The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-11-16
centinued PROM Yesterday

Vi
rtalns,
\ Al the lake cottage she missed the
.s<,ng OF the trains. She realized
~ IN town she had depended upon
ham for assurance that there re.
nined a world beyond.
Tho railroad was more than a
ANS OF transportation 60 Gopher
nirie. IL was new god: a mon.
~ OF steel limbs. oak ribs. flesh
n gravel. and a stupendous hunger
N freight: deity created BY man
/>st be might keep himself respect.
N 10 Property. as elsewhere he had
esatrd and served as tribal gods
mines. cotton.mills. motor.fae.
4cs. colleges. army.
Tho East remembered generations
hcp. there had been no railroad.
[!-sIhd no awe " Il. hut here the
Iniir1ads had heen before time was.
|fhe towns had been stakcd out on
krrrn prairie as convenient points
~ future train.hails; and back in
kso and 1870 there had been much
wcfit, much opportunity TO found
ristocratic families. in the possess
&on OF advance knowledge as to
here the towns would arise.
| n town was In disfavor. the
ki,rcad could ignore It. cut II Off
nm commerce. SHAY Il. To Gopher
|airic the tracks were eternal veri.
-. and boards OF railroad directors
n cmnlpotence. The smallest hoy
y the most secluded grandam could
|>i you whether No. Sc had hot.
&nx last Tuesday. whether No. Z
|pxs going 60 put on an extra day.
knnch: and the name OF the president
3 the road was familiar 10 every
lr>Akfast table.
Even In this new era OF motors
IA citizens went down TO the sta.
ION 10 see the trains so thru. II
Irss their romance: their only nvs
~ besides mass at tho Catholic
<Sd7ch; and from the trains came
lupds Of the outer world travelling
n<smen with piping on their waist
ssts. and visiting cousins from
Milwaukee.
Gopher Prairie had once been a
t1vision point" The roundhouse
hni repair-shops were gone. but two
|nnductcrs still retained residence.
1nd they were persons OF distinction.
|nen who Travelled and talked to
Managers. who wore uniforms with
MSS buttons. and knew all about
Use crooked games 81 con.men.
6hcy were q special caste. neither
I1pve nor below the Hsydocks. but
(CRrt. artists and adventurers-
Tho night acknowledgements at
~ railroad station was the most
o<so<1rsnatic figure In town: awake
= three in the morning. alone In a
rppn, hectic with cietter OF the teie.
9aph key. All night he talked 90
lp<rators twenty. fifty. hundred
niIes away IL was always to be
mpecsed that he would be held IN
N robbers He never was. but
)>und him was a suggestion OF
nnsked faces ~ the window, revoi.
s>12 cords binding him to a chair.
1s1struxgie 20 crawl to the key be-
1(5 he tainted.
During billiards. everything about
~ railroad was melodramatic.
I1ere were days when the town was
rmpietcly shut off. when they had
y mail. no express. no fresh meat.
y newspapers. AT last the rotary
|ntw pillow came thru. bucking the
|Fifts. sending up a Eeyser. and the
~ to the Outside was open again.
NJ brakemsn, in mufficrs and fur
~. running along the tops OF Ice
spoted freight-cars: the engineers
IaRtching frost from the cab win
11ss and looking out. inscrutable.
1fcontained. pilots OF the prairie
were heroism. they were
y Carol the daring Of the quest in a
sorid of groceries and sermons
70 the small boys the railroad was
J famillar playground. They climbed
Doxcars: built fires behind piles Of
- ties: waved TO favorite brake
IN. But 10 Carol II was magic.
NE was motoring with Kennicotf.
ear humping thru darkness. the
rs showing mud pnddles and
- weeds by the road. A train
0hins, A rapid chuck-a-chuck.
'hucka-chuek. chuck-n-chuck. II was
wiring past--the Pacific Flyer. an
'STow Of golden flame. Light from
he fire-box splashed the under side
Z The trailing smoke. Instantly the
'te|on was gone; Carol was back In
~ long darkness. and kennicott
- giving his version OF that fire