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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1928-03-02, Page 72, 19+48 THE HURON EXPOSITOR Pra 'Oa wft frilas t that With ast 4tten it -or tore elves was, so ly their ignor- eajawed liar. -Regan to ftee Ja• a. Evans, Beechwood, Viee-Preeident DIRECTO S: 'Evans, Beechwood; M. 11/1cEwere Clin- Grieve, No. 4, Welton; Robert Ferris, arlock; George McCartney, No. 3, eSeaforthe Murray Gibson, Brimfield. North. Exeter 10.49 6.04 ensall 11.03 6.18 10.08 6.23 11.17 6.32 Londesboro 12.13 '7.12 Blyth 12.22 7.21 Belgrave 12.34 7.33 Wingham , 12.50 7.55 Brucefield Clinton Wingham 6.55 3.05 Belgrave 7.15 3.25 Blyth 7.27 3.38 Londesboro 7.35 3.47 Clinton 7.56 4.10 Brucefield 8.15 4.30 Kippen 8.22 4.38 Hensall 8.32 4.48 Exeter 8.47 5.05 Centralia 8.59 5.17 C. N. R. TIME TABLE 6.20 6.36 6.44 7.06 7.11 Goderich , Clinton Seaforth St. Columban Dublin Se• aforth Clinton Godetich 2.20 2.37 150 3.08 3.22 West. a.m. p.m. p.m. 11.17 5.38 9.37 11.33 5.53 9.50 11.50 6.08-6.53 10.04 12.01 7.03 10.13 12.20 7.20 10.30 40;7 ,:ox.14te 4tevaoon, the train col:1gal' up' Awl deem, alwaya walking • with his, head tient forward, his eyes fastened on'tlaa right of way -passed with n cheery hail. and the flirt of a band from -cab, caboose, or the ornate tail of a gailish Pullman. Aral to the •teuriata: he astute to ..be more of an attraetion thaa the scenic grandeur of the Rockies therraelves; they stared fronathe observation car and listened, With a running fire of wondering comment, Xs the braes -buttoned, swelled -with -importance, colored por- ters told the story, until at last to ed the Guardian of tlfte"Divil's Slide was to have dorte them not at -all. It the ordinary znintstere to and It'd:asses the _public's -curiosity.' Not Vary nice, perhaps; no-butnattarel.• The rail- road men didn't like Wand that was natural, too; but their feelings or opinions, in the very nature of things, had little effect one way or the other. Coogan grew neither better nor worse. The months passed, and he grew neither better nor worse. Win- ter came, and, with the trestle that went out in the big storm that year, Coogan went ieto Division for the last time, went over the Great Divide the same simple, broken -minded Coo- gan that had begun, his self-appoint- ed task in the spring -he may have done some good, or he may not. They found him after two or three days, and sent him back to Big Cloud. . "He'd have choeen that himself if he could have chosen," said Carleton soberly. "God knows what the end would hay been. The years WoUltl have been 11 alike; he'd never have got his dii d back. It's all for the best, what?" Regan did not answer. Philosophy and the Master mechanic's heart did mot always measure things alike. The ,Brotherhoodf took charge of the arrangementarand Coogan's fun- eral was the biggest funeral Big Cloud ever had. "Everybody wanted to march,- so they held the service late in the afternoon- and closed dowa the .ahops at half -past four; and the shop hands, from the boss fitter tO the water boy, tamed out to the last man -and so did everyone else in town. It was getting dark and already supper time when it waS Over, but Carleton, who had left someeinfinish- ed work on his desk, went back to his office instead of going home. He lighted the lamp, put on the chimney -but the' match was still burning be- tween his 'fingers when the door op- ened, and a man, with his bat pulled far down Over his face, stepped in and closed the door again behind him. Carleton_whirled around, the match dropped to the floor, and he leaned fOrward over his desk, a head look settling on his , face. The man haO pashed hack his hat. It was Daldeen, Coogan's fire -man, Jim Dahleen. For a moment neither man spoke. Hitt& words rose to 'Carletonla tongue but Something in the other's face checked and held them- back. It was Dahleen who spoke first. "I heard about Chick -that he'd gone out," he said quietly. "I don't suppose it did him any good, but I kind of had to chip in on the good - by -Chick and rne used td; be pretty thick. I saw you come down hete and I felk.wed you. Don't stare at, me like that, you'd have done the same. Have yea