Gunnison news-champion., 1919-12-26
C1gyrisEi

was over one Of the worst railroad di-
visions In AmeriCa-So difficult. in
fact. that the crews covering 1t had
dubbed IL he stormy"
The Pacific Limited trailing behind
continental system-was usually siI-
car affair Today Il was .even. and
all Tom DaveuPort's finesSe as loco
motive sngiueer had been called upon
to make LordsbErg with only quar-
tcr-hOur delay.
Up TO Mescal he had climbed from
Tucson. then dropped down a terrific
grade around Dead Mans Curve"
into Benson; up again the sharp
ascent into Dragon. then down through
CochIse and san Simon upon the only
few miles Of straight track the entire
division boastrd.
once more Davenport set his teeth
as he }ururued the cutoff lever far
down 10 tho corner and uursed his
train ~ through Sro.l'. PASS. over the
summit and dDwn again INTO Lords
burg
He had s'lll one hundred aud forty
eight miles to go in two hundred and
fourteen minutes. besides making up
that lost eighteen, TO maintain his
schedule
The grade was not so ncrve-racking
into Fl PaSO. and once al S"par the
summit Tom calculated on the long.
gradual drop down through n. valley
Of the Rio GrauGc 20 th" terminus to
aid him lu considerably exceeding the
usual running time of NIL" IN a min
ute and third. which vn- the average
Of his particular schedul" for the en-
tire division.
Back In the swaylnc. lurching Pull
mans a realization 0f the unusual
speed began to communicate Itself TO
the minds Of the passengers, now
streaming forward to the dining car in
response to the first call FOR dinner.
Burhauan Williams whose hurried
rush across the platform at Lords
burg had enabled him to make a con-
nectlon which saved an eIgh,-hour de-
lay. stopped IN the ycstihUle Of the
diner TO pass his ticket TO the con-
duCtor.
Some class to this" he chuckled az
he rendered the bit OF pasteboard. do
you think we'll make II Paso on
timef
within few minutes OF It." smiled
back the other renssurIngly. Tom
Davenport's up ahead. and he hates TO
make explanations at either end Of
the division. Going to Chicago.
BuckT"
No; Mexico. Trouble down CulIa-
can way. Another revolution: and
every man In my mine, suppose. is
out trying TO make himself president
with shotgun instead Of using a di-
| rect primary to get the nomination.
/ Wish they'd settle down. The El
/ Tigre is beginning to pan out big
/ but we need men to work IT."
"Some mine. that FL TIgre. accord.
ing TO the talk Of the boys coming out
/ OF that section"
/ Fair" drawled Buck. with a whim-
I sical smile. she paid out more than
/ a half.million last year. and we've only
scratched her back so far. Wait until
/ we get down to the five-hundred-foot
level and drift. Then we'll make
Johnny Rockefeller's wig take on a
marcel-wave effect"
| He swung into the diner and seated
/ himself In the only vacant chair Op-
| posite sat small. dark. unobtrusive
little man whose skin was a trifie too
tawny for either a Mexican or an n.
dian.
His coal-black hair large, luminous
brown eyes, and general appearance
I of intellectually were unusual. but of.
t fered a strange contrast to certain
humility Of manner. Williams thought
rather contemptuously.
| Buck scanned the card while the
waiter brought the meal his vis-a-vis
had previously ordered. The mining
mans interest in his fellow passenger
Increased as he noted that his meal
consisted wholly Of vegetables and
that he drank nothing but milk.
D The limited was snorting up the
grade toward Separ when his own
dinner was brought In.
I Williams ate vorac!ously. as only an
Z
combat with the apparently sterile
and antagonistic country which they
were traversing.
He glanced curiously over at his
travelling companion. The brown eyes
seemed to take on half melancholy.
i brooding look. as II the owner were
( peering into a future pregnant with
events.
He laved his hands In the silver fin.
ger-bowl. wiped them carefully, and,
: while waiting for the check. drew from
| his pocket sheet of paper and began
to peruse 1t
Travelling farY queried Buck. with
the bluff heartiness of the West.
ITO New England. sar," smiled bach
the little man.
!, 'You don't belong in these parts