u mans head solid and his hes
big, and again it makes mans he
] big and his heart solid. I'm not 81
ing anything more now. except IL
pie certainly acts different.
Il Bob Duffy was taller than Mar
and. I would repeat, handsomer, bu