got that flask yet?" "Yes," Carleton answered mechan- ically; and as .mechanically produced it from the draiver of his desk. "Ever examine it particularly?" "Examine it?" "I guess that answers my question. I Was afraid you might, and I want- ed to ask you for it that day only I thought you'd think it mighty funny. refuse, and wellwell, get to looking it over on your own hook. Will you give it here for a minute?" Carleton handed it over silently. Dahleen took it, pulled off the low- er 'half that served as drinking cup, laid hie finger on the inside rim, and returned it' to the super. Carleton moved nearer to the light -then his faee paled. It. was Coo- gat's flask! The inscription, a little dulled, in fine engraving, was still plain enough. "To chiek frem Jim, on the occasion of hia wedding." Carleton's hand was trembling as he • "My God!" he asid hoarsely. "It was Coogan who was drunk that • If figured that% the lway you'd read it, you or any othet railroad Met?"' Said tahleea. "It was him or me; and, one of iis drink, in the eyes bf any of the boys on,the road; front the •minute that finale showed up. There taas only one thing ,Welild have Made You believe different, and r potildn't tell you -then. I'd haat tak- ertathe a Me etand you did. But you On Wrong, Coogan Wean drunk that Wialchit be telling you this now, if h. 'WO/1W peieva liana East. e Goderich 5.50 Menset 5.55 McGaw 6.04 Auburn . 6.11 Walton 6.40 'ellIcNaught 6.52 West. TOronto 7.40 Walton 12.01 lyth 12.12 Auburn 12.2 McGee' 12.34 Meneset 12.41 Goderich 12.45 • AZGARN FOR SALE.-Fivi acres, one mile from Seaforth; modern holise with furnace, bath and tenet; small harm; good orchard. Taxes, $15. Splendid chsuace to start chicken farm, heeo, etc. Apply to Seaforth, Ont. 21.41t 4 Whole lot: Well; heft/re he Chneked it dOWn in the box under - story of this. You know how he took ta brooding. •Sometimes he' wouldn't say a word from one end of the run to the other. And once in a:W:114.** seemed to act a little queen ',47-ditbsiOt think much of it and'kdidalootonr. thing to anybady," Igiring .1.;t would, wear eft. When we:Pilled out a Rik Cloud the 'night of ilts•Wreek I -didn't see arlYthingOvit :of the ordinary a- bontliato PI kind of got used to him ileY then,. andif there was any differ- ence I didn't notice it. He never said a werd• all the way out until we hit the summit of the Devil'a Slide and started down. 'I had the flre-hox dooe open and was throwing coal when he saYs SO sudden as almost to make me drop my shovel: ""Jim.sny, do you know what night thii is?' " 'Sure,' says I, never thinking, 'it's "Ile laughed kind of softlike :to he says. `My wedding night, and we're going to celebrate.' "The light from the fire -box was full on his face, and be had the queer- est look you ever saw on a man. He was white and his eyes were staring, and he was pushing his hand through his hair and rocking in his seat. I was scart. I thought for a minute he was going to faint. And then I remembered that whiskey and jumped to my side of -the cab, opened the seat and snatched it up. I went hack to him with it in my hand. Idon't think he ever Saw' it -I know he didn't. He was laughing that soft laugh again, kind of as though he was crooning, and he reached out hA hand, and pushed me away. s " 'We're going to celebrate, JimMy,' says he. again., 'We're going to cele- brate. It's my wedding. night.' "I felt tile speed quicken a bit; we were on the Slide then, yoU know, and I Saw his fingers tightening on the throttle. T1*n it Fo ine, and my heart went into snY moist -chick was clean off his bead.' I ell!) ed the flask into my pocket, and tried to :lhoax his hands away from the throttle. "Let me take 'her a spell, Chick,' Says ff, thinking my best chance -was to humour him. "He threw me off like I Was a play- thing. Then I tried to pull him away, and he smashed me one between the eyes and se'nt me to the floor. All the tirne We Was going fester and faster. I tackled him again, but I might as well have been a baby, and then -then -well, that wound in his head- came from a long -handled unlit's' wrench I grabbed out of the tool box. He went down like a felled ox -but it was too late