The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-02-07
DERRY GARRETT HERO

My Dearest Son: The day l saw
your face for the first time, I thanked
God. You've hurt me cruelty since
then, but am still thankful, for I love
you. Never forget that you are dear
to your mother. Some day you will
do better-some day you will redeem
yourself.
Derry CARAT had called at the lit
tie postofice, and this one letter had
been handed to him. He looked at
the shaky, badly-formed characters.
His hands were trembling. The week
previous, some longing for word
from the one he had left years before
had swept over him, and he sent his
mother brief postal, giving his
whereabouts. In response to that pos
tai had come his. No appeal, no
proach, no pleading, no inquiry. Only
this.
He read it once more. Then he
strolled along the main street, past
the outskirts of the town, to where
his friend, Dick Burns, sat at the side
VI IAO highway q 0IASh
in leisurely, if somewhat cool, COM
fort; for it was late in autumn, and
there was a chill in the air once the
sun went down.
"You didn't hurry yourself any,"
said Dick, when he saw him. Con
sidering we've got to make our get
away at $3.50 Special car or not" he
added, grinning, 1--WE can't keep it
waiting"
Derry Garrett said nothing He
did not care much about Dick Burns;
but he had been in decidedly hard
luck when he met him the week be-
fore, and the honor Of the road kept
him tied to him until he found a
legitimate excuse for passing on alone.
So when, that night, he was quietly
dropped out at Tie Siding by an over
watchful brakeman, it was with a
sense of relief that he felt Dick had
been more successful than himself
He was, mot thus to lose sight of Dick,
however. When the freight train
passed on, Dick scrambled up from
the opposite bank and joined him.
Once in a while a sort of a grunt
They had no remark to make
from Dick Burns showed that he was
not all together pleased with the part
Of Gods world-God's world as man
has made tin which they found
themselves.
Tie Siding looked its reputation OF
being one of the worst little towns in
Wyoming. It nestled on the side Of
the forlorn mountain pass, as lonely 9
collection Of board shanties as one
would care to see. Still, it had its
attractions for those banished by the
law and hunted by the authorities
Perhaps the most interesting fact IL
connection with Tie Siding was thai
it lay less than half mile to the
west of Dale Creek, spanned by the
famous Dale Creek trestle.
It was likely that Derry CARAT haC
never heard of such place before h
was so quietly dropped off the from
end of the blind baggage the day pre-
vious to what is still known to rail
froad men as the "big storm" Pic
turesque in it's surroundings, tn
trestle was set in the midst Of earl.
frontier history and legendary lore
Dale Creek, usually an inoffensiv
streamlet, wendell its way througl
Lone Tree Gulch, which is at the yer
summit Of Sherman Pass, more thai
eight thousand feet above sea leve
When it came to building a railroad
it was found impossible to fill tina
yawning chasm. So the Overland pec
pie threw up a trestle to span it, an
there the trestle hung, suspende
'twixt sky and frightful depth.
Dick Burns and Derry CARAT foun
!, small shanty among the others, an
!, took immediate possession. Derr
!. CARAT was disguised to the point {
silence. They had built fire on tn
! makeshift hearth and sat in front {
: it, smoking, saying nothing. In spit
Of his gloom, it was Derry who foun
speech first.
"This is - of a place I'm q
t ing to get out of it as quick as I can
e Dick nodded. Som l." he sal
e And then they slept
y There was little food to be ha
e and none for the asking of it. A ca
e of beans, and another Of sardint
y were all they could buy the next da
But that troubled these knights Of Il