Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1911-11-23

mot YET. Mr. Mrt92SAcy" iauGhed
1t1srvw o9d getting his aySJ real
measure ~ the m2u in the hearty
a-ad strip. "On the contrary. I've
a> % .1t@G rou tnr Not d;epring
tH~S ami summing away before the
N,F U3aU&~cneot could set on the
:, uud."
The twinnaSter'S vejoiudrr WAS cut.
SUuNcu,y blunt. "l'Vc nowhere to run
&c, Mr. Lid&erwoa3, and that's NJ
joke Some Of the hackcarpcrS viii
lee ,e.tjn& YOU presently that | was Il
train dispatcher over In Gods country
and THAI l put two trains toyrther,
It's ynug riGht to know that it's true"
Thank YOU, Mr MeCloSkey," said
lidgrrwnod simply THAT sounds
good IL me- And take this for your
SELF the man who has done that once
doesn't do II again. That Is one thing.
and another is thiS-wr start with
clean slate ON the Red Butte West
ern, No man in the service who will
turn in and help us make real rail
road out Of the r. II. w need worry
about his past record, 1t won't hc
duw un AGAINST him"
That's fair, more than fair," said
the trainmaS,er. land | wish | could
promise You that the rank and file will
meet you halfway. Rut | can't The
road has been running itself for the
past two years and more"
~ understand" said Tidgerwood,
and then he spoke of the careless dis
patching
THAT viii be Callahan. the day
man." McCloSkcy broke in wrathfully.
"Rut that's the way of It. When we
set through the twcnty-four hours
without killing somebody or smashing
something | thank God and put red
mark ON that calendar over my desk"
We'll. we won't so back Of the re-
turns" declared Iidgcrwood
The door leading into the room he
yond the trainmastcr's office opened
sQueakily on dry hinges, and chatter
ing of telegraph Instruments heralded
the incoming Of disrcputahlc looking
office man. Seeing I.idgerwood, he
duckcd and turned to McCloskey.
Bradford. reporting in, had given his
own paraphrase of the new sunerin-
tendents structures on Red Butte
Western diSpatching.
Seventy zones in the ditch ut Gloria
siding" he said, speaking pointcdly to
the tranmaster "Goodloc reports II
from Little Butte--says both engine
men are In the mixup. but he doesn't
know whether they are killed or not"
There you arew Suarled McCloskey,
wheeling upon Lidgerwood They
couldn't let you get your chair warmed
the first day"
Lidgerwood might blamelessly have
turned over the trouble call to his
trainmaster, But he took command mt
once.
GO and clear for the wrecking train
and have some one in your office notify
the shops and the yard" he said brisk
! ly, compelling the attention of the dis
patcher And when Callahan was
gone: Now, Mac. get out your map
and post me. I'm n little lame on
geography yet. Where is Gloria sid
ing?"
McCloskey found blue print map
Of the line and traced the course of the
western division among the foothills
to the base OF the Great Timnnyonis
and through the Tlmanyonl canyon to
parklike valley. At point midway
of the valley his stubby foretinger
rested
That's Gloria" he said. "and here's
Little Butte. twelve miles beyond"
Good groundT queried Lidgerwood.
"As pretty a stretch as there Is any
where west of the desert, | don't
know what excuse those hoboes could
find for piling a train in the ditch
there"
"We'H hear the excuse later" said
Lldgerwood, "Now, tell me what sort
of wrecking plant we have"
1.-THE best in the bunch" asserted
the tranmaster "Gridley's Is the one
department that has been kept up to
date and in good lighting trim We
have one wrecking crane that will pick
up any of the big freight pullers, and a
lighter one that isn't half bad"
"Who Is your wrecking boss"
"Gridloy- when he feels like going
out He can clear n main line quicker
than any man we've ever had"
"IIe will 20 with us todayW
81 suppose SO. lie is In town, and
he'S-SOber."
The new superintendent caught at
the hesitant word
Drinks. does hep
mot much while he is on the job.
But he disappears periodically and
comes back looking something the
worse for wear. They tell tough stO-
ries about him over IN Copah,"
"Tll go and run through my desk
mail and I'll Hallock mp while you nre
making ready" said the new super
intendent Call me when the train
is made up"
Passing through the corridor on the
way to his private office back OF Hal
q "a