The Havre herald. [volume] (Havre, Mont.) 1904-1908, 1907-05-03

II 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 gen.
orally. so the McCloud livery men and
hotel runners and prominent citizens
and prominent loafers and the city
marshal usually came down to meet
her. But 1t 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.
ventured 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 pretense of sympathy. Then
the outgoing crew climbed aboard
and in a 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 overs as
the new engine was coupled up. The
fireman pulled the canvas jealousy
around the cab end. The brakeman
ran hurriedly 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 shorts from the 1O1, and 50
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 60 home and to bed,
but Callahan was too good a railroad
man to ask questions Of 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 flimsy barn
Of 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.
II kind of looked for my mother to-
night" said he after Callahan got his
orders out Of the way for minute.
"Wrote she was coming out pretty
soon for little visit"
"Where does your mother live?"
'Chicago. I 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 wind for your life"
Callahan was making meeting
point for two freights when the door
closed behind Bucks. He didn't even
sing out "Good night" And as for
Merry Chri-well, that had no place
on the West End anyhow.
"D-i, d-i, d-i, d." came clicking into
the room. Callahan wasn't asleep.
Once he did sleep over the key. When
he told Bucks, he made sure of his
time only he thought Bucks ought to
know.
Bucks shook his head pretty hard
that time. Its awful business, Jim.
It's murder. you know. It's the peni-
tertiary if they should convict you.
But it's worse than that. If anything
happened because you went to sleep
over the key, you'd have them on your
mind all your life, don't you know
| forever Men and - and children
That's what I always think about
the children; manned and scalded