The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1908-08-20

IL Nphlul nave ldDlflltu IL Nidl n
son hadn't been a genius, but being
genius, 1t happened. He had early de-
vcloped an inclination to loiter about
railroad stations. and while still boy
a dispatch operator had taken a fancy
to him and taught him telegraphy, and
at the earliest moment he could leave
home he turned his face westward
At the division headquarters Ct the
z. Q. railway, Arizona, an opening was
found for him, and ne was sent out on
the line. His town consisted OF the
station house, depot and water tank
Water tanks are not particularly in
teresting objects, but they acted as a
magnet toward the weary brake-beem
artist, as here he can find rest and
liquid refreshment. and being few and
far between in this country, rarely
train passes one without stopping for
water
Clarkson had not been in his office
many days before It was firmly i'm
pressed upon him that when a tramp
wanders into a desert station the first
thing he wants is water. SO is the
second and third. His pail of ice
water would be emptied almost as
soon as filed, and nothing would re-
main TO testify that it had been filled
except a wet and muddy floor, where
the tramp had spilled some of the
contents of the pail.
Being Of mild disposition and
slight build, he did not like to argue
with the thirsty, and so he set about
a plan whereby he might impersonally
rid himself of the water bugs Attach.
ing a wire to the floor of his office
he ran It to the handle of the drinking
cup, so that anyone standing on the
wet floor with the cup in his hand
would get the full benefit of the tele
graph wire when a switch or ground
wire was put on.
When a tramp came for a drink,
| Clarkson would wait till the fellow
| had got well settled back with the
cooling ice-water gurgling down his
| throat. Then he would tap his con-
Meeting wire and send a few casual
train orders chasing into the drink
er's midst.
Now, ii is not an Indian summers
| dream of peace TO drink hot, blue
| tinted train order with saw-teeth in
| it, and as this torchlight parade would
| troop down the thirsty mans throat,
he would suddenly let go of the un-
| emptled cup, mutter a few relevant
but unseemly remarks and hurry
away.
The fame of Clarkson's contrivance
| spread quickly, and the train men neg
| lected their work to watch for tramps
who might chance along to drink a
car report, a wrecking order, or a
batch of commercial messages. One
soft-hearted conductor kindly hauled
hobo" nearly a hundred miles to
give him drink with special S. F. b.
Morse trimmings.
On one of those still and very hot
| days such as usually precedc a storm
| In that section, speck appeared in
! the distance down the railroad track,
and Clarkson grinned as he watched
it approach A red, dusty tangle of
beard covered the tramp's face. and
his lank, shifting person was as rag
| gedly attired as n scarecrow for
coyotes. Altogether, he was most
happy and promising subject, and
| Clarkson tingled with joy as the fell
| low made straight for the water pail.
When he was well in the act of
swallowing, the dispatches were
turned on, but he continued drinking
without showing the slightest visible
concern. Some train hands were near
and Clarkscn felt that his reputation
was at stake. So he turned on anoth-
er wire and gave the tramp certain
inside information" on the stock mar
ket. Nothing happened. In despair
Clarkson centered all the seven wires
in his charge, including the overland
| press relay, and let the tramp have
| them in the next cup of water he
drank. In vain. The hobo put down
the emptied cup aud sighed: Much
bIiged This makes me homesick;
makes me think of the old well on the
farm Much bliged."
Then, with a good share OF the
telegraphic service of the p. O. Rail
way Company secreted in his system
he went, forth refreshed and re
joicing
That night rush dispatch from
the superintendent of telegraphs was
received by Clarkson, stating that be
had grounded all the wires Of the
service, held up seven passenger
trains, delayed the associated press
dispatches, besides embarrassing the
running OF three perishable freight
extras. The dispatch closed with the
query: What have you got to say foi
yourself?"
Clarkson studied the message al
Tentatively with the empty water
bucket, but not finding in them any
thing 10 SAY for himself" he decided
that he would sleep over the matter
and answer in the morning.
He went TO bed, but he couldn'
| ,f hn