Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-11-23

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fixin' up
We'll. say Mo-" was the decided
response. Il Guess Sadie can do bet
ter than an engineer when she wants
TO get married.
4 I'm master mechanic, too,'' reminded
'Rcdway hopefully.
Sadie can do better" repeated Fal-
! Ion rs he rose to put some papers in
the safe. Don't let me hear any more
of this"
Ecdway sat in silence until the safe
WAS licked and the lights put out: then
: he followed Fallon out on the platform
"Hetter think it over he advised.
I'll ask you again in the morning"
ReIv-ay turned away down ore of
the almost deserted streets. AMI FaIlon
stamped an&riIy in the oppoaitc direc-
ton.
/ Not even Sadie realized how proud her
father WAS of bis position as supe"in-
tcndeGt even of such an unimp"rtant
road as the g. and E. S. That the
daughter of the superintendent should
he asked To we'd 4 common engineer
was Il thin" not 10 he heard of. He
had 10 Talk with Sadie on the matter.
but as.he lay in bed thinking it Over
his anger grew, and he became more
firm in his determination not to give
his consent.
! lie was at the station early in the
morning. affecting not to notice how
red Sadic's eyes We're from weeping
! AS soon as Eedway stuck his head
! lnto the general Office Fallon began:
You neeIn't come in he raspeG
out. My mind amt any different
| from what It was last night
Redway grinnel and withdrew. shut
| ting the door. Failon fidgeted ut tho
! desk. making feeble pretensc OF
| working. but when the hands of The
clock drew around to 8 ana the en-
| CINE lad not pufIod down the trac!. /,
couple TO the train Fallon went out on
| the platform.
| Roadway was sitting on The haCga 70
| truck putting at his cigar. Several pas
! sengers paced tie platform. and both
of the day coaches were about hall
| filled
where's the engine" demanded
| Fallon. Redway moved his cigar thai
| ne might grin the broader
I'm ON strike he explained "Th,
engines in the house"
strike" shouted Gallon. What yor
strikin' about? You had raise has
| spring.
| It's not about money" explained the
| engineer Il saw Sadie last night anC
she says she Won't marry me until yol
say she can. I'm on strike until yot
| give the go ahead order
Fallon glared impotently. There wa,
no one else in town who could run AZ
engine except Sim Dugan, who free
for Roadway. Sim was sitting on III,
truck by his boss and only smile,
pleasantly when Eal!on offered hin
double and even triple paw to take tn,
train out Some of the passenger;
crowded about to watch the fun, anc
in the end the superintendent beat ;
retreat to his Office, where presently h,
wired to Greenville for help.
But Greenville was unsympathetic
Something of Redway's plan the ofiic,
knew, and Fallon's pompousness hat
not made friends for him. Greenvill.
declared fatty that they could spar,
neither engine nor engineer, and whei
the division headquarters was appeal
ed to Fallon was told to settle tn,
matter himself. In theory the g. ant
B. S. was an Independent road, witt
its own corporate entity. and head
quarters was not interested in its af
fairs. Several heavy Wrecks had fiIlet
the repair shops with locomotives. ant
there were not enough to properl!
equip the division, to say nothing o
loaning one to SO unimportant brancl
line.
In desperation Fallon wired the mali
offices of the L. and ", and their repl.
was even mSre curt. The western strik
was growing worse, and the messag
suggested Qhat If Fallon could not man
age withot the assistance of the en-
tire SYSTEM a strike of one engineer h
had better resign and let the Office boy
II he had ne, take charge.
il All. this took time. and the STATIC