Before I could reach a lever we were in splinters." ;Dahleen stopped. Carleton never stirred; he was leaning forward, his elbows on his desk, his chin in his hands, his face strained, eyes intent- ly fastened on the other. Dableeri fumbled a second with his watch chain, twisting it around his fingers, then he went on: "While I was laid up, I turned the thing over in my mind pretty often, long before the doctors thought I knew my own name again, and I figured that, if it was ever known, Coogan. was down and out for fair, no matter even if when he got better his head turned out all right again, because he wouldn't be ever trusted in understand? If he didn't come out straight, why that ended it, of course -but I had it in my mind that it was only what they call a temporary aberration, I couldn't queer him if that waS all, could I? So I said to /myself, 'Jimmy, all you know is that the "air" wouldn't work.' That's What I told you that day; and then you sprang that flask on me. You Were right, I had forgotten it. Whis- key in the cab On the night of an ac- cident is pretty near an open and shut game. It was him or me; and I couldn't tell you the story then with- out doing Coogan eold, but Coogan.'s gone now and it can't hurt hiin. That The tick of the clock- on the wall, the click of the sounder from the dis- patoher's room next door were the only aounds for a long time, then Carleton's chair scraped, and he stood tame 'threw* -boletn;p11,41:ehet444:" halk advent, , la the wooden sinekes;"0U. t he wooden band 'of a wooden girt*, Sore Indian, if he could; 'add lt*Water dead he'd try to bluff You into' belOevirig he was only asleep." "And he liluffed you- into giving him an engine,0 said the super, with "He had a !Brotherhood 'card' and ronly one leg," said the fat little mas- ter mechanic- round:Eine:atty. "He didn't bluff ine! knoWs an en- gine; and Gleason. says he never had anything like the yard work he's get- ting now, rd kind of like to kno* where he came. froin, though -what? He don't talk much about that." That was jist it--eltegan had ex- pressed the feelings of -the yard crews and the roundhouse crowd and Big Cloud generally. The "card" that Corrigan carried sheeeed he'd pulled a throttle Lack East on the K. & T. --but apart from the K.. & T. what? Corrigan didn't say -concretely. In an elusive sort of a Way he eonveyea the impression that he bad seen a good deal of the countrsr from the cab glass; bat when it came to definite locations there was a baffling misti- ness about his tieseriptions, and he side-stepped the personal • equation with a neatness that :Was .little less than auspicious. • Now it is hu aocrhoatt*e the world over that no men, take kind personal ideals, ndit.as equally true that nothing will pique the3turiosity more than a hint of the lit terious; combined, the two account tor the way Corrigan fitted at first -Lor didn't fit, if you like that better -into the general scheme of things at Big Cloud. Cprrigan, as oecasiens pres- ented themselves, with a cairn and ar- rogant plausiblity that made them writhe, pointipg his remarks -with his wooden- leg, vihich he unstrapped and took off hecOuse he said the bleated thing had rheumatism in it, regaled his new mates with experiencesethat caused the- young traditions of the Hill Division to become poverty-strick- en by way of contrast, made. railroad- ing in the Rockies look like a dis- qualified training echool for the ,real goods in the Alleghenies, their loos- ened glaciers and ensuing snowslides puerile compared with the tornadoes of the Desert Country, and their mountain floods and washouts but pitiful counterfeits of the genuine brand.