The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1922-02-02
The Greater Love
BY BEN r. THoRNBURY
(Copyright)

| Centerpolnt for the past quarter of a
century, trembled and creaked In the
grasp of the blizzard Everybody down
I'm the yard, who could leave his work,
| had been driven to the shelter or
roundhouse and train-shed by the fury
Of its binding gusts.
at never SHOWS, but there's a bliz-
gard out here" grumbled the night
dispatcher, bending oven the train
sheet at the long instrument table In
the center of the room, land that ap-
plies to something more than the
weather chart, too. Just let us get
n heavy run Of stock, and the Old
Mans sure to find some reason for
running that vanished wagon of his
out on the line to play shuttle-cock
with the schedule. It's bad night to
keep things moving"
He was addressing no one in particu-
lar but the superintendent wheeled
around from his desk In the corner
and faced him.
speaking of the Old Man." he said,
"dld you notice that drunken bum that
Just went outf'
mo" he snapped, "Ive been too
busy keeping half dozen hog-trains
from running over the Old Mans
special to notice anything. What's he
got TO do with the Old ManT'
"Nothlng, now, but there was a time
about ten years ago, when the Old
Man was a strong factor in his life.'
The superintendent hitched his chair
over to the table and cooked up his
heels.
at isn't a long story" began the SUI
perintendent as he lighted cigar and
carefully studied the burning end.
"That drunken bum is Sam Selkirk, at
one time the smoothest operator on the
NJ. I. and N.
"Well, Sam blowed into the general
offices one day-they were located at
Kenslngton then-and hit the Old Man
for a 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 l remember the
expression on the Old Mans face when
Sam sat down to that key. He did
love a competent man, no matter what
branch Of the service he happened to
be In.
"You can bet there wasn't any
bulled messages In that office after
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
a dispatcher, and needed him bad.
"YOu never knew Joe, did your He
went down East when the road was
gobbled up, but he was traln-master
here IN CenterpOint at that time.
"The Old Man knew, by the way
Joe cut his eyes around at Selkirk
when he made the announcement, that
he might as well look out for a new
| operator, for what Joe went after he
usually got, and so the next day Sam
was ordered to report here for sec
ond trick work. That was the begin
ming Of Sans troubles"
"Of course there was 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.
"The chief was a good man, all
right, or the Old Man wouldn't have
had him, and we all thought he was
straight as a die, but 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 1t 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 Transcontl-
mental bought up the line and there
was general shake-up all around.
"Sam was fired for cause. OF
course It was plain to everybody that
the cause was under the new super
lntendent
ole came down In day or two TO
get his time, and | never saw such a
change in fellow.
"That was the last | saw OF him I'M
III he drlfted 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 / came up
here to take his place"
"Our general manager2' exploded
the night dispatcher,
"Our general manager pursued the
| superintendent. ut seems that what
ever the charge was, he queered Sam
with the girl as well as the company,
| and I'm six months married her him
self; and | guess II was that, more
than the loss of his job, that put Sam
all to the bad, and he must have gone
TO the bottom for | didn't know him
tonight until he told me who he was
ole wanted me TO place him, but |
couldn't do anything for him told
him then that the Old Man was com.
ing through tonight and that II he
would wait, ] would see IL something
couldn't be done In the matter. He
turned on his heel and went out.
never saw murder In mans eye