The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-07-12

ties ON fire. and would have followed
II ND by hcaylng monkey-wrench at
YOU If YOU had been In range.
There behind the counter was the
old Man looking over the shoulder
of the operator, who was spelling out
the order without breaking oftcner
than every second word:
"Trnln No 7, Conductor Flatwheel
Engineer Poundem, will meet pay car
special. Conductor Linkcnpin, Engi'
nccr Moriarity at Emerson
such an air of nonchalcnce as Old
Man Flatwhccl did assume as he
turned away to discuss with the hind
man the advisability of making al
switch Of that through car OF corn next
tho engine to get It behind the way
cars so we wouldn't he bothered with
It at Lyons In doing our work ON those
heavy grades, and affected to forget
that he was getting orders until the
operator called him over to sign them,
He was so slow about his signature
that before the dispatcher's o. H. was
received you looked out of the big bay
window and saw the section gang
which was working just beyond the
Y throw down their shovels and run
down the track like a herd of STAN.
poded steers.
There, just coming around the
curve, was glittering vision of brass
and varnish half hidden In a nimbus
of smoke and dust. Two short blasts
on whistle greeted the gang, the vi
sion hestated for minute, while the
section men disappeared In the nimbus
and reappeared as suddenly as If they
had been shot out of a gun, and here
came the vision gliding up to the
platform with bell ringing and pop
valve sputtering soto voce, like a
young lady trying to suppress n tick
lish cough.
1t was the pay car.
At this point you lost consciousness.
Some time later, while still as one
| In a dream, you realized that your
numbed senses, beginning at the pilot
had taken in every detail of this ro-
mantle visitation of opulence.
Never was there such an engine as
the one which pulled the pay car At
each joint in her jacket was a band
of brass four inches wide. Dome
sand box, steam chests and cylinders
were encased in brass, polished until
you could have seen to shave in 1t
Her front end and her dainty straight
stack were rugged with plumbago un
I'll they shone like a small boys heel
All her bright work was smooth ant
spotless and glitterng, while all the
rest of her surface was striped ant
curlicued with all the colors the gen
eral shops could mix.
Moriarty the lucky runner Of this
paragon, in clean checked jumper
left open at the neck to show a gor
geous red tie In which diamond gilt
tered, hard boiled cady cooked jaun
tily over his left ear, was lolling on
of the cab window in such way tina
all the world might see that he wore
kid gloves while on his engine. Mo
riarty was something of a swell ant
he didn't care who knew 1t.
His only rival in sartorial effulgenc,
was Pete Swanson, his Swede fireman
who was leaning out of his cab win
dow with a stony glare fixed on va
cancy, affecting to watch for signals
OF course he knew that all the signal
} which concerned him would be give
with the bell cord; but his zealou
attention to duty relieved him of tn
= necessity of recognizing his humble
fellow mortals.
, No plebian overclothes eclipse
E Pete's glory There was the square
, cut black coat that no one but a raj
: road man ever wore-you know tn
kinda vest of fancy red cloth, trouE
ers with stripes that you could hea
t ten car-lengths away, square toe
3 shoes with soles half an inch thicl
= and stiff-bosomed shirt with red an
white stripes. On this foundation +,
| posed a black satin puff tie held t
t gether by locomotive done in golt
Y On his head at a ralish angle wa
4 one of those soft hats of the peculia
e block affected exclusively by railroa
u lltll a. SCplt VI years ago. NO, SC
didn't need to read the tag to discovt
g that Pete was railroad man.
r Coupled to the engine was a wheele
e palace built on graceful lines in fires
o ly vanished yellow paint which l
vailed the brass work on the engir
/ in brilliance. The plate-glass window
II were curtained with brighthued br
l. cade. Not a speck nor a flaw was
a be seen. Even the yellow wheels bo
e only so much dust as had been gat
g cred on the days run. Through ;
l. open window came fragrant odoI
% while in the background a white JAG
ct surmounted by black oval ia
d vibrated at intervals
a All this time Old Man Flatwheel W
ID heading a little procession bound I
r, ward the rear platform of the pay C
lg at gait which he assumed but on
month. Flatwheel had conscientio
he scruples against undue eXertion, so
Id always had the caboose stopped