The Washington times., 1920-04-11

little wooden boz opposite, courteously
rcalled a station, which is inhabited by
man whose aim In life is to watch the side
track and telegraph along the line how 1t
is occupied at various hours of the day and
night.
Just to the east the Great Western
makes its only distinct curve for miles
through little piece of woods. To the
west II stretches straight across the face
OF Indiana, mottled with a million half
burned stumps, and cut into big squares
by incalculable miles OF rail fence.
The man at Solitaria got to thinking 1t
over-he had a great deal of time TO do
this-and he made up his mind that mat
ters were going all wrong. In the first
place, he thought he ought to be allowed
more than twenty-five dollars a month for
his services, and that, considering he had
been running Soltaria alone for fifteen
years, they ought to give him an assistant
to talk to-to talk to and to allow him an
occasional chance to sleep.
Z These were, of course, entirely personal
ematters. But finally he made up his mind
TO reason; they never gave It any rest
Day after day and night after night they
had sent freight trains and express trains.
and express trains and freight trains
chasing each other along the road till they
had got 1t SO It was all going to break
down pretty soon-the road, and the cars,
and the men, and he himself-especially
he himself; he saw that plainly. They
were all going to stop short, one OF these
days. and ny to pieces.
Now, take himself, for instance: Was 1t
right that they should have kept running
their trains by his door twentyrfour hours
out of the day, and $50 days year, for if-
teen years, disturbing him fnd dePrivins
him Of what little sleep belonged to him?
Yet all night long they persisted In send
ing their freights jarring and clanking by
and their express trains shrieking and
making up time along the level grade.
4 He got so he knew those whistles by
name-he could hear them Shrek for miles
and miles in either direction-coming
nearer and nearer till the train rushed b!
In a cloud of yellow light. Then the next
one came. 1t was bad enough at that, but
when they got to calling him names 1t was
more than he could bear.
Besides, there was the electricity those
trains kept making and storing up in his
station. faster than he could ever hope to
get rid of it. 1t was taking his life away.
He went out and watched the wheels OF
the freight trains crunching, and grinding,
and souealing by, and he could see 1t just
rolling off and running into the station.
Then nights it came stealing over him,
and numbing him. just as soon as he tried
TO get a little sleep, which, heaven knew.
he was entitled to.
Anybody knows that trains running BY
like that, day and night, store up more
electricity in a station than a man can
bear. especially if he is all alone. But
they paid no attention to that He often
thought he would write to the division
superintendent. who had been telegraph
operator himself. and ought to think OF
such things. and tell him to stop 1t. But
this plan he never carried out; he had
asked for things before.
Now, Whatever might De Salu, no one
could accuse the Man at Solitaria OF not
giving the matter sufficient thought. For
months during the Summer he sat out on
the platform OF his box. in the baking sun
daytimes. and through the close, airless
Indiana nights, looking down the tracks
between train times, and considering the
question.
He saw clearly they did not recognize
Tho power and Importance Of the man they
were wronging. He knew perfectly well,
for instance, that any time he chose he
could turn the switch to the side-track and
stand an express train on its head in the
ditch. That would be, fascinating, certain
". Indeed, he considered the proposal
seriously for a number OF weeks, and fig
ured carefully on what train he would bet
ter take; but finally thought better Of this
plan, too. II would only stop one train,
which. wasn't what he wanted at all. The
Man at Solitaria felt the responsibility OF
his position; he decided to run the whole
railroad himself.
OF course, he recognized that there
would be opposition to this scheme on nsthe
mart OF the president and directors OF The