- All this and very much mere, Corrigan did in his first two weeks; and, in those -nit) weeks he got him- self in bad. After that, though they ceertintred to discuss him hard enough amengst themselves all the time, they let him more or less alone for a While then they switched around a bite, and then they switched back, and then - but that's over -running the siding against "holding" orders. Regan stuck up for him because the joy of Regan's heart was a geed en- gineer-eand Corrigan, one leg and all, was the best man that had ever shot the foreshortened little switcher up and down the yard spurs. ' "He's a wizard on the latch," said Regan, With a scowl at Clarihue, the turaer Who sided witle the men. "If you let him pull youV leg and :then get sore about it, that's your own look out. You act like kids." none too griiciously; "but you look nut he don't pull yours. You mark My words, there's more behind him- than appears on the surface. You'll pee. When a man has something to hide he either shuts up like a dam, or overdoes it the other way. yeu'll see." And Regan saw -a little bit -about a month later. And the way of it was this: Down East they had begun to sit up and take totice of the Hill Divis- ion -that is, the big operators end the officiids of other roads had. Cut- ting the Rockies, from an expetireent, as they had pityingly regarded it with their tongues in their cheeks, atid their hands in their pockets ready to snap up the Transcontinen- tal from a sure -thing receivership, was now, instead, looming large in the eyes of the effete East as aU ob- ject *Win in real railroading, and one that was not only a trims:tab of genius !over obstacles appalling, bet was, likewise a triumph of ecoranniaal eotitinental, wise in the ways cif men, and leoldng to tide -water co 'Salons -and through freight contrac •;‘,Oeized the pearohologiciel moment to kind oat al carefully telected list of invitations for sat cbserVation run throagh the 'It was teceptedi greedily; the Hill Division Was bristled up and balsa - cleaned •frill faitly shone, and the. morning the Spatial pulled late Big Cloud- theiln wasn't so much aa a fly cakes and as .a spread an bread. It's economical.' too ,Oggregation of to tile. belittlipg of .4POLN41-, roe WILLIAM some 'with tall hats and a gerverona• Mede geod or he 4541-'t on his .owoo section of the California gold fields hand, and the discards weren't awe deeoratiag their Waistchate; others ed. over vial faced- . with any old kind of a hat and mighty "Out here," said Regan etittlyO little side, etarted across the yards "Corrigen's record so lag an prie front, the platform, heading- for the gineer gore" rotaidhouse and shops. They got a- The hawle-faced -Wan, one of the- boatAtaltWay across when they stop- biggest of the .Eastern superintenth ped, while t string of flats, boies and gondOlas, little respecters of persons, rolled Impudently by; and, bringing up the rear, pushing them along, coughing hard and spitting viciously, followed. the stumpy 403, witb, Corri- gan, peg -leg to the front, hanging in the gangway. As Corrigan's guile- less blue eyes swept the group, Re- gan caught a sudden blank look streak across the engineer's face; but by the time he got around to -wondering a- bout it the track was clear -and the brood under his wing, crowding for- ward and firing questions at him at the average rate of five simultaneou- ly, drove everythieg else temporarily TheY made an ipspection, of the roundhouee and a tonr of the shops -- and they/did lit without miesing any- thing. Regan was proud of what he had to show and he showed it all - from the new automatic forges in the blacksmiths' shop to where they were putting gold -leaf numbers on the big passenger fliers. , The silk - hatted personagee said niae things, and the other made a practical note, or two; and by the time the inspec- tion was completed Regan's fat little paunch was swelling with justifiable prides -and his thoughts were far' from Corrigan. As they emerged throagh tho big engine doors on to the neeor cnd of the yards, a hawk -faced member of the party, in slouch hat and ar ab- sence of dollar signs about him, fish- ed cut a couple of Havanas from his vest pocket ,and handed one to the master mechanic. "Great country you've got out here," said he, as they fell behind to light up. "And I guess you fellows ore getting into it right. That new - type compound looks good to me." He blew out a slow and casual curl of blue smoke. "I see you've got Corri- gan out here to help you," he re- marked. 