The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-04-21

Bat Mullen suddenly stuck his lamp or
Of the aetadop
and Bul1head knew the way. He strug-
gled fast around to the Window. Rails
ing himself with a frightfuI twinge on
one knee, he beat at the glass with his
fist. Ciutching the sash, he drew him
self up with a hand and with the other
tore away the muntin, stuck his head
and shoulders through the opening, got
his hand on the key and called the first
station east, BIaisdeIl with the 10.
Life and death that call meant; the 49,
the dispatcher's call. Hanging over
the key, stammering the 19 over the
wireand baptizing the call in his own
blood-tl1at is the way Bullhead learn
ed to be a railroad man.
For BlaisdeI got him and his warn
ing and had No. on the siding Just
curve, headed for Sackley. While it
was all going on -Bullhead lay on the
wind-swept platform at Goose River
with a hole in his head that would have
killed anybody on the West End or,
for that matter, on earth, except James
Gillespie Blaine Lyons.
After No. 3 D had passed. so inpu-
IDENTIFY No 1felf her way rather eau
dispatches eouldHt get the Blamed
station. They decided of seourse, that
Bunheadss was asleep and fixed every
thing at the Wickiup to send a new
man JD IMGEG NO. III the morning
and fire him for good.
But about O'Clock No. / rolled. bad
tempered, into Goose, River junction.,
and Bat Mullen, stopping his train
strobe angrily to the. station 1t was
dark as a pocket inside. Bat smash sd
In door with his heel, and the train
men swarmed in and began looking
with their lanterns for the nightman.
The stove was red hot, but he was not
asleep in the armchair nor mapping I'M
7aV + for iof1f q nu
turned to his table and discovered the
broken window and thought of a hold
up. They saw where the nightman had
spilled something that looked like ink
over the table. over the order book.
over the clip. and there was a hand
print that looked inky on an open letter
addressed to the superintendent and a
little pool of omething like ink under
the key.
Somebody said suicide. but Bat Null
len suddenly stuck his lamp out of the
broken window, put his head through
after It and cried out. Setting his Ian
tern down on the platform, he crawled
through the. broken sash and picked up
Bullhead.
Next morning It was all over the
And Bullheadl" cried everybody.
That's what gets me. Who'd have
thought it of Bullhead ?"
When they all got up there and saw
what Bullhead had done everybody
agreed that nobody but Bullhead could
have done It.
The pilot bar of the short line mo-
gul in swiping Bullhead numerically
had really made a railroad man of
him. It had let a great light in on
the situation Whereas before every
one else on the line had been to blame
for his failures. Bullhead now saw that
he himself had been to blame and was
man enough to stand up and say SO.
When the big fellows, Callahan and
IT,
next morning, saw the blood smeared
over the table and saw Bul1head's let
ter OF resignation signed in his own
blood manual. and heard his straight
out story days afterWard, they said
never = word.
But that morning. the morning aft
err. Callahan picked up the letter and
/ put 1t just as it was between the leaves
! of the order book and locked both II
his grip. It was some weeks before
he had a talk with Bullhead, and he
spoke then only a few words, because
/ the nightman tainted before he got
| through. Callahan made him under
stand. though. that as soon as he was
able he could have any key on that d.
vision he wanted as long as he was
running it, and Callahan is running
that division yet.
It all came easy after he got we'll
Instead of getting the worst OF It from
everybody Bullhead began to get the
4 best of it, even from pretty Nellie Cas-,
sidy. But Nellie had missed her open
/ ing She tried tenderness while the boy
was being nursed at the Junction. Bull
! head looked grim and FAR off through
his bulging bandages and asked his
mother to put the sugar in his coffee
for him; Bullhead was getting sense.
Besides, what need has a young mar
with a heavy crescent shaped scar or
| his forehead that people inquire about
and who within a year after the Goose
River affair was made a train dispatch
er under Barnes Tracy at Medicine
Bend=what need has he Of coquette's
/ s4nfles2 His mother, who has honor.
ably retired from hard work, says hall
the girls at the Bend 6re after him
and his mother ought to know. for she
/ keeps house for him.
BuIlhead's letter of resignation witt
/ the print Of his hand on it hangs
/ framed over Ca1iahan's desk and Il
shown to railroad big fellows who are
/ accorded the courtesies Of the Wick.
iup. But when they ask Bullh cad
4 about it he Just laughs and says some
/ railroad men have to have sense