The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-01-21
The Greater Love
BY BEN r. THORNBURY
(Copyright.l


The gaunt frame building that had
served as division headquarters at
CenterpOint for the past quarter of a
century, trembled and creaked in the
grasp of the blizzard. Everybody down
ian the yard, who could leave his work,
fad been driven TO the shelter OF
FoundhOuse and train-Shed by the fury
OF its binding gusts.
''It never SHOWS, but there's a biz
zard out here" grumbled the night
dispatcher, bending over the train
sheet at the long instrument table in
the center of the room, land that APP
plies to something more than the
weather chart, too. Just let us get
Mans sure to find some reason for
summing that vanished :Tagon of his
out on the Lire to play Shuttle-cock
with the schedule. It's a bad night to
Keep things moving"
lie was addressing no one in particu-
far, but the superintendent wheeled
around from his desk in the corner
and faced him.
Speaking of the Old Man." he said,
"did you notice that drunken bum that
just went OutT'
'No," he snapped, 'Tve been too
busy keeping half a dozen hog-trains
from running over the Old Mans
special to notice anything. WHAT'S he
got to do with the Old Man?"
Nothing, now, but there was a time
about ten years ago, when the Old
Man was strong factor in his life. "
The superintendent hitched his chair
over to the table and cooked up his
heels.
at isn't long story" began the SUI
perintendent as he lighted a cigar and
carefully studied the burning end.
THAT drunken bum is Sam Selkirk, at
one time the smoOthest operator on the
NJ. 1. and N.
"Well. Sam blOwed into the general
offices one day-they were located at
kenSingtOn then-and hit the Old Man
for job.
Beyond the fact that he could
pound brass. the Old Man never asked
any questions. l was a clerk in the
Office at the time. and 1 remember the
expression on the Old Mans face when
Sam sat down to that key. He did
love competent man, no matter what
branch of the service he happened to
be in.
"YOu can bet there wasn't any
in Oft
that, and things went on as smooth
as the road-bed for about six months,
until one day Joe KelSoe came in on
NO. 2 and announced that he needed
dispatcher, and needed him bad.
"You never knew Joe, did you? He
went down East when the road was
G0bbled up, but he was train-master
here in Centerpoint at that time.
'The Old Man knew, b. the way
Joe cut his eyes around at Selkirk
when he made the announcement, that
te might as well look out for a new
operators for what Joe vert after he
usually got, and so the next day Sam
Was ordered to report here for sec
pnd trick work. That was the begin
sling of Sans troubles"
+Of course there was a girl in the
case" continued his chief, land the
girl in Sans case was Jim O'Keefe's
daughter. Jim was road-master; the
old Man having brought him and the
chief dispatcher down with him from
the 500.
tHThe chief was good man, all
right, or the Old Man wouldn't have
had him. and we all thought he was
straight as die, but a lot of straight
trees have crooked roots you know,
and they never showed in his make
up until Sam raked off some Of the
dirt by taking up with Fanny O'Keefe
Somehow, Fanny never told Sam
that she and the chief had been thick
up north. From that moment, the
= chief began throwing it into Sam and
never let up until he finally got his
scalp.
"Things went on that way until
Sam and Fanny concluded to tie up.
"AbOut that time the Transconti-
mental bought up the line and there
was a general shake-up all around.
"Sam was fred for cause Of
course it was plain to everybody that
the cause was under the new super
fatendent.
''He came down in a day or two to
get his time, and never saw such a
change in a fellow.
THAT was the last I saw of him un-
till he drifted in here tonight on this
blizzard, and never learned the
whole story until the chief was raised
from superintendent to general man.
ager of Western lines and 1 came up
here to take his place."
sour general manager" exploded
The night dispatcher.
"Our general manager" pursued the
superintendent at seems that what
ever the charge was, he queered Sam
with the girl as well as the company,
and in six months married her him
TEKE EIcH WAiI STUPEEiE0