'H'm?" said Regan faintly, and with the sudden shock of surprise he swallowed an uncomfortable quantity of juice from the slab of black -strap he had tucked away at the back of his mouth to make room for the cigar. "The chap with one leg you've got on the yard switcher," amplified' the other. "Yes; I know who you mean," said the master mechanic. "Yes;,that's Corrigan. Yes." "Had any trouble with .him?" quer- ied he of the hawk -face. Regan squinted. He was over his surprise now. "Trouble? No; I haven't had any trouble with him." "Maybe he's sworn off," said the other; "if he hasn't, look out for him when he gets to drinking. I haven't seen him for over a Year now. He used to crook his elbow pretty hard periodically; that's the way he lost his leg in the Pittsburg yards - fell out of the cab one night, and a flat amputatetl it as neatly, and a whole lot quicker than a high class surgeon could have done it." Regan froze suddenly hard. What: ever curiosity he might have had an- ent Corrigan, taking away a man's reputation from under his feet with cool non-chalance wasn't the way they did things in the mountains. A man pedal. Wan W etTe• ents, and a close second to being the idol in the eyes of his men that "Roy- al" Carleton was in the eyes of the Hill Division, looked sharply at Re- gan, then took the cigar slowly from his mouth. ' "Of course," said he, and a quizzic- al smile flic,kered for an instant on his lips. "Of course. Er -yes --of course. Ahout that new -type com- pound now, vve'd-" And there wasn't anything more said about Corrigan. The brass -railed, solid mahogany string of Pullmans -the Easterners were getting all the hospitality that the West knew, which was some -de- parted in due course. Regan, from the olatformi, with a light in his eyes in which there still lingered. a hint of reientment, watched the green mark- ers flutter out of sight up the track; then he looked over at the 403 snort- ing up and down the choked yards - and then he scratched his head. ' "Blast him!" he muttered savage- ly. "I wish he'd kept his mouth shut! I got enough to do without go- ing around every day smelling Corri- gan's breath and snaking sure his other leg's safe -what?" That :night Regan didn't play his Usual game pedro with the s-uper -Carleton, continuing to do the hon- ors, had gone on with the Special. Regan, in his accustomed chair in the super's office, played Solitaire instead. Big Cloud hadn't much to offer in the line of attractions in those days, and so Regan played solitaire. It was about eight- o'clock, and he sucked on his brier and growled at a refractory seven -spot that was blocking an oth- erwise most promising layout, when the door swung open suddenly and Clarihue, bursting in and trailed by a white-faced call -boy, who looked scared from the soles of his feet up, sent all thoughts of seven -spot and stalled sequences flying to the winds. Things happen in railroading, and they happen quick -Regan, every inch of him and before anything else, was a railroad man. Ile spoke first. "What's wrong?" he demanded sharply. "Corrigan," said Clarihue shortly. "Didn't I tell you so? He's pickled to the ears and his secret's out -mur- der." "What!" gasped Regan, starting to his feet. "That's what," said Clarihue. "Mac- Gonigle got his hand hurt about half an hour ago and had to quite. Forty- three was waiting to be made up and the yard crew yelling for some one to run the switcher, as if we weren't shorter of men than double eagles on a church collection plate. I sent Blubber here to get Corrigan in for a double shift, and he found Corrigan in the Blazing Star Saloon, corned as a lord and turning State's evidence against himself abdut a row in New York where he'd killed a man and run for it. There's a crowd in there bigger than Sundays, and he's got 'em scared." Regan mopped at his brow. "Look out for him if he gets to drinking" - he remembered the words of the East- ern superintendent that morning, and he remembered them now very clear- ly. Then he looked at the call -boy. The Blabber's face still bore eloquent testimony to the fact that something serious was in the wind; for the Blub- ber, deeply versed in nickel thrillers and thereby calloused like the rest of his monkey -mates who rode rough- shod in their importance Oyer the en- gine Crows and trainmen in Big Cloud, was not like to be easily