La Junta tribune., 1907-11-09

who was wanted.
'.You have been begging for chance
to taks,out an engine. Bartholomew"
began Neighbor coldiy. And l knew IL
was On.
YES. air"
"Yon want to get Killed. Bartholo-
new"
Bartholomew smiled NJ u the idea
WAS not altogether dis,'ieasiug.
.How would you like 10 go pilot to-
morrow for Ic 'urdy: You 10 take the
~ and run a. first 1s. Mccurdy will
run AZ second a.
- know could run an engine all
right" venturs~i Bartholomew. AS II
Neighisor were the only one taking the
chances in giving hin, an engine. -
vile. helped McNen fire one week." :"
Then xp home and go 10 bed and
be over here ut u o'clock tomorrow
morning. And sleep sound. for 1t may
be yc-ir Last chance
II WIS plain that the master niechan-
ic hated to do It, IL was simply sheer
necessity.
Hes wiper" mus.si NeighbOr a.
Bartholomew walked spriugily away.
ago. He ought to lie hring now. but
the nnion held him back. That's why
he hates them He knows more about
an engine now than half the lodge.
They'd better have let him in." said
the mister mechanic grimiy. He may
i,., the means or breaking their backs
yet. II give him an cnsine and he
runs 1t. I'll never take him on. union
or no union. strik. or no styikc.'
''iIow old is that boy" l asked.
Eighteen. and never II kith or a kin
that I know Of Bartholomew Mullen"
unused NcighbOr IA the slight figure
moved across the tiat. big name
small boy. Well. Bartholomew. you'll
know something more 10y tomorrow
night about running au engine or a
whole lot less. That's rs II happens.
Ii he gets killed. it's your fault. Reed"
He meant thar l WINS calling on him
for men wien he absolutely couldn't
produce them.
II heard once" he went ON. ''about a
fellow named Bartholomew bein: mix
ell up in ma >sacre. But | take II he
must have been an older man than
our Bartholomew. Nor his other name
wasn't Mullen. neither. disrcmem-
ber just what II was, but II wasn't
Mullen"
We'll. don't say want to get the
boy killed. Neighbor." protested.
"Iye plenty to answer for. I'm here
~, tr.,t inc q t.p IN
run. That's murder enough for me.
You needn't send Bartholomew out on
my acceuni" RN E
GIVE him a slow schedule. and I'll
give him orders to jump early. That's
all we can do. II the strikers don't
ditci, him. he'll get through some
how"
1t stuck Ia my crop-tiie i,,ea Of put
ting the boy On n pilot eaglne to take
all the dangers airend Of thnt parfic-
ular train But had good deal else
TO think Of besides. From the minute
the silk got into the McCioud yards
we posted double g,iards around.
Ab0uf II o'clock that night we held q
council OF war. which ended in our
running the train Into the ont freight
house. The result was that by morn
Ing We had a new train made mp. 1t
consisted Of fourteen refrigerator cars
loaded with oranges which had come
in mys;eriousiy the night before. II
was announced that the silk would be
held for the present aud the oranges
rushed through. Bright and early the
refrigerator train was run down to the
Ice hcnses. and twenty men were put
To work icing the oranges. At Z O'clock
McCursiy pulled In the local Dssseneer
with engine los. Our plan was to
cancel the local AMI run him right out
with the oranges When he got In he
reported the 1G5 had sprung tire. 1t
kaOcke,i our scheme into cooked hat.
There WIS lantern jawed confer
ence In the rOrndhouse.
"What can you do?" asked the super
infendeut in desperation.
'.There's only one thing ! can do.
| Put Bartholomew Mullen on II with
the ~ and put McCurdy to bed for
No. tonight responded NeighbOr.
We were running first In. first out,
hut we took care to always have some
body for I and . WHO Mt least knew M
injector from an air pump.
1t was o'clock. looked into the
locomotive stalls. The first-tlle only
man in sight was bartholomew Mullen.
He was very busy polishing the A.. He
had good steam on her. and the old tub
was wlieezIng rs II she had the asthmn.
The ~ WAS old. she was homely. sine
was rickety. but Bartholomew Mullen
wiped her battered nose as deferential-
, ns II she had been spick-span. spi'
fer driver. tail truck mail racer.
She wasn't Mmci-tiie A. But i'm
those days bartholomew wasn't much.
and the A was Bart0olOmew'H.
How Is she steaming. Bartholo-
mew:'' sung ont. He was right IN,