Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-10-02

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} few houses. Bellamy boarded at the
one the first week, but tired of 1t, ant
he heard of Ma Appelys from Opera
tor No. 10.
. F, She was stationed down at Sweet
water, eight miles below Black Creek
When the 6:1O freight dropped Gown
, the line, he had to call her and re
, ceive her time on the up express from
Red Wing. After the first week she
! would answer questions and when he
!, complained of the food and lodging VI
, at the halfbreed's house she told min
to hang on to the 1920 local and dror
|; off at Sweetwater and she'd take him
over to Ma Appleby's.
That was the beginning for Bellamy
All his life he remembered the pic
.ture she made waiting for him on the
platform with the sunset red backing
up the timber line behind her and the
glow of 1t enfolding her for him. 1t
wasn't that she was so beautiful. Bel
lamy only knew that she was Infinitely
i tender and womanly, full of sympathy
and understanding, full Of humor and
I happiness. He found himself telling
! her all his hopes and plans the third
night, after he had become a regular
down at Ma Appleby's. And when he
had finished she had nodded her head.
Il know. think every one should
set something ahead of him and then
run for 1t. I'd rather be anything than
9, gutter"
The thought of that had made him
hang on to his nerve through six
! months of Black Creek, with it's lone
Illness and hard work. All through the
/ hot summer and into the fall he stood
1t until the autumn rains swelled the
river and 1t was a question every day
whether the station would hold out or
turn into a handy route to the great
, unknown. After the third month he
was put on night duty. There came
hours toward dawn when he would
have given anything for even the cold
friendly nose of dog for company,
with the dense silence of the forest
closing down on him and only the re-
Election of his own face looking back
at him from the window pane for COM
pany, The conductor on 459 told him
! iocularly one day that two operators
had killed themselves after a year OF
/ Black Creek. Then he would set his
| teeth and remember. She had said
she would rather be anything than
f. gutter.
The river had ben high all day
When he took the station over at g.,
Tucker, the day operator, told him he
had tried for an hour to get an answer
from Packers Grove, twenty-five
miles north along the river.
Keep up the call, Tom, till you get
their answer. If there's q washolt up
there Well get it here during the night
and Sweetwater and you'll have TO
hold back the trains
Sweetwater and he. He called her
as soon as he was alone, his Sweet
water sweetheart, as he laughilgly
named her to himself, Madge Lowell
on the companys pay roll. Yes, she
tapped back She would stay on till
midnight. Crosby, the night man, was
sick. Danger? Perhaps. She rather
thought the stations were strong
enough to stand the river rush, even
! if there should be a washout.
Keep at the key, anyway" she call
ed. mo matter what happens. Don't
60 away. There are two passenger
trains besides the express, and it's up
to u.s. because we're at the top Of the
valley and will get the first alarm"
1t was quarter Of eleven when he
heard the roar up the valley. He lean
ed out of the little side window and
saw the river dashing below. 1t was
over the siding tracks now and rising.
swirling, foaming, racing along, it
seemed some demon of the darkness
bent on destruction. Packers Grove
was dead SO far as any wires went,
but he called Sweetwater and told her
the food was booming down the val
ley and the tracks were going under.
And in f1vem inutes she called back
that the express had left Chippewa
Junction already, but she was signal
ing it from her station. If 1t passed
Re must call for help.
How can it pass you?"
"The river may get me first"
Then he understood. He was in a
tower, but her little shack was on a
level with the tracks, few pine
boards with a water tank on one side
and a semaphore on the other. The
river would pick it UP like chip.
Bellsmy sat forward staring at his in
strument. She was trying to cheer
him up. =. Out of the night. eight miles
away, she told him he must stick even
if the river beat them. And he begged
her to go away = to leave the station
and summon help. She said there was
not time. The express was on the way
I'D. And then Bellamy tried to make
the key carry his message to her. all
that he had meant to say, all that she