Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-12-24
WHAT SWANSON DID
By ). r. ~sTAFFoRo.
tcopyright.)

(Copyright.)
Swanson was fired at the bunk
house on the section bossed by "Old
McQuirk" after he had used a spike.
maui handle with telling effect on the
heads and bodies of the five Italians
who. with him and with McQuirk,
made up the section-gang. And Nc.
Quirk, who knew he would miss this
solemn-eyed and big.shouldered youth
from the Northland, and who loved
him, too, for all he had half killed the
gang, dismissed him sadly with a few
w~ell-chosen words:
fanny mon, Swanson. that has that
small an intillict that he caan take
the shirt aft is back widout havin'
to onbutton the collar av 1t is a bad
mon to be runnin' amuck wild the
handle Of a maui. An I'm sorry to
lose the like av yez, Swanson, but,
faith, an yez don't mix wild dagoes,
an dagoes is aal there is In this
domned country, SO yez betther go
aff, Swanson, an cultivate that same
intillict. an whin yez think yez caan
come back an bay a paceable mon,
thin Oil give yez a tip where yez
caan git yez q job.
But 1t won't be here, Swanson
it'll be over the Rio Grande, whin me
frind Porfieryo Dyaz, the prisidint OF
Mexico, is nadin' a icy spacies Of
polissmen. Yez haad betther clear
out, now, Swanson, for OF maay not
hear from the prisidint for some
toime."
And Swanson, who did not under
stand exactly what McQuirk was
driving at, did know for a certainty
that he was fired, and that there was
no help for 1t, and that there would be
no use of his hanging around in the
hope Of getting taken back again,
went into the bunk-house and crammed
his few belongings into the little gray
cloth bag that he had brought from
Sweden with him.
Also, he got the few dollars coming
to him for the time since last payday,
and bidding the section.boss' wife
good.by, while great tears stood in
his eyes, trudged away up the track,
bent on reaching the siding IA miles
up the grade, from which the Red
Horse mine got its supplies of grub
and powder.
Up there Swanson reasoned that he
might find work, for he had been In
the mines back in the old country, and
would be a miner yet only that he had
grown afraid of dynamite otter the
missed hole went off and killed his
brother at his side.
1t was noon when he reached the
Red Horse. Through a friendly fellow
countryman who was on the night
shift he learned that there was nj
work to be had; every place was full
and the mine would not run mucf
longer unless powder came. Swanson
shivered at the mention Of the stuff
They talked of the Northland-tht
home country-and the heart o
Swanson melted within him and home
sickness so filled him that tears cam,
into his eyes and sobs grippeG hin
by the throat.
After the pang of inconsistencies hat
left him he still sat there. For In {
little time, now, the east-bounf
freight would be along, and perhaps
he would see the good-natured brake
man who always threw coal at hin
playfully as the train passed the sec
tion-gang.
After the freight had passed I
would only be a little while until tn,
e%ast-bound express, drawn by tw'
powerful locomotives. would COM
snorting up the heavy grade.
In due time the freight announce,
itself and came dragging up the steel
ascent. There were no ore-cars II
the train, and Swanson wondered VIII.
1t was that a brakeman got off the emf
and ran forward to open the switcl
Sahead Of the engine. This soon be
came apparent to him. For as sool
as the switch was opened there cam
the pop of an air-pipe uncoupled an
the kissing of air and grinding O
brakes.
Then the engine ran in on tn
switch, dragging eight cars. Hall
way up the siding they stopped. Tn
brakeman ran past him and chocke
The trucks of the last car with bow,
ders, and then, climbing up, set tn
hand.brakes. After that there wer
rore sounds Of u%ncoupling, and the,
The engine pulled out. leaving the las
co.. The brakeman threw over tn
switch and locked 1t. It was Swar
sor's brakeman, but he was in sue
a hurry that he paid no attention I
the Swede.
Swanson suddenly heard the SCUM
Of iron striking iron, like the ring Q
. spike-maul when 1t misses tn
spike and hits the rail. He turne
around, and there within ten feet Z
him, right by the switch. with tn
broken lock-plate twisted around, an
with a driller's sledge in his left hant
. squat and evil-looking Italian SLOW
~ urged open the switch with hi
right hand.
Swanson's slow wits gathered then
fA I-A l. - A. IL TT