TOMMY’S REQUISITION
“Ahn a winter’s mornin’ whin the wind was blowin’
At a staid an’ stiddy gai-at,
Did a Kayre sit sail wud a kayrgo laden
Out of siction siventy-eight.”
U.P. BURNS stopped on the bridge and cocked his ear. He knew the song
and the singer. It was U.P.’s day to walk the track, and he was now
inspecting the bridge in an officious manner, not altogether pleasing
to the young gentlemen who held themselves responsible for that
structure--day and night.
“Hay, there! ol’ flatobacker!” cried Tommy McGuire, from the top of a
waving elm, “d’ yo’ know the trains are all over-due this morning?”
“I know they’re all on time.”
“I say they’re all over-due,” insisted the pump boy.
“Well, what make ye tink so, Tommy?”
“’Cause they bin out all night--ha, ha, ha--yo’le bum; that’s th’ time
yo’ tuck th’ pin hook.” And Tommy climbed still higher to be out of
reach of the rocks and sticks that the track-walker sent up after him.
This was the day following the “cloud-burst” under the water tank: the
morrow of the second night’s watch. Little Jack, thoroughly exhausted,
was sleeping like a weary soldier, regardless of mosquitoes, heat,
ticks, and red-ants. Tommy had filled the tank long before the sun came
up over the tree-tops. The engineers, having heard of the struggles and
hardships of the young railroaders, were taking water at Highland and
Hagler’s whenever it was possible to do so, in order to save the water
at Silver Creek.
The stationary engineer at Highland and the mule at Hagler’s kicked,
but it did no good. The sympathy of the whole division was with the
agent’s _protégé_ at the tank, and the sad-faced little watchman in the
red shanty down by the river.
Tommy and Mary waited dinner for nearly an hour under the old elm that
day.
They waited until Tommy declared that he could eat his whiskers,
if he had any to eat, and Jack was still asleep. At two o’clock the
watchman came out, bathed his mosquito-bitten face in the river, had
dinner--what was left of it--and declared himself ready to relieve his
companion. But Tommy would not go to sleep. He flagged a work-train and
went up to St. Jacobs.
“I want yo’ to write a request to the roadmaster,” said Tommy.
“Ah! Tommy,” said the agent, “a requisition for supplies so soon?”
“Well, things got t’ be fixed up a little down there ’f we stay on d’
job.”
“The Lord loveth a cheerful kicker,” said the agent, looking down upon
his young friend. Seeing the agent with pen in hand, Tommy led off,--
“Screen door, an’ skeeter bar on d’ winder.”
The agent wrote it as nearly as possible as Tommy gave the order.
“That’s so Jack kin sleep daytime,” he explained.
“Very well.”
“’Nother stool fur d’ table. That’s fur Mary--but yo’ need’n say so.
She brings d’ dinner, an’ she’s got a’ eat same as men.”
“Yes.”
“New giers fur d’ mule, an’ scissors to cut his mane an’ tail.”
“Yes.”
“New oil can. De mule stepped on d’ ol’ one--but you need’n put that in
d’ letter--tings is s’posed to wear out sometime.”
“Very well.”
“Red flag an’ white flag, red globe an’ a white globe. Them’s fur
extras.”
“Is that all?”
“No. Five gallons signal oil. Might’s well git enough while we’re at
it.”
“Yes, Tommy,” said the agent, “but you must remember that all these
supplies will be charged up to you, and your reign at the river will be
successful or otherwise in proportion to the expense of the station.”
“I don’t quite git yeh,” said Tommy, eyeing the agent. “Yo’ don’t think
fur a secont ’at I’m goin’ t’ put up fur this truck?”
“Not exactly, Tommy; but the company holds you responsible for the
property in your charge, and you must be as economical--that is, as
saving--as if you were paying for them.”
Tommy looked troubled.
“Do you think you really need all these things?” asked the
station-master.
“Yes,” said Tommy, positively. He was usually positive, one way or the
other.
“Anything else?”
“Well,” said Tommy, thoughtfully, “they ort ’o be a ’Merican flag top
’o d’ tank an’ d’ fort.”
“The company doesn’t furnish fireworks or prepared patriotism for its
employees, Tommy, you know,” said the agent, looking seriously at the
ambitious young official.
“Well, jist say, after th’ flag business, ’at your deescrishunt or
something ’at ’ill show they don’t haf t’ fill that order,” said Tommy,
nodding his head to indicate his perfect satisfaction with himself.