La Junta tribune., 1907-06-08
WHEN THEY PULLED IN THE MERCURY
WAS SEVENTY DEGREES.


of the weather bureau at Corinth show
ed that three or four more days OF
wa.m weather were predicted. 1t was
warm all along the road 10 Cincinnati.
to Chicago. The only cool places In
the country seemed TO be in the noun
tains. about Chattanooga. up the Hud-
son and west in the Rockies. Messen-
ger . advised him to take the RESPONSE
bility of selling the fruit at Corinth
for what It would bring. That would
save the company It's total loss and
transportation charges.
Carl was not ready for that. how
ever. The consultation of the weather
reports had already given his quick
brain another idea. daring but entirely
feasible, he thought His cars would
have to wait three hours ut Corinth to
connect with n freight which pulled
out directly behind the through ex-
press north. Carl utilized the first
forty minutes of these three hours In
developing his plan. He went straight
to the office of the Southern railway.
whose branch ran from CorInth to
Chattanooga and there connected with
the n. l. and T. for Cincinnati and
Chicago.
"Nish to run your cars over our
road?" asked the division superintcnd-
ent after listening to Cnrl's hurried re-
quest Yes. reckon so. Well couple
them to the afternoon freight. which
pulls out about dark. The morning
freight leaves In half an hour. and
there isn't time to connect you with
that. Besides. the train already has
thirty-four cars. us much as the engine
can carry up grade"
But that's the very train l want to
couple to-" urged Carl impetuously
You forget that have an engine.
Why can't we put the two ahead?
They'll pull fifty-four cars all right
even up grade"
The superintendent nodded thought
fully.
Yes, that might do" lie said "In
fact, l think IL will do very well.
There's considerable snow up Chatta-
nooga way, and two engines can plow
through it better than one. But well
have TO hustle If we get you connected.
for the train must pull out on time.
There's another follows it forty min
utes later"
They did hustle, and when the train
pulled out for Chattanooga Carrs twen-
ty cars formed part of 1t. Besides hav-
ing all the ventilators open. each car
had Its door rolled back to let In every
whlff of air possible. At Decatur the
thermometers indicated 45 degrees. at
Stevenson "a degrees. Carl closed all
the doors and partly closed the ven-
80 ha far lin
natl. He was willing they should have
few more degrees of heat now and
believed that he saw the way to get
ting his fruit to both markets in prime
condition At Chattanooga the mer-
curry registered 20 degrees. and all the
vcntilators were closed.
Eight days later Carl reported at the
office on the company's wharf. The
man Mt the desk listened to his expla-
nation in grim silence, tapping the
ledger with the head OF his pencil oc-
casionally.
Its something very unusual he
said when Carl finished. very unusual
and or rcprehenslble, running our
cars about the country in wild way
Ike that Ordinarily it would mean
dismissal from our service-permanent
discharge his face relaxing
somewhat. under the circumstances.
and in view of the fact that you had
the longest run and are the only mes
senger who got his fruit Into market
in prime condition. we will say no more
about 1t except that we have put your
name on our books for regular runs.
hope your father will be well enough
to make his trip when the next boat
comes in. We do not like to spare good
men. And. oh. yes," AZ Carl was turn
ing away. his eyes shining. "the cashier
has a little recognition for you from
the company. You may stop at hiD
window - you 60 b."