Year: 1872

On 4 Construction Train. -


In the old country they would call
me a navy; here, they call me a rail-
road hand, and good one at that
though I say it. I left a fine job on
the Erie road last Spring to go down
to Decatur, Illinois, where there was
a chance for me TO boss a construction
train on the Toledo, Wabash and
Western line.


Now, as every body knows, the To-
j ledO, Wabash and Western Il. r. runs
through HarristOwn, which is a few
miles from Decatur. Belle Carroll
lived at HarristOwn, and it was be-
cause she lived there that / left the
job on the Erie road. 81. r.....


A man called Smith was master OF
| the line between Decatur and Dan
vile. / broke for him as soon as
stepped off the cas-, and showed HIM
my recommendations. He was we'll
enough satisfied with my papers and
my appearance-yOu can see for your
self that look as if I knew what
work Was-and he put me on right
away. He even took the trouble to
AANAOAlLC AnC " NAAG W AlO
was a young fellow called Joe Hand
/ ley.


Now I can't say that I didn't like
Joe from the start, because l really
| thought him as good as they make
them down here-I mean railroad
men, of cOurse-but / can say that l
did not like his eyes. They hadn't a
cast in them, mind; and there wasn't by
any means bad expression in them.


The whites of his eyes were like wet
china, and the pupils werS hazel.
You'd have called them handsome
eyes. What was the matter with
them, then? I'll tell you. They were
brighter than any eyes I ever saw be-
fore in man or woman; they were
never still; and every now and then
they seemed to swell and start in their
sockets, as if they were going to drop
out altogether. VA n. f.r


Otherwise, you couldn't find flaw
in him, for he was curly-headed, fresh
eomplexioned, good-looking, and
clean limbed.


AS 1 was a stranger in the place,
Joe volunteered to help me get gang
together.


We went to all the cheap boarding
houses and low saloons, where rail-
road men most do cOngregate, and in
two or three hours had engaged
twenty-fOur Dutch and Irish hands,
all good men, in respect of work, to
all appearance; and had resolved, in
my own mind to keep out Of Joe
Handley's company IS much as posi-
bic for that night. Not ON account of
his dancing, shining black eyes,
mind; but because he drank like q fish,
seemed desperately fond of cards, and
squandered his money as IL there were
piles of it in every gutter.


Refore / knew Belle Carroll, /
shouldn't have found fault with him
on account of his prOdigality, for l
had been as foolish with my time and
money as he ever was, perhaps; but,
Won see, since Belle CarrolPs eyes had
east a beapa of light across my soul, so
that co1ld see what l was, / had
tried to become what / ought to be


1 let off drinking, only taking nip
WHEN wet through, or when aching
with cold. / set a guard on my lips,
iOr fear bad language might slip
through; and was like miser with
my months wages for L had sober
thoughts of home Of my own, and lit
tie ones to make it heaven.


I had to pay in my turn that night,
though, and drink in my turn, too,
when 1 couldn't throw the whisky
down on the floor without being seen;
for it was necessary to keep we'll with
my engineer; and if he had discover
ed any baek-down in my good fellow
ship, he was just the sort of man to
pick a quarrel then and there.


There was a good deal of ditching to
be done about EdWardsYiIe, and grad
ing about Hillsboro', and track-rais-
ing all over, west, and as far down as
st. Louis.


This gave me no chance to see Belle
Carroll, and was getting low-spirited
to such an extent that would have
jumped the job for cent, when, run
ming into Decatur one December
night. L got orders from Smith to fin
ish off a deep cutting a mile and
half below HarristOWn.


l crossed the SangamOn River the
next morning in. high spirits, l tell
you. The flat cars were on the switch
at Harristown, so left ice to hook
on the caboose and engine, while /
walked down with the men to the
cutting, looking this way and that be-
hind me for Belle; but no Belle could
I see.


There was plenty of work there for
weeks, / saw at a glance, and ] was
mighty glad of it. The face of the
embankment had to come Oft for half
a mile, and a good deal Of earth had to
come out of the base on each side for
a mile or more.


1 set the men to work, and walked
up and down the track to keep my
self warm, until Joe brought the flat
cars down.


Joe was very fond of practical jokes,
and some of the men bore him
grudge on that score. 1 believe there
wasn't man out of the twenty-fOuT,
indeed, that didn't dislike him.


They got along well enough with
me, for it was company work, you
know; and besides that was think
ing of Belle Carroll all the time, and
1 couldn't haye been hard ON the big
gest lOafer that ever handled a pick.


But Pm forgetting Joe Handley
and his practical jokes. Well, sir, he
played off one on his fireman. mere
slip of bov-that made me begin to
think he was crazy.


They were both on the top of the
embankment, which was very high
and very steep. I was standing in the
cabOOse, looking up at them, wonder
ing what on earth made Joe laugh so
wildly at nothing, when all at once
Joe gave the fireman a powerful
shove down the slope!


It was the maddest thing ever saw
done as a joke for the chances were
fifty to one in favor of broken bones,
or death outright, as a man with half
an eye could see. Why, my heat
was in my mouth.


Fortunately, the lad, after pitching
forward, got his legs straight under
him somehow or other, and came
down frightened and angry.


He got into the cabOOse and swOre
he wouldn't fire another time for Joe
Handley.


Joe set up loud, clear laugh; and,
upon my word, thought his dancing,
giistening eyes would shoot clean out
of his head.


"Lordr' thought to myself, "If I
was the company, 1 wouldn't have
such pair of eyes behind an engine
of minep' but, you see, I wanted to
ask favor of Joe, so / didn't tell him
what thought. s5aE l--l


The passenger train from the West
ran into Decatur at half past eleven