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Joseph, Missouri, he joined one of the early California-bound emigrant trains, and was given the post of train-master. One day on the plains he had an angry dispute with one of his wagon-drivers, and both drew their revolvers. But the driver was the quicker artist, and had his weapon cocked first.
Scott acted as spokesman, stating the case with admirable brevity and conciseness, and asking the same question as that propounded by the train-master, to wit, if there were any prospect of a return of the road to its former management. Loring spoke more hopefully to the committee than he had to Durgan and M'Tosh.
"Ye'll ride this night where Patsy Callahan dhrives, an' be dommed to ye." Meanwhile the train-master had reached the iron grille at the other end of the long track platform. At a small wicket used by the station employees and trainmen, Kent was waiting for him. "Is it all right, M'Tosh? Will he do it?" he asked anxiously. "Yes, Patsy's game for it; I knew he would be.
But before he could mount to the foot-board of the 1010, M'Tosh collared him. "Patsy, I have your orders, at last. Your passengers will be down in a few minutes, and you are to pull out ahead of the express." "Is it to Gaston I'm goin', Misther M'Tosh?" The fireman was standing by with the oil can and torch, ready to Callahan's hand, and the train-master drew the engineer aside.
In the heartless revolution of a few years, he became the successor of his Western benefactor. The turn that had been kind to him, was unkind to his friend and predecessor; the path that led upward for David Cable, ran the other way for the train-master, who years afterward died in his greasy overalls and the close-fitting cap of an engineer.
But the train hands quickly sprung to their feet, rallied promptly for the fight, and met the advancing red-skins with a volley from their Mississippi yagers, which were loaded with ball and buck-shot, and checked their advance. Knowing that they could not hold out there the train-master called out: "Boys, make a run for the river, and the banks will protect us."
It befell, also, that it was the day chosen by two other men, not members of the labor unions, in which to call upon the ex-manager; and Loring found M'Tosh, the train-master, and Durgan, the master-mechanic, waiting for him in the hotel corridor when he came in from a late luncheon at the Camelot Club. "Can you give us a few minutes, Mr.
"Now fwhat the divvle will that be?" he rasped, pausing, torch in hand, to apostrophize his fireman. The answer came up out of the shadows to the rear on the lips of M'Tosh, the train-master. "You have the Naught-seven to-night, Callahan, and a pretty severe head wind. Can you make your time?"
He had slipped Donohue's fingers aside from the key to cut in with a peremptory "G.S." order suspending, in favor of the fast mail, the rule which requires a station operator to drop his board on a following section that is less than ten minutes behind its file-leader. "The fun is beginning," said the train-master. "Tischer has his tip from Durgan to keep Callahan's tail-lights in sight.
The night operators at Donerail, Schofield and Agua Caliente are all Guilford appointees, and when the new man explains the situation to them, they'll do what they are told to do. But I'm thinking Patsy won't pull up for anything milder than a spiked switch." "Well, they might throw a switch on him. I wonder somebody hasn't done it before this." The train-master shook his head.
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