Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1907-03-29

zEI N A enopS' sue was
FV Q rebuilt from
Our master mechanic, Neighbor, had
an idea. after her terrific collision. that
she could not stand heavy main line
passenger runs. so he put her on the
Acton cut or. 1t was what railroad
men call jerk water run. whatever
that may be. little jaunt OF ten miles
across the divide connecting the North
ern division with the Denver stem.
1t was just about like running a troll
ley. and the run was given TO Dad
Sinclair. for after that lift at oxford
shovel coal and he had TO take an en-
CINE or quit railroadlng.
Thus il h; )ened that after many
years he took the throttle once more
and ran over. twice a day. as he does
yet. from Acton to Willow Greek.
His boy. Georgia Sinclair. the kid
engineer. took the run on the fler op-
posite Foley just as soon as he got
well.
George. who was never happy I'M
less he had eight or ten Pullmans be-
hAhb hAth anu VI way ONGl
everything between Omaha and Den
yer. made great sport OF his fathers
little smoking car and day coach be-
bind the big engine.
Foley made sport Of the remodeled
engine. He used to stand by while
the old engineer was oiling and ask
him whether 1e thought she could
catch a jack rabbit 81 mean," Foley
would say. 'if the rabbit was feeling
well"
Dad Sinclair took II all grimly and
quietly. He had railroaded too long to
care for anybody's chaff But one day,
after the skyscraper had got her fues
pretty well chalked up with alkal!. Fo-
ley insisted that she must be renamed.
Il have the only genuine skyscraper
on the West End myself" declared Fo-
ley He did have a new Glass ii en-
CINE. and she was awe Inspiring, in
truth. 81 don't propose" he continued,
Ito have her confused with your old
tub any longer. Dad"
Dad, oillng his old tub afrectlonately,
answered never n word.
"She's full Of soda, isn't she. fatherT'
asked Georgia. standing by.
Reckon she is. son.
Full Of water. l suppose?"
TRY to keep her that way. son."
''Sal Soda, isn't IL. Dad?"
Now. 1 can't say. AS to that can't
say"
"We'll call her Sal Soda. George"
suggested Foley
mo" interposed Georgia "Stop a
bit. / have It. Not Sal Soda at all.
Make IL Soda Water Sal"
Then they laughed uproarlously. and
In the teeth OF Dad Sinclalr's protests
for he objected at once and vigorously
the queer name stuck to the engine.
and sticks yet.
To have seen tie great hulking ma
chine you would never have suspected
there could be another story left In her.
Yet one there was-a story OF the wind
AS she stood, too. when old man Sin
clair took her on the Acton run. she
was the best illustration l have eyer
seen of the adage that one can never
tell from the looks OF frog how far
1t will jump.
Have you ever felt the wind7 Not,
1 think. unless you have lived on the
seas or on the plains. People every
where think the wind blows. but it
really blows only on tile ocean and on
the prairies
The summer that Dad took the Acton
run 1t blew for a month steadily-all
OF one August-hOt, dry, merciless, the
despair OF the farmer and the terror OF
trainmen.
1t was on an August evening, with
the gale still sweeping up from the
southwest, that Dad came numbering
into Acton with his little trolley train.
He had barely pulled up at the plat
form TO unload his passengers when
the station agent Morris Reynolds,
coatless and hatless. rushed up to the
engine ahead OF the hostler and sprang
into the cab. Reynolds was one OF
the quietest fellows in the service To
see him without coat or hat didn't
count for much In such weather, but
to see him snllow with fright and al
most speechless was enough to stir
even old Dad Sinclair.
1t was not Dads habit to ask ques-
lions, but he look ed at the man in ques-
tioning amazement. Reynolds choked
and caught at bis breath as he seized
the engineers arm and pointed down
! the line.
Dad" he gasped, "three cars Of Goa
standing over there on the second spur
blew loose few minutes ago.
Where are theyr'
''Where are they? Blown through
the switch and down the line forty
miles an hour"
The old man grasped the frightened
man by the shoulder. What do you
mean? How long agof When Is /
due? Talk quick. mani What's the
matter with your"
mot five minutes ago. No. is due
here in less than thirty minutes. They'll
go into her sure. Dad" cried Reyn-
olds. all in q fright, "whatll ! dol
For heavens sake. do somethingi
called up Riverton and tried &c catch
!. but she'd passed. waste loo late