Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-11-22

Nayley picked up his pipe, reacneu
| for his tobacco, and then suddenly
| dashed both into corner of the room
You know, George, that every en-
| CINE sings a song of her own on the
| road, telling you whether all's work
| ing clean and smooth. That night |
was listening sharp, her bein' a new
| engine; and all of a wink something
sounded familiar. | harked to it, puz-
cling my head. Each stroke of the pis-
ton was the beating out of time, regu-
| lar, like a tune-and a tune | knew.
Then | remembered; and the sweat
broke out cold all over me. Like a
chill it was. Are you listening?'
go on" Curtin repeated.
THAT tune-I could swear it was
what she used TO hum, in and out
around the house and about her work
A bit of thing" His puckered lips
sent forth a few scaleless notes, and
he shook his head. Il can't get il.
never could spit out a tune; but | re-
member EN-, and when | heard it
comm out of the engine | sort O. froze
stiff like a dog at a bird. In the
middle OF it young Green began 10
whistle. Shut up | yelled at him;
and he dropped his scoop on the foot
plate, looking hard with his jaw down.
| don't like whistlin',' says |. apollo
getic, not when we're running He
picked up the scoop. thinking, | sup
pose, I'd gone off my head"
You sure had" the listener an
bounced with emphasis.
Nayley made no defense. He leaned
forward in his chair, and his eyes
seemed TO draw still farther back into
their recesses as the monologue con-
tinued in an altered, more subdued
voice.
"You and | go TO different churches,
George. but | reckon there amt much
difference. They tell us about the
spirit. and all that-going up above,
and the like; but what do they know?
Not guess, mind you. but downright
know? Nothing. ] say. Would you
run blind over a division on train or
iers that didn't tell whether it's Har-
risport or Bucksley that'd be the end
Of the run? You might; but you
wouldn't be feeling exactly comfort
able, would you? That's il. This bust
ness of what comes afterward is all
guess, and one mans guess is as good
Is another's. Dye see?'
The room grew still as Nayley mar
,halled his ideas.
"Shes gone, man. he brought out
slowly. and there's no telling where.
There's no saying but what she'd like
be round again, talisin to ne. sing
n the little song. NO~ yOu know
nan can't sit long on the right side
If the cabin without feeling that an
engines more than half human. Now
list. There comes a bran new engine
lust out of the shops. On the first
nights run, here the low voice sank
TO a sibilant Whisper hears the lit
tie tune she-she used TO sing-comin'
out OF the machinery
Curtin was up Ike shot. I'm not
going 10 sit here and listen to bunch
Of fool nonsense like that" he chal-
lenged, all the more vehemently from
having in spite of himself fallen uE-
der the spell of the others fancy. "A
nice yarn. that. to hand TO the boys.
Why, they'd have you off TO the Dizzy
House quick as grease,"
Don't be worryin' about that" was
the response; they amt going 70
know. You were the one TO ask me
about it-not them. And now that
I've told you, to have you come back
at me like this"
"Jim," his friend broke in, swung
by the appeal in the drawn face, If it
does you good thinking that way, go
ahead. I'm with you ake,'
On his way home that evening, and
for many days after, Curtin brooded
over the state OF mind which had come
upon the man. He wisely avoided the
subject, and as time wore by began TO
hope that it was but result of the
bereavement, to pass with time. More
over. by all his methods of reasoning
anything radically wrong would be apt
TO show in the days work. but there
was no doubt of Nayley's ability as an
engineer Every day and in any
weather the Emerald Express, all
green and gold, writhed into the ter
minal yard on time to the fraction.
No locomotive showed a cleaner rec
ord for general efficiency than did the
922. and as he went about his work
Nayley whistled his cheerful, formless
tunes.
Then came the wreck when the En-
erald" at forty miles an hour struck
a landslide, and the engine, two mail
cars and a coach went into the river.
Nayley was picked up by the rescuers
and shipped 10 the nearest hospital
with a fractured skull and two ribs
splintered. For weeks it was keen
struggle, but at length the spark OF
life fiickered more hopefully, and the
roundhouse rejoiced. AS soon as the
tension relaxed a trifle Curtin was al
lo-ed to pay a brief visit.
He found a wild. rowing light in the
eyes of the man whose first question
had been of the locomotive.
Down and out" was Curtin's reply.
They yanked her up from the river.
and the Old Man was all for putin
her in the scrap. She was all Knocked
to pieces. steam-chest cracked
''In the scrap" Nayley tried to raise
his bandaged head from the pillow.
"Oh. God" he groaned.
Not quite as bad as that. but she's
good for nothing. When she come out
of the shop they put her on Harrigan's
oopotrucffon train Hero Jim-kppn