The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-05-09
HOW IT FEELS FOR A WOMAN TO
RIDE IN A CAB WITH ENGINEER
BY DOROTHY DALE

went.
And | returned with the decided
conviction that notwithstanding the
plendid progress of woman in the
world of affairs, there is still a
mans sphere and woman's sphere
Man may ride on the engine, but
the place for the woman is in the
parlor car.
The engineer was crouched un-
der one siie Of the painting engine
at the station, putting grease where
the squeak was, with long-necked
can.
He nodded and smiled silently
when told he was to have passen-
ger-and went on with his oiling.
How to get up was the first prob
lem. The steps are narrow. per-
pendicular AMI far apart. and no
amount of gymnasium training
would help out, for they were too
black to touch. A boost had to be
submitted to.
In the cab it was sitting. The
engine filled all but a narrow floor
between the seat of the engineer
aat one side and that of the fireman
at the other. Both were under slid
ing windows. | sat down on the
fireman's side and was glad to put
my head out of the hot breath from
the engine.
In a minute we were off. My hat
was, too, except for one pin by
which it dangled. Theh engineer
pulled up the lii of his seat. took
out cap and handed it over. But
it was several sizes too big. so l
didn't wear anything on my head.
Soon we were leaving the hot,
smelly city tracks behind us.
AS the miles few 1t began to
seem time to interview the engi-
neer. So l called out to him, but
he didn't move muscle There he
sat with his left hand on the throt-
tie and his right hand on the re-
verse lever, looking out through the
little window in front of him along
the tra.k Up crept the lever in
the notches as we passed the city
limits. My hair streamed back In
ribbons. My ear drums throbbed. |
Suddenly the watchful eyes
narrowed. The lever began to
go down.
See the danger signal" shout |
ed the fireman in my ear.
1t was a tiny speck in the dis
lance which l hadn't noticed at
all.
A minute or two later there
were two reports that came from
under the engine. The wheels
ground, AMI We came to a stand
still few hundred feet behind
freight train.
did you hear the torpedoes?"
asked the engineer. They would
have told me there was something
ahead even if didn't see the sig
nal But they don't always put
them on, and then there is apt to
be trouble"
What if you hadn't seen or
heard just now" | asked
"Thered have been a rear-end
and we might have been. But
there's no use specializing, and only
once since so has it come to me"
After that he didn't say a word
until we took on water.
How we skinned! The engine
was like a great shrieking horse |
Between shoveling the fireman
slipped down behind me and |
shouted out an explanation of a |
string of boxcars on the siding.
Come over and sit next me-"
said the engineer. Il can't have |
my fireman resting too much, for
we are going to get that storm"
And We did.
The air thickened. A driving |
rain broke on the windows. Dark |
ness closed in. We couldn't see
the black hulk of the boiler as |
We tore through space. The en-
CINE groaned. The whistle shrieked
now and then when the engineers
hand jerkej the rope as he felt the
well-known signals.
1t was suddenly cold. A sick
ening sway said we were crossing
a trestle. | crouched by the en-
CINE and shivered and wished for
the light of the sun as never
had before. Then the light came
back