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


real name was Bullhead-i
just plain Bullhead.
- When he began passen- |
ger braking the trainmaster
put him on with Pat Francis. The /
very first trip he made a man in the
smoking car asked him where the
drinking water was. Bullhead, though /
sufficiently gaudy in his new uniform, !
was not prepared for any question
that might be thrown at him. He
pulled out his book Of rules, which he
had been told to consult in case of
doubt and after some study referred I
his inquirer to the fire bucket hang !
ing at the front end of the car. The
passenger happened to be a foreigner
ana very thirsty. He climbed up to the
Baker heater, according to direction, !
and did at some risk get hold Of the
bucket-but 1t was empty
''Iss no water hier." cried the second
class man. Bullhead sat half way
back in the car, still studying the
rules. He looked UP surprise. bat,
turning around. pointed with conf
dence to the fire pail at the hind end
of the smoker.
TRY the other bucket, Johnnie" he
said calmly. At that every man in
the car began to choke, and the Ger
making funny of him, wanted to tight.
Now Bullhead would rather fight than
60 to Sunday school any day, and with
out parley he engaged the insulted
HON steader. Pat Francis parted them
after some hard words on his part,
and Kenyon, the trainmaster. gave
Bullhead three months to study up
where the water cooler was located In
standard, A pattern smoking ears.
BullheadS own mother. who did Gala
hans washing. refused to believe her
son ~was 50 stupid as not to know. but
Bullhead, who now tells the story him
self, claims he did not know.
When he got back to work he tried
f-1fr Oh ms b
the No. e. local. and one day they
were drifting into the yard at Goose
River Junction when there came from
the cab a sharp call for brakes. In
stead of climbing out and grabbing a
a brakeWheel for dear life, Bullhead
looked out the window to see what
the excitement was. BY the time he
had decided what rule covered the
emergency his train had driven a stray
1T halfway through the eating house.
east of the depot Kenyon. after hear
ing Bullhead's own candid statement
OF fact, coughed alphabetically and
said three years, WhereupOn Bullhead
resigned permanently from the train
service and applied for a job in the
roundhouse.
But the roundhouse-for a boy like
Bullhead. It would hardly do. He
was put at helping Pete Beezer, the
snatching his customary nap in the
pit when the hose got away from
Bullhead and struck his boss. In the
confusion, Peter, who was nearly
! drowned, lost a set Of teeth. That
was sufficient in that department of
the motive power; Bullhead moved
4 ofl-suddenly. Neighbor thought he
might do for a wiper. After the boy
had learned something about wiping
he tried one dav to back an engine ont
on the turntable to see whether 1t was
easy. 1t was, dead easy, but the
turntable happened to be arranged
wrong for the experiment, and Neigh
Dor. before calling in the wrecking
gang, took occasion to kick Bullhead
out of the roundhouse bodily
Nevertheless Bullhead, like every
Medicine Bend boy, wanted to rail-
road Some fellows can't be shut or
He was offered the presidency of a
Cincinnati bank by private detective
agancy which had just sent up the ac-
tive head of the institution for ten
years, but as Bullhead could not ar
| range transportation east of the river
he was obliged to let the opportunity
pass.
When the Widow Lyons asked Gala
han to put Jamie at telegraphing the
assistant superintendent nearly fell off
his chair Mrs. Lyons however was
in earnest, as the red haired man soon
4 found by the way his shirts were
! starched. Her son meantime had got
/ hold Of a. sounder and was studying
! telegraphy, corresponding at the same
+
agency for the town and county rights
! to all hidden and undiscovered crime"
on the mountain division, rights offer
/ ed at the very reasonable price OF $40
I by registered MAIL bank draft or ex-
press money order; currency at send
/ er's risk. The only obligation imposed
! by this deal were secrecy and a Ger
4 man silver star. and Bullhead. after
holding his trusting mother up for the
! ten became a regularly installed de-
: Trre7
! rnisdeeds. Days he piled his sounder
4 and nights he lay awake trying to mix
up Pete Beezer and Neighbor with the
( disappearance of various punches Of
/ horses from the Bar M ranch
About the same time he became in
/ terested in dentistry. Not that there
/ is any obvious connection between rail-
/ roaddng and detective work and filling
teeth, but his thoughts just turned
that way. and, following the advice
| of a local dentist who didn't want alto
I gether to discourage him, Bullh cad
/ borrowed a pair of fOrceps and pulled
all the teeth out Of a circular saw to
get his arm into practice. Before the
! dentist pronounced him proficient,
1 though, hls mother had Callahan re-
| duced to terms, and the assistant su-
perintendent put Bullhead among the
operators.
That was a great day for Bullhead.
He had to take the worst Of it. Of
course. sweeping the Office and that
but, whatever his faults, the boy did
as he was told. Only one vicious habit
/ chung to him=he had a passion for
! reading the rules IN spite OF this,
however, he steadily mastered the TAX
ing, and as for sending he could do
that before he got out of the cuspidor
department Everybody around the
Wickiup bullied him, and maybe that
was his salvation. He got used to
expecting the worst Of it and nerved
himself to take it, which in railroadine
Is half the battle.
A few months after he became com
petent to handle a key the nightman at
Goose River Junction went wrong
When Callahan told Bullhead he
thought about giving him the job the
boy went wild with excitement and ia
a burst of confidence showed Callahan
his star. It was the best thing thai