The Mount Holly news., 1914-09-08
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DUGAN'S DELIVERANCE
BY JOHN N. HILLIARn

lous whistle. The old fiagman drop
ped his newspaper and jumped up
from the rough pine bench as nimbly
as is consistent with wooden leg.
Catching up frayed green flag. he
stumped across the rails and took his
place In the double space between
the freight and the passenger tracks.
In the distance, where the twin rails
converged to point. that pricked the
horizon, was blur, which swelled
slowly, like the gradual imitation Of a
balloon. Out of this blur presently
emerged a passenger train that bore
down on the fiagman with the velocity
OF tidal wave. He stood like a
wooden figure. the flag held Imply in
his hand.
There was a sound like a rush of
a million wings, a black streak, no
longer. seemingly, than dash in the
telegraphic code, brushed the eyes,
and the lagman turned to see the
Cannon Ball express sweeping around
a distant curve, throwing the miles
over its shoulder, so to the hour.
The old man hobbled back to his
bench and seated himself with a sigh
OF relief. Then he lighted his pipe.
Il can take 1t easy now for a spell, =
he grunted. putting a cloud of smoke.
I'm alters as nervous as a woman till
the Cannon Ball gets by. Don't know
just why 1t is, but all the day feel
as If somethin' was goin' to happen
to that train, and right at this crossin'
too. When the old gal swings her
hustle around the corner, yonder,
feel happy as kid what's got ticket
for the circus.
did you ever know a railroad man
what wasn't superstitious7 Sure, they
all are. from Chawncey M. Da-poo
down to Jimmie Clancey what wipes
the locos up at the stable. Every
mothers son Of 'em Is as leery over
signs as Missouri crap-shooter.
But talk about superstitions! The
ornertest chap for superstttions l ever
saw In my life was Dugan. don't
s'pose you ever heard Of Dugan, did
you, mister? Well, Dan used to fire
on old ine-EightySeven, what hauled
the Chicago Limited. He was consid-
cred the best man in the bizness; ]
can say that much in his favor.
Why, he could make a loco draw
steam on a grade with no more fuss
than baby suckin' milk out Of q
bottle. That's the test Of a fireman.
l used to turn the trick myself when
/ was firing. in the old days, and
can tell you it's a daisy. It's some
thin feiler can't dig out o. books.
It's got to be born In chap. just
like they say poetry has.
We'll, that man Dugan was the
craziest fool over signs that ever drew
the breath of life. He had all kinds OF
kinks In his brain, and he made life
miserable for every engineer he fired
for. Billy Farwen used to handle the
lever on the limited, and 1t was only
Dugan's skin with the shovel that
saved him his Job.
Billy used to Say that Dugan was
a hundred times worse than an old
maids sewing circle, and that he was
enough to drive an ordinary man nutty
inside a year. You see. he was as
fussy as a young lady. He had to dc
everything in just such way.
"All the money In the world couldn't
have tempted him to climb into the cab
on the left side or to jump down on
the right side. This nonsense used
to make Billy Farwell hopping mad
He'd argue with Dugan by the hour
curse him, and threaten to have him
fred 1t didn't do bit OF good
though Billy wasted just 30 much
good wind, and Dan kept up his
monkey-shines.
There was another thing that
grated on Farwel1s nerves. Dugan
believed that it was unlucky to take
more than three steps when he
shoveled coal into the furnace He
would take three deliberate steps
to the tender, and three more back
One day Farwell gave him a savage
push which made Dugan take foul
steps, and the poor chap was all broke
up for a week.
He had to lay off to get mis- nerves
back in working order, and Farwel
had to get along with fellow that
didn't know any more about making
sueam than a Hottentot does about
wireless telegraphy. The limited was
behind her schedule every day that
week, and Billy got sharp letter
from the division superintendent.
He was mighty glad, can tell you
when Dugan finally showed up at the
stables. and he told the fireman thai
for all he cared he might go the limit
with his fool notions. He wouldn't
have anything more to say.
"Dugan was quiet chap, with al
his nonsense, and he never tried tc
talk any one into believeing in his
superstitions. None of the boys knew
much about him, except that he hat
drifted back east some time before
and he never offered to take any one
into his confidence regarding his past
hfe
There wasn't nothing SO very
strange about that, for railroad mer
amt much In the habit Of talking
about themselves.
when Billy Farwell died, Dugar
nut Ia an application for his place
and he didn't have any trouble In pass
ing the examination. The superin
tendent knew that his record as a fire
man was the best on the road. and hs
also knew that the fellows head wal
cl.uck full of superstitions, and tha
most of the boys called him crazy
THE superintendent kind O. though
that 1t wouldn't be good policy to pu
such a fellow at the lever, so another
man that didn't know half as muct
about loco as Dan was given the job
Dugan kept on firing old Nine-Eighty
Seven just the same as before, and he
never peeped word about being dis
/ appointed; but he was, just the same
1t was the biggest failure in his life
One dark night, when the limited
was spinning along on an easy BIZ
Of the road, Dugan was on his side o.
the cab. looking at the long bar o.
light that seemed to bore a hole into
the darkness. Suddenly q. black shape
swept through the open window anC
next instant was beating its wingl
against the lamp above the boiler.
1t was bat, and the moment tha
Dugan saw it his face turned al
clammy cold as a corpse. His eyei
bulged with fear until they almos