The Greeley tribune., 1907-01-10

shovel and given the tender tina
sprinkle and the conductor had walk.
ed leisurely forward, compared time
with the engineer and cried, "All
abo-o-o-ard!" then as your coach NOV
ed slowly ahead you might notice un
der the receding catalpas the little gir
waving a parasol or a handkerchief AT
the outgoing train--that is, at Con
ductor Sankey, for she was his daugh'
ter, Neeta Sankey. Her mother was
Spanish and died when Neeta was n
wee bit. Neeta and the limited were
I Sankey's whole world.
When Georgie Sinclair began pulling
the limited, running west opposite Fo-
ley, he struck up great friendship
with Sankey. Sankey, though he was
hard to start. was full of early day
stories. George. 1t seemed, had the
faculty of getting him to talk, perhaps
because when he was pulling Sankey's s
train he made extraordinary efforts to
keep on time-time was hobby with
Sankey. Foley said he was SO careful
Of it that when he was of duty he let
his watch stop Just to save time.
Sankey loved to breast the winds
and the floods and the SHOWS, and If
he could get home pretty near on
schedule, with everybody else late. he
was happy. and in respect Of that, US
Sankey used to say, George Sinclair
could come nearer gratifying Sankey's
ambition than any runner we had.
Even the firemen used to observe
that the young engineer, always neat.
looked still neater the days that he
took out Sankey's train. By and by
there was an Introduction under the
catalpas. After that it was noticed
that George began wearing gloves on
the engine-not kid gloves. but yellow
dogskin-and black silk shirts. He
bought them in Denver.
Then-an odd way engineers have of
paying compliments when George
pulled into town on No. 2, If it was
Sankey's train. the big skyscraper
would give short, hoarse scream. a
most peculiar note, just as they drew
past Sankey's house, which stood on
the brow of the hill west of the yards.
Then Neeta would know that No. 2
and her father and naturally Mr.. Sin
clair were in again and all safe and
sound.
When the railway trainmen held
their division fair at McCloud, there
was lantern to be voted to the most
popular conductor-a gold plated Ian.
tern, with green curtain in the globe.
Cal Stewart and Ben Doton, who We're
very swell conductors and great rivals.
were the favorites and had the town
divided over their chances for win
ming It
Z But during the last moments GeOrgie
Sinclair stepped up to the booth and
cast storm Of votes for old man
Sankey. Doton's friends and Stewards
laughed at first, but Sankey's votes
kept pouring in amazingly. The fa-
vorites grew frightened. They pooled
their issues by throwing Stewards vote
to Doton, but it wouldn't do. George
Sinclair, with crowd of engineers
Cameron. Moore, Foley, Bat Mullen
and Burns-came back at them with
such swing that in the final round
up they fairly swamped Doton. San
key took the lantern by thousand
and his friends pot Of money.
Sankey said all the time lie didn't
want the lantern; but, just the same
he always carried that particular Ian
tern, with his full name. Sylvester San
key, ground into the glass just below
the green mantle. Pretty soon. Neeta
being then eighteen, it was rumored
that Sinclair was engaged to Miss San
key-was going to marry her. And
marry her he did, though that was not
until after the wreck in the Blackwood
gorge, the time of the big snow
1t goes yet by just that name on the
West End for never was such a win
ter and such snow known ON the
plains and in the mountains. One train
on the northern division was stalled
six weeks that winter, and one whole
coach was chopped up for kindling
wood.
But the great and desperate effort of
the company was to hold open the
main line, the artery which connected
the two coasts. 1t was hard winter
on trainmen. Week after week the
snow kept falling and blowing. The
trick was not to clear the line; it was
to keep it clear. Every day we sent
out trains with the fear we should not
see them again for a week.
Freight we didn't pretend to move
Local passenger business had to b<
abandoned. Coal, to keep our engines
and our towns supplied, we were oblig
ed to carry, and after that all the
brains and the muscle and the motive
power were centered on keeping Nos.
and q our through passenger trains
running.
Our trainmen worked like Americans
There were no towards on our rolls
But. after too long strain men be
ha hot, ,Io1l IND