The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1907-05-31
A Night Operators Tale.

station Is not all Ouc EIdHu Son6,
laxative railroad operator. ''Of course,
the hardest part Of the work Is to keep
awake through the silent watches OF the
night.
"a year or so ago l was night operator
at Yankee Corners. After 81 Stebblns
from the postofice came over to get the
7 O. clock mail bag wouldn't see soul
all night. am not naturally timid, but
I was always fearful lest some Of the wan
dering hoboes might get yearnlng to see
what was in the safe and give me rap
over the COCO when wasn't looking.
'sTo give things more cheerful aspect,
the safe we had in the ticket office had
three or four holes in it, made by drills OF
burglars in previous unsuccessful attempt
to get through the interference of the safe
That was before a night operator was in
stalled at the Corners.
1.-THE burglars were frightened away
before they completed their task. The
company never thought it was necessary to
stake us with a new safe or have the evil
dences of the handiwork of the cracksmen
effaced from the old one.
"Now, it would take gentleman of a
wonderful buoyancy of spirits to sit in the
Office night after night glancing at those
drill holes in the safe without getting pes
simistic and falling to specializing as to
whether the burglars were strong men with
scars on their faces, etc, and how long 1t
would be before they would think it neces-
sary to call again.
Yankee Corners was flag stop for the
midnight express. 1t wasn't often that
anyone travelling in the direction of that
village was out so late at night; therefore
l was surprised to see her slow up one night
and, stopping, observe the brakeman carry
ing off an inanimate object. They raped
on the station room door.
" Here's dark man with package
for you, Bill, said one of them as opened
the door, suppose it's against your rules
to take drunk inside the waiting room,
but if you leave this one outside he'll be
chawed up into stew beef by morning.
81 unlocked the waiting room door and
they laid the man with 30 snake jag on
one of the benches. He just lay there
and snored while traipsed back to the
ticket office, to renew my vigil by the drill
holed safe
"Say, if ever you want real hard job
Just try to keep awake while listening to
someone else snore. 1t the surest cure
for insomnia you ever tried. l just sat
there and winked and blinked.
''All of sudden the snoring ceased, the
ticket Office door swung open with crash
and before l could wink an eye-lash was
looking down the barrel of 40-horsepower
pistol and behind it was the man with the
souse He was sober enough now.
He played the game well, got inside
the station on phony jag and now was
going after the safe. | did some rapid fire
thinking and decided to simulate fright
| didn't have to do much Stimulating at
that-and give the wrong gig on the safe.
"He might play with it for while and
maybe some freight would happen along
and come to my rescue. The signals were
set at danger and they would have to stop
l managed to gasp out some figures and
turns.
L" Now, Chester, remarked my mid
night caller. III just tether you here in
the corner where l can look at you while
| 60 south after the money.
with that he stood me up in a corner
with my wrists and ankles bound so tightly
that twinges of pain ran all through my
system. He fused and fumed around that
safe, but, of course, couldn't get it open,
while hoped and prayed for the freight
that didn't come Finally he gave up with
a curse.
g Now, papa little, man he said to me,
you We not been playing fair. You tried
to buffalo me, but it won't work. I've
got to work fast now and blow the safe
open. I'm going to leave you tied in that
corner. You'll resemble Hoboken after
premature explosion in the tunnel when
it all over
"Then he numbered his kit of tools
and began working at the drill holes where
his predecessors left off 1t didn't take
him long to finish drilling and then he set
the charge.
q Farewell, Chester, was his parting
remark. You re about to 60 to your re-
ward There will be vacancy on the
night force at Yankee Corners tomorrow
CATER he had lighted the fuse the
craftsman sidestepped to safe place. l
wriggled and squirmed and twisted while
the fuse burned nearer and'nearer, but the
cords on my wrist only seemed to get tighter
and tighter The fuse was at the end
Bang bang bang
Say there, you dope, if you don pull
back your signals and let me go I'll report
you at the super Office. Do you know
you re holding No. 6 1? shouted someone.
land recognized the genial voice of
Mat Fuller, the engineer of Eastern Ex-
press No. 6. Listening to the snores of
the drunk in the waiting room had been
too much for me and l had dropped off to
sleep and dreamed the rest.
''After let No. 6 go went out in the
waiting room and there was the drunk
sleeping as soundly as ever, only with
groan now and then when the pink ami
mails made a counter-march and attacked
him on his other side.