mov- Regan's, hat Was already on his head. He simply tilted it a little far- ther over his nose and started for the "We'll see about this," said he brusquely. The Went down the stairs and out on the platform as fast as his stumpy little legs could carry him, Cherihue pacing him; while the distonsolate Blubber, freauentlor halting and look- ing after them, pickled bis way back across the tracks much after the fash- ion of a wistful puppy that has bean sent home by his master -for Clad - hue, vdth 2 jerk at the yonagataet eclat. accompenied by a significant shove had pointed the ladls riose Rce Fellow That's what the girls say about you fellows that need a few more peunds of good solid flesh and. have never tried McCoy's Cod Liver Ex- tract Tablets. , ''A New Jersey man Was just as bad as you, but now he's got what the girls call a manly figure -he needed 28 more pounds and thanks to McCoy's he got theen in just a couple of months. 11.1cCoy takes all the risk -Read this ironclad guarantee. If after tak- ing 4 sixty cent boxes of McCoy's Cod Liver Extract Tablets Or 2 ore dollar boxes any thins, underweight Mari or -woman doesn't gain a lenet 5 pounds and feel completely antisfiscl with the nlarktal improvement healtlyonr dung '1st it; authettrizod reached it, ed without'* rattroa.4 'area' .made'aline for the" :though they enge, .simaRy grinned. at Oars e But Regat was little cotherie with Clariltue, He got to the ing'doorseeseving no 'Ogee; ed jane of met, who stoOd on Unties - craning their necks into the interior _and here they couldn't make er for him any more. But, wrigglnago squirming, grunting, Regan warmed his way through. When he got to the far end of the room and into the , very restricted space that lima clear, his collar was awry, his hat was gone -and so was his temper; which:lat. ter wasn't in any sense restOreft the sight that confronted him. ; 'Corrigan, crouched forward a lit- tle; his face flushed, sat en a chair before ene of: the email tables, and his eyes, bloodshot now, mild, 'with a wicked light in them, were fair from being the guileless eyes thatoltegeno know ; his leg was unshipped. and rested on the Vable, while his right hand grasped.,the small end of it ,bludgeon faihion. Aeross the table, Smitheee, the town marshal, held a bead on Corrigan with a levelled re- , Regan scowled fiercely. The rail-, • road men and the civic authority; which was Smithers, had never had theirO pictures taken together with their arms affectionately twined a- bout each other's necks, aud the pros- pect of their ever doing so was ex- tremely remote -the marshal, official- ly, was a legalised necessary evil ; personally, he was a lizard, so they called him a lizard -"Lizard" Smith- ers. Regan's ire, rising as he had forc- ed his way through the jam, that had had Corrigan for its objective, now promptly s -witched to Srnithers. Cor- rigan was a railroad man, and a rail- road man at the wrong end of a re- volver, no matter what the cause when the Lizard held the other end, didn't look good to the manter me-- - chanic. Regan never minced his words on any occasien-he didn't mince - them now. "You're a hot sport, Smithers," he flung out, "holding up a one -legged man with a revolver when he's drunk -a hot sport! What's the matter here, h'm? Wthat in the double -bar - relied blazes is the matter, h'm?" (Continued next week) CeicceUv. gem A neglected cold, an attack of bronchitis not properly treat- ed, may easily lead to serious chest troubles. As soon as you feel a cold coming on, begin immediately to take ANGIER'S EMULSION. This well known reme4 not orily soothes the errucous membranes of the respiratory tract,- relieves the tightness and soreness of the Chest , and eases breathing, but it also keeps the stomach and digestive Organs in a healthy condition- proinoting appetite and building up strength. The very finely emulsified min - EMULSION exerts a soothing laxa- tive action that keeps the bowels. in a normal healthy condition Oa neceseary for a prompt recovery. ANGIS 'St EMULSION has bets recommended and prescribed( br physiciana in Gt. ritain pad Cunada foe oral. tTairty.ialvo years. Inesannt to take. arresiorn; Am. nanny yeatt