New-York tribune., 1909-02-21

when I could But he's well enough now 70
look after himself until get back
Sick with some surprise Why. 1
hadn't heard And you're to take his place on
this trip Amt YOU pretty young, wouldn
have thought the Companyd agreed 70 It,
they're so particular. though. hastily, You re
perfectly competent. Carl, know that on We
been with Your fatl.eT so many trips YOU know
the ropes as well as he And you've got q cool
clear head. That's what counts in ripening
fruit by Thermometers And stIll-weu, YOU
know yourself how the company Is about young
help / We got boy of your age that l nope
10 get into a messengers Job some day. but
I've never expected to till he was twenty-five
or more You're lucky. that's all I've got %
sav II YOU make this trip all right, YOU II be
on the books for steady runs before the year
out"
Carl's-face had grown hot and uncomfortah bic.
BE- You don't understand. he explained I
But "a man down the track was looking
toward them and motI'nlng. Messenger
hurried away Well hope YOU Il have good
luck as Of course YOU will he called back over
ms shoulder " Wen be too busy TO see much
Of each other on the trip. take the twenty
end cars ON account of switching of At torInth
yours Il bc forward
ITNTIL that moment Carls head had been
- in a whirI. events had followed each other
SD rapidly. SO apparently beyond his personal
option IN the matter, that he mad allowed MN
self to be borne on the current. Now ne de
explain about his father and 10 see # he would
be allowed to tll the place. But from what ne
knew himself and from what o had Just Sald,
ne realized how Slight was his chance Perhaps
even his father would be suspended tor time
The company did not make much allowance
for sickness or CouyalesCence. It's work was
too important
But as o had conceded. he understood the
work and could probably do It as well as MS
father and luSt now they were IN special need
Of employment His younger brother was IN
the hospital. waiting an operation, and money
must be had 10 meet the expenses. 80 ne hur-
ried down track to the end OF hlS-or rather
his fatherS-seCtiuu of the train and began
careful examination OF the cars Then ne set
about seeing that they were properly heated
The mercury was down To thTty-tour de
grces, which was unusually cold tor New
Orleans and twelve degrees lower than the
messengers had started out at any previous
time that winter. Other messengers were
giving their ears little more heat than com
mon for 1t would bs twelve or fifteen hours
before the now cool bananas could begin 70
generate warmth of their own, and the freezing
or even chilling of traInload would mean the
loss of a fortune. Carl gave his cars several
degrees more than was customary and then
had the stoves removed and the doors closed
Even with an outside low Thermometer the
carefully built cars would then retain heat
until the fruit began t. generate some OF ITS
own An hour later the train pulled out
A cold wave had been predicted; but ap-
parently some weather condition had stayed
or swerved it in another direction Before
they were beyond the city limits the mercury
began to rise, and when they rumbIed through
Meridian II marked sixty degrees, and CON
tinued to go up. Carl began to look anxious
All his ventilatorS were now wide OPEN but
the air in the cars was moist and sitting. In
stead of being chilled. the danger was now that
the bananas would overhead, which would be
IuSt tS disastrous
A MESSENGERS duty Is To see that his
fruit gets into the market in just the right
condition. He must retard advance the
ripening by cold OF heat. according to the con
dition of the fruit the length of the trip, and
other circumstances, He must know from a
mere glance At bunch of bananas how many
degrees of heat VIII be required 70 ripen It IN a
prescribed number Of hours; and If he Is a