The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-01-16

big arrival Of the day at McCloud even
if she didn't get in until II o'clock at
night. She brought the mail and the
express and the landseekers and the
travelling men and the strangers gem
orally, so the MeCIoud livery men and
hotel runners and prominent citizens
and prominent loafers and the city
marshal usually came down to meet
her. But it was not so that night.
The platform was bare. Not even the
hardy chief Of police, who was town
watch and city marshal all combined.
yentured out.
The engineer swung out of his cab
with the silence of an abused man.
His eyes were full OF soda. his ears
full of sand, his mustache full of burs
and his whiskers full of tumbleweeds.
The conductor and the brakemen
climbed sullenly down, and the bag
gageman showed open his door and
slammed trunk out on the platform
without a pretense of sympathy. Then
the outgoing crew climbed aboard
and in q hurry. The conductor elect
ran downstairs from the register and
pulled his cap down hard before he
pushed ahead against the wind to give
the engineer his copy of the orders as
the new engine was coupled I'D. The
fireman pulled the canvas 1ealously
around the cab end The brakeman
ran hurriedlg back to examine the air
connections and gave his signal to the
conductor The conductor gave his to
the engineer. There were two short.
choppy snorts from the 101, and 80
moved out stealthily, evenly, resist
lessly into the teeth Of the night. In
another minute only her red lamps
cleaned up the yard. One man still on
the platform watched them recede. 1t
was Bucks.
He came up to the dispatcher's of
fee and sat down. Callahan wondered
why he didn't go home and to bed,
but Callahan was too good a railroad
man to ask questions Of a superior.
Bucks might have stood on his head
on the stove and it redhot without be-
ing pursued with inquiries from Gala
han If Bucks chose to sit up out there
on the frozen prairies In a fimsy barn
of a station and with the wind howl
ing murder at II o'clock past and that
on Chri-the oath of December, it
was Bucks own business.
az kind of looked for my mother to-
night" said he after Callahan got his
orders out of the way for a minute.
Wrote she was coming out pretty
soon for a little visit
"Where does your mother liver
Chicago. l sent her transportation
two weeks ago. Reckon she thought
she'd better stay home for Christmas
Back in Gods country they have
Christmas just about this time of year
Watch out tonight, Jim. I'm going
home. It's a wind for your life"
Callahan was making a meeting
point for two freights when the door
closed behind Bucks. He didn't ever
sing out Good night" And as fol
Merry Chri-well, that had no place
on the West End anyhow.
'D-i, d-i, d-i, d-i." came clicking int
the room Callahan wasn't asleep
Once he did sleep over the key. Wher
he told Bucks, he made sure Of hi!
time, only he thought Bucks ought tt
know.
Bucks shook his head pretty hare
that time It's awful business, Jim
It's murder, you know. It's the peni
tertiary II they should convict you
But It's worse than that If anything
happened because you went to sleei
over the key, you'd have them on you
mind all your life, don't you know
forever. Men = and = and children
That's what I always think about