The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-03-30
(copyright.l

I've AuOWu cOiuS 5XcoptlOu5 W
that rule; in fact. have one in mind
now," said the superintendent.
1T was in the old days ON the M.
l.. and N. Old Man Goodell had come
down to Kensington from the 500 to
take over the management of the
road; and while he didn't have great
deal of style, he more than made up
for it in a system of his own. that
resulted in making the two streaks
of rust and a right-of-way one of the
best paying little roads In the country.
l was general utility clerk in his
office at that time, and sorted out the
old mans mail. One morning ] came
across letter from Tom Goodell.
Tom was brother of the old man.
who had been In the lumber business
up North, but who had taken q sud
den notion that he wanted to be a
railroad man. The letter was q re-
quest for job
Joe Kelsoe was trainmaster up at
Centerpoint at that time. He had some
set notions. like yourself, about Toms
AAAAs eR1Ao W66A al OLA UACAW al
about expressing them. The boys
said he cussed blue streak when
he got the old mans letter ordering
him to send Tom out braking on the
local to learn the road.
We'll, everybody knew at once
what that meant, and there was
general howl all along the line among
the trainmen, not official, of course,
but lot of talk, and, as usual, that's
about where it ended.
About three months after that, Ed
Burton, q freight conductor with q
through run, came within an ace of
getting into smash-up with an east
bound passenger on an order he mis-
construed, and, Of course, went on the
carpet. The old man was always
mighty square with the boys when
they got into trouble. and was dis
posed to be lenient with Ed, though
he had known for some time that Ed
wasn't man to be running train.
HE was oversensitive on the sub
ject, as that kind usually are; SO
when the old man offered to COM
promise by giving him thirty days,
and gravel train when he got back,
Ed flared up and quit. taking a pass
back to Arlington. where he lived
THAT was the only time / ever
saw Ed to know him; and when he
came through the office, looking as
black as a thunder cloud, ! surmised
he had been having his troubles In
the old mans little sanctum.
Well, as everybody expected. two
days later Tom GoodeH got his train.
Il had been out on the road look
ing up claim on some stock that had
been killed, and happened to be In
Tom Goodelps caboose on his first
run out. altered my opinion of Tom
that night and haven't changed it
since, for he proved to be one Of the
exceptions l spoke about.
The night operator at Menden had
given him orders to pick up some
empty stock cars at Arlington, and /
guess that's all that saved US from
about the worst wreck the road ever
had, for we would have gone into that
open switch at forty-five-mile clip.
They usually went through from
Menden without stopping. that being
a part of the run where they made up
time. AS it was, they had slowed
down for the stop, and when they I'M
expectedly shot in on the siding from
the upper end, the engineer had his
train pretty well under control; so
the little bump they gave that string
Of empties did no damage. The switch
had been thrown, and the light
changed so that 1t showed white
when they found out about the
changed switchlight. the crew laid 1t
to every cause bat the right one. AS
Tom jumped down from the caboose
steps, however. his quick eye had
caught sight Of man ducking around
the edge of the station that looked an
awful lot like Ed Burton.
He said nothing about this when
he came up where the boys were talk
| ing, but the next morning he and
the old man were closeted for the bet
ter part of an hour. / could tell by
his loud tone that the old man was
considerably worked up about some
thing, for he always was quiet sort
| of q man. All the while Tom was
talking in low, pleading voice, and
now and then l could hear Ed Bur
toms name
After a while they came out, and
the old man took his pass-book from
his desk and filed out a blank.
could see his hand tremble as he
wrote. Tom took it, and hurried out
as | afterward learned, to catch No. 5
He dropped of at Arlington on the
opposite side from the station, and
1 when he came back on No. that eve
ming Ed Burton was with him."
The superintendent screened his
eyes with his hand and peered through
the window to see the switch-lights
of the Centerpoint-yard twinkling II
the darkness.
Here's where / get off," he said
Il suppose Burton was a guest o.
the state for term pursued the ex
railroad man, also rising.
No, he wasn't" denied the super
intendent, putting on his overcoat
1.-THE old man and Tom fixed it up be
tween them to keep the matter quie
and give Burton another chance.
HE wrote to friend of his some
where out West that he wanted Et
Ulaood oud In a xraotr ~ - I'd no oh ar
up his wife and baby and followed
the letter. never heard OF him aft
er that. Well. good-by; I'm glad tt
have met you"
Same to you Guess I'll go to bed,
returned the ex-railroad man, follow
ing him out into the passage.
The superintendent descended t,
the platform and walked toward thu
tall frame building that housed thu
division headquarters. At the foo
Of the long stair he halted momen
and looked at the big mogul that wal
! standing on a siding attached to I
long train of all sorts and conditions
that made up No. IS, then turned ant
climbed to the office on the secont
floor.
mo. SIS going to get out on time?
he asked of the night dispatcher, wh'
was bending over the train sheet q
the long instrument table.
She's following No 3 out on time
but | don't know how long she'll sta.
that way. with green fireman tryinl
to feed that ten-wheeler. Kelly say
Gordon's kicking. like bay steer a