The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-05-31
Fiction
The Return of Bill Carver.
BY DAVID Il. TALMADeE.


rision to the passenger train on the
Goose river branch of certain great
railway. was called upon one morning
to apologize in behalf OF his engineer
and his apology from end TO end, IN.
Guiding stops and slowdowns, as the
saying is, was not entirely devoid OF
entertaining features.
"The truth OF the matter is" said
he, addressing the principal kicker,
travelling salesman from Milwaukee,
that there's only one man on earth
who understands the teakettle that we
use I'm place of a real locomotive on
this line, aud his names Bill Carver.
Bin knows her from the track up He
gives her a pat here and a jab there,
and she settles down to her PAGES like
an old family horse. But let new
man take her and she either gets on
to her hind legs and goes crazy or
else she sullSs and won't go at all
worth mentioning. She's sulking this
morning"
"I should think sow growled the
Milwaukee man, looking at his watch.
We're forty minutes late now, and
I'll miss my train on the other road.
Where is Carver anyway? What do
they let him go away for without TAX.
Ing his hanged old steam pot with
| himf"
Hes ut Geneva Lake by this time"
replied the conductor. "He came down
| with us last night He's on his we'd
ding trip. BY George, you wouldn't
have known aim logged out as he was
in the regulation black, with his hands
in kid gloves and his feet in patent
feathers. He could hardly drag his
gaze away from his bride long enough
to recognize the teakettle; that's n
fact. He was simply soaked full OF
love or whatever 1t Is, and he was pur-
ring like a kitten. I'd never have be-
lleved 1t of him, for Of all the mean
things ever heard any one say about
women as a sex and about marriage
as an Institution he'd said the mean.
Test. He never had any patience with
idiots who repose confidence In petit
coats He said women were all false
and were as foolish as barnyard fowls.
He was married to his ridiculous old
engine. he was, and he never wanted
anything better In this world.
"Of course we married fellows knew
when he spouted that sort of stun that
he'd been disappointed In some love
affair and that he didn't really mean
all he thought he meant, but none of
US was ever able to pump him out. So
we Just laughed at him and told him
that sooner or later he'd meet some
thing I'm pettlcoPts that would jerk
him over the line and Into the round
house as a mogul jerks a sick switch
engine 1t made him snort to tell him
that, but it's precisely what happened.
IL ever saw man who'd lost the
last vestige of his power of resistance
1t was him last night. He was coal In
the scoop of the fireman, nothing else"
"How did 1t happen" asked the Mil
waukee man, glancing again at his
watch and settling resignedly into his
seat. nu .f.
'Well, as near as l can make out
from what | was told at Whipplevllle
yesterday by q chap who lives next
door to Bllls brides folks up at Cor
rey Center It was mostly Bill's fault
that he didn't get spliced long ago In
stead of going away In a huff and
turning himself into a make believe
woman hater. The girl liked him all
right, but she was like most girls-she
didn't like to seem too easy. Bill might
have understood her II he hadn't been
so lacking in ordinary-what do you
call it?-perspicuity. He sized up O
woman just as he did an engine He
expected definite results. When he
pulled the throttle he expected her to
go, and when he put on the air he ex.
pected her to stop, and when she didn't
do these things he got mad.
Furthermore, he gave the girl tc
understand plain enough that he was
dead gone on her and that was an,
other mistake. He's fair, square and
aboyeboard, Bill is, and he has mighty
little patience with any one who tries
to take advantage OF him. He'i
po fish to be played on a string, hG
says.
IN snow, there never was a healthy
girl, 4 suppose, VINO Woulunt play
with chap after she was sure she
had him hooked. It's the nature OF
'em. And this girl did things just to
make Bill mad. She 6irted with 9th
er fellows, and she had little spells OF
false agony. when she made him
think he'd done something she didn't
like and wouldn't tell him what II
was. and she twItted him on his looks
which aren't specially handsome, and
altogether she carried on In a way tc
drive an honest man TO desperation
although most men In Bllrs place
would have brought her up with q
round turn.
".And at last one night four years
ago Bill reached the limit, aud fol
about an hour he read the riot act tc
her. He was like life or death spe
cial on new track-slmply shut his
eyes and made her run. Then when
he'd got through he slammed his hat
over his eyes and bolted, never look
Ing at the girl. I'll bet SO she was
holding out her hands TO him and try
| | Ino, To .oak har taIlg nina IN x.,arly A