The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1908-09-22

- run
.on hadn't been genius, but being
@onins II happened He had early de-
Soioned an inclination to loiter about
i,nood citations, and while still a boy
aisnatcb operator had taken a fancy
.. HIN and taught him telegraphy, and
.ha earliest moment he could leave
hono he turned his face westward.
A. the division headquarters of the
d n railway, Arizona, an opening was
gornd for him, and he was sent out on
tho line. His town consisted Of the
station house, depot and water tank.
water tanks are not particularly in
teresting objects but they acted as
magnet toward the weary brake-beam
artist as here he can find rest and
liouid refreshment, and being few and
far between in this country, rarely
train masses one without stopping for
water.
Clarkson had not been in his office
many days before it was firmly i'm
nressed 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 filled, and nothing would re-
main to testify that it had been filed
except a wet and muddy floor, where
the tramp had spilled some of the
contents of the pail.
Being of a mild disposition and
slight build, he did not like to argue
with the thirsty, and so he set about
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, it is not an Indian summers
dream of peace to drink a 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 I'M
emptied cup, mutter a few relevant
but unseemly remarks and hurry
away.
The fame of Clarkson's continuance
spread quickly and the train men neg
lected their work to watch for tramps
who might chance along to drink
car report 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 precede a storm
IN mat section, a speck appeared in
the distance down the railroad track.
and Clarkson grinned as he watched
II approach. A red. dusty tangle of
beard covered the tramp's face. and
MS lank, shifting person was as rag.
gedly attired as a scarecrow for
coyotes. Altogether, he was a most
happy and promising subject, and
Clarkson tingled with joy as the fell
iow 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
ana Clarkson felt that his reputation
was at stake, So he turned on anoth-
ct wire and gave the tramp certain
inside information" on the stock mar
net Nothing happened. In despair
GARRISON conferred all the seven wires
III MS charge, including the overland
press relay and let the tramp have
mem IN the next cup of water he
utahA' In vain The hobo" put down
,ne emptied cup and sighed. Much
lseu' This makes me homesick;
makes me think of the old well on the
farm. Much b'nged."
Ihen' with a good share of the
geographic service of the P. Q. Rail
way Company secreted in his system,
ne went forth refreshed and re-
joieing.
mat night a rush dispatch from
.le superintendent of telegraphs was
teceiVed by Clarkson, stating that he
mad grounded all the wires of the
service held up seven passenger
rams delayed the associated press
mspatches, besides embarrassing the
a inning Of three perishable freight
o on,.ds' The dispatch closed with the
yourself?" ~" e0' - say -Ol
Garrison studied the message al.
b tStIaliVely with the empty water
t T%CSet' but not finding in them any
t thing to say for himself" he decided
a sra' ne would sleep over the matter
anu answer in the morning.
.,d he went to bed. but he couldn't
~ H,eep, The image of the hobo" calm.
t.,, drinking blue-tinted, saw-edged