THE GIRL AND THE ENGINEER
Indeed Jim's appearance was much against him. He was covered with dirt
and grime and coal dust. It was only by holding his ticket against the
pane of glass in the door of the coach, that the conductor was made
willing to admit him. But when he was informed who Jim was he treated
him with due respect and even cordiality. That was pretty good for a
conductor in those days.
Jim was an object of interest as he passed through the coach. He might
have blushed at finding himself a hero, but if so he was perfectly
disguised by his temporary color, which was decidedly dusky.
"Oh, Mamma," cried a youngster, "I'm afraid of that big black man. Will
he steal me!"
"Nonsense, Willie, that's the nice, kind gentleman, who gave you some
candy at the station yesterday." Jim laughed and the only show of white
about him was his teeth. "I don't blame the little chap for being
scared," he said, "I'm a bad looking object for a fact."
"You ought to have seen three of those fellows jump," remarked Mr.
Conductor, as they went on their way through the train; "that was when
Bob opened up. I guess one of 'em was badly shook up by the way he lit."
"I saw them take their flying leap," returned Jim, "but was anybody hurt
back here?"
"The brakeman got it in the shoulder," replied the conductor, "but I
guess he will be all right. Have to take a lay-off for some weeks."
"It's curious how many bullets are fired without hurting anybody,"
remarked Jim, "but I've noticed that before."
The conductor looked at the tall young fellow keenly for a moment.
"I reckon you are no tenderfoot," he asserted.
"Right there!" replied Jim; "that is if experience counts. But I was
born in the East."
"You can't help that," remarked the conductor, to Jim's amusement; "you
would have laughed to see them fellows lying close to the floor of the
car, when the shooting was going on. It ain't a dignified sight to see a
round fat man trying to make himself small by lying as flat as
possible."
"I can't blame them," replied Jim; "I would have been trying the same
maneuver if I had been there."
"No, you wouldn't," contradicted the Taker of Tickets; "you would have
been busy trying to get a line on some of the gents who were kicking up
a ruction outside.
"Maybe," said Jim doubtfully.
When they entered the first Pullman, Jim was in the lead and at the
sight of a tall, blackened-looking individual entering through the plush
portières into the main body of the car several of the women shrieked,
and two stout gentlemen dived down between the seats.
"Conductor!" they yelled; "Conductor! help!"
Jim was greatly embarrassed by this reception, and started to back out
hastily, but was stopped by the rotund figure of the greatly in demand
conductor.
"Ha! ha!" he roared. "Ladies and gentlemen don't be frightened. This
young man is no desperado, but he has been fighting them off down in
front on the engine during the late hold up."
Slowly like twin round moons rose the faces of the two stout men from
opposite sections.
"I say, Conductor," remarked one of them who was an Englishman, "this is
a jolly shame. Can't we travel in peace in this beastly country? Always
some bally ructions going on, don't yer know."
The conductor's answer was rather abrupt for he did not fancy the
Englishman's style of speech, and that testy individual was more upset
than ever. Jim went quickly to his section, got a change of clothing,
retired to the wash room and proceeded to get thoroughly cleaned up.
This was quite an operation, undertaken in the presence of two drummers
who were smoking and talking in bragging tones of what they had done
during the recent fight. Jim was too busy to pay any attention to their
talk until one of them addressed him directly.
"Where was you, young fellow, when we was held up back there?"
questioned one.
"I was forward," replied Jim shortly. He did not take especially to
either of the two men.
"Bet you were hiding under the trucks," asserted the other. Jim did not
know whether to laugh, or to throw the fellow out of the window. He had
not noticed the conductor who was standing in the passageway, but that
worthy had overheard the remark.
"Who did you say hid under the trucks?" he inquired belligerently. The
man addressed feebly indicated Jim, then the conductor lit into the
fellow for fair.
"You trying to run that young fellow? Why if he took the notion into his
head, he could turn you up simultaneous and paddle whack both of you.
Why you ain't nothing but--" however, I draw a veil over this part of
the harangue.
Jim laughed good-naturedly but said nothing.
After the conductor had left, the men took the opposite tack and were
very fulsome in their praise of Jim. Wanted him to drink with them and
all that sort of cheap comradeship, but he would have none of their game
and got out as soon as he could.
At the first stop the train made, James went forward to join his two
friends on the engine.
"And who may you be?" queried the fireman; "you look very much like the
Vice-president of this railroad instead of the tramp I saw some hours
agone trying to ride the blind baggage."
"I've got my face washed, Bill, and a fresh shirt to my back and my
moccasins polished if that is what you are aiming at," replied Jim good
humoredly.
"I must say, Jim, it gave me a scare when I saw you swing over the edge
of the car, but it was no use for me to try and slow up then, besides I
had time to make up, and the engineer can't stop for his best friend
then. But I must say you have a cast-iron nerve."
"I felt scared," admitted Jim frankly.
"You had reason to," remarked Bill Sheehan.
"All aboard, boys," cried the engineer. "I see the conductor is waving
us to go on. You take Bill's side of the cab and watch me drive her into
the Junction. That's my terminus and we will have breakfast together."
"Wish you were going to the coast with me, Bob," remarked Jim. "I'm in
for some trouble there I'm afraid, and you are the chap I should want to
back me up, and that's solid."
"I'd take you up in a minute, Jim," then he lowered his voice, "but you
see there's a girl at the Junction and we are to be married next month."
Jim gave his friend a hearty slap on his broad back.
"Glad to hear it, Bob, old boy, and may it be a lucky go for both of
you."
"Thanks, Jim," replied Ketchel, and there was a dubious moisture in his
eyes, which vanished in a second, as he watched keenly the road ahead.
Jim always remembered the ride into the Junction. The moonlight had
faded from the sky and the fuller, keener daylight was creeping in to
take its place. The train was now puffing along just below timber line,
and in the west was a semi-circle of snowy peaks, rugged, superb,
symmetrical, with the tint of dawn gilding their summits.
On the mountains through which the train was passing were great patches
of snow. The air had that marvelous clearness that Jim knew so well and
his eyes sparkled, as he breathed it in deeply. Just as the sun came up
he saw below at a distance of several miles, in a snow lined basin in
the hills, the dark patch of the Junction. As they neared it, Jim's keen
eye saw the figure of a girl standing on the porch of a small white
cottage. There was something very attractive about the young figure
standing there, with the color of health in her face, and a look of
fervor in her eyes. A signal passed between the engineer and the girl
and then the train roared on towards the station.
"I don't blame you for not wanting to go to California, Bob," said Jim.
The engineer smiled good-naturedly but was content to let Jim's surmise
go unconfirmed.
"The boss is shure done for," interrupted the fireman; "he won't be the
same high spirited man in a few years he is now. It's all very tempting,
but it's like tolling an ox to get his neck under the yoke. It's a
terrible thing to see a young fellow like him bent on taking
responsibilities he don't know the heft of." Ketchel only grinned at
Bill Sheehan's doleful prophecy for he knew the root of it, as the
fireman's wife was something of a termagant and the sound of her
scoldings had reached other ears than Bill's.
Now came the whistle for the Junction, and the train slowed to a halt on
a long level platform on which lay a six-inch carpet of dazzling snow.