The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1910-09-15
JEALOUSY--A DISEASE
BY Ef.BERR HUBBARD

me: 'Do YOU know the cause of most
railroad accdents?"
"Why, the disobedience of ORDERS"
answered..
"That is partly right, but the cause
lies deeper. Why should railway en-
ployes disobcy orders? Why should an
engineer run past the station when he is
ordered to stop? 1t is his own life he
endangers most. Why should a train
dispatcher send ont two trains facing
each other at the same time on one
track? Or why does switch tender
throw switch right in front of fast
express?
"Peop'e call these things accidents,
but that is not the word-they are the
result of mental conditions. And it is
for the general manager to be on the
lookout for these conditions, and every
good railroad manager now is.
"Do you remember when two passen-
ger trains met head-on out in Indiana
last year? The engineer of one of these
trains had in his pocket an order to take
the side track at certain station. He
ran by the station at fifty miles an hour,
and in five minutes there was crash
that snuffed out tifty-four lives and
5000, 900 worth of property. l knew the
engineer. Let us call him Hank Bristol,
for that wasn't his name. He was mar
ried to smashing, dashing, beautiful
creature, and they boarded at hotel
had no children. l boarded there, too,
and we all made eyes at Hanks dashing
wife. She used to play the piano and
sing little and recite. The love of one
plain honest man was not enough for her
she craved for admiration of the clever.
She wasn't bad woman, just an idle
one who spent almost every spare
cent that Hank made on finery to be
admired. Hank was proud OF her, two.
One evening he kissed the dear woman
goodbye and started out to make night
run. He went out to the round house,
and at the last moment the Old Man de-
cided to save Hank and let him take out
a special carrying the president and di
rectors OF the road in the morning.
Hank was tickled-it was great COM
pliment to HIM. He went home to tell
his wife; he used to tell her everything
'But when he got home she wasn't
there. She had gone to the theater with
beot and shoe drummer from Chicago.
FLANK went away and walked the
streets till mornlng-his wife never knew,
and believe she doesn't yet. He
walked the street all night and ran out
on the special in the morning.
but after that he was never the same.
He used to confide in me-he Just had
to tell some one to keep his heart from
bursting with grief.
"He grew absent-minded, lost flesh,
appetite gone, was nervous-the doctor
said he should quit coffee and cut out
half the tobacco.
II knew what was the matter-he was
jealous. | told him 50, and he laughed
laugh that gave me goose flesh. I
jealous! Why, Bill, you don't know
mel jealous. The ideal No, 1 am
only mad at myself, Bill, because I am
married to a damn fool of a woman who
makes my heart eat itself ont because
she lives on the fringe of folly. Why
don't | leave her? My God, Bill, that
is the trouble-i can't, l love her!'
"Hanh didn't work on our road, or
I'd neve: have let him touch throttle,
no, not even ii lie had been my brother.
| knew it would come. He was found
under his engine, the order that he had
disobeyed in his pocket, and picture in
his watch OF a woman that had caused
the disaster. No, it probably has never
dawned Oh this woman that she caused
the wreck. She wore deep mourning
and Me cutcst little black bonnet, with
white roUchc. She was the most
fetching widow You ever saw, and she
knew it without being told.
eyes, that is what l said-martial in
| felicity is responsible for the railroad
wrecks, and causes most Of the others,
too.
"The only safe man is the one whose
heart is at rcst-who has a home and a
wife who stays there and minds her bust
ness, looks after the babies, has no Sc
crets, AMI does not make eyes at other
men-that's the kind! l know every
man who works for me, and l know a
disturbed, distressed and jealous man a
train length away. My heart bleeds for
'em, but serve the public. and none
such can run an engine for me.
500 you see that man in the blue
| overalls down there at the end OF the
platform? Well, he is the engineer who
will take out this train. See how calm,
satisfied and self-possessed he is. He
has no cares, no anxieties beyond the
desire to do his work we'll. He is not
so aWfnlIV brilliant hut ho will novpr