The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-02-12

Now, who In the double BANKED, blankety
olanked blazes is Hale2" demanded the
,oundhouse and the engine crews.
"MacKay was all to the good, hma-
uhatl" growled the despatchers
The train crews swung their lanterns with
defiant air, and the passenger conductors
juggled their punches around their little
fingers, smiling superior smile to themselves
Hale might be a good man, perhaps he was,
so was MacKay for that matter. guess
he'll get along all right with US, bit he don't
want to get fresh, that's all. Where'd he
come from, hm3"
That question, at first, no one seemed able
to answer. The general impression was that
the Transcontinental had got him from some
Eastern road. Certainly he was new man,
bran new, to the System.
And then the renown of one Haggerty,
who was braking on passenger local, became
great, and, in consequence, the displeasure of
g the Division increased.
Said Haggerty: "When was on the Penn
five years back, this fellow Hale was assistant
super. Youswanter look out for him, you
can take my little word for that He's
holy terror, an that's a fact. Got any
chewin'?"
Haggerty got his chewing, being an eyre
gious liar; and Hale got a damaged reputation
for the same reason.
But Haggerty got more than his chewing
and he had not long to wait. On the day
that the new super was expected. Haggerty,
on passenger local Number Seven, got into
Big Cloud about noon, and, taking advantage
of the ten-minute wait for refreshments,
straddIed stool at the lunch-counter. Be
tween bites, he fired questions at Macdonald
the dispatcher, who was boiling his midday
meal.
"Hale come YETI" he demanded.
2 Haven't seen him, replied Macdonald
"When dye expect him /" persisted Hag
gerty.
II don't know" Macdonald answered
ooh, don't be so blasted closet" snapped
Haggerty. "You amt givin' away any
weighty secret if you let out what time his
special'll be along, suppose"
"I haven't heard of any special, said Mac
Donald. "Say, Haggerty, they tell me
Hale's an old friend of yours, hm7 No won
der you're anxious. / forgot about that
AS soon as get word about him, I'll wire up
the line to you SOS you can jump your train,
come back on hand-car, and be here on the
platform to meet him"
"You go to blazes!" retorted Haggerty,
and scowled across the counter at an molten
sive looking little fellow whoghad taken the
liberty of smiling at the despaacher's words
"No, Haggerty" went on Macdonald
pleasantly, don't you worry. I won't fail
you. When the super steps off the train, and
the first words he says is, Where's Haggerty?'
and you're not here to respond in kind can
plainly see there'n be doings. Oh, no, don't
you fret, I'll not throw you down on anything
like that-'twouldn't be wise for US, that's
got to live with him, to rile him up at the out
setl No, it certainly wouldn't, WHAT"
You go bite on brake-shoe, you're too
sharp to be munchin' doughnuts," snarled
Haggerty. And, swinging himself from his
seat, he went back to his train.
An hour later when he reached Elk River,
the end of his run, he found a telegram wait
ing for him from Macdonald. He sucked in
his under lip as he read it.
"You sly JOKER" wired the dispatcher,
awhy didn't you tell us that your friend came
up with you on Number Severn"
Haggerty pushed his cap to the back of his
head, and swore softly under his breath. He
began to go over in his mind the passengers
that had been aboard the train when they
ran into Big Cloud No one Individual
seemed to stand out carded and Waybilled as
the new super.
Then an idea struck Haggerty, and he
climbed into the rear coach where Berkely, his
conductor, was making up his report sheets.
"Say, Jim," said Haggerty, twas there
any passes into Big Cloud this mornin'7"
Berkely looked up suspiciously You
mind your own business, an you'll get along
betterl" he snapped.
ooh, punkl" returned Haggerty. "My
counts the same as your'n, ain'tit7 What's
the matter with you, then9 Honest, Jim, /
wanter know Was there any passes2"
"No, there wasn't" grunted Berkely, cool
ing down little.
"Well, then, you might have said so at
first, instead Of jumpin' fellow for nothin', =
said Haggerty, and went out of the car to
hang meditatively over the hand-rail and spit
rehectively at the ties.
Now, wouldn't that sting you?" he de-
manded of the universe in general Wouldn't
that sting you2 Who ever heard of new
super comm on the job ridin' local on a
ticket? An me askin' when he was goin' to