Argosy, Vol. 147, No. 1 — page 162: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

gee. a _ ai ——— »” _ — — a. . , = a | _ ae tng ee ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. ould they have known the depth him that, somé time in the past, he had He had planned great things for known an Edwin L. Ewing. Still, lots of son and daughter—high school, col- men had identical names, and there was a pro: ession for the boy; music, art, nothing strange in one’s knowing two of accomplishment the girl might desire. them. rough his own arbitrary nature that The incident was passing from his : m | had been wrecked. There was only thoughts, when suddenly a yard clerk : 20 urse left to him now: Strive with pointed out through the open door, re- his might to hold his present job and marking: > them what he could with its scant re- “Took! There’s the bird now. There’s neratior the new super. Used to be a brakeman from that moment Dave Thorne was here. ” ¢ 12 ngec man. Soon brakemen were Dave’s gaze followed the pointing finger. king to be assigned to his car; engineers The yardmaster, accompanied by a trim, id fi spoke of him as “a prince of neatly-dressed, businesslike young man, fellow.” On the road other conductors had just emerged from the roundhouse and ed a comradely greeting or called out was crossing the tracks toward the division ome word of friendly banter as they met office. And with that look Dave’s heart BEG, * _— ant Wes 0 rT as ced him. And although Dave felt skipped a beat. There was no mistaking hat he had delayed this transformation the stranger’s identity. Edwin L. Ewing, 100 long, that it could now avail him the new superintendent, was none other sthing, so far as promotion was concerned, than the brakeman he had abused for > was nevertheless, genuinely happy. bungling the little job of switching more _ Then came news that the T. L. & G. had than twelve years ago. : seen absorbed by one of the big trunk =“ I’m in the game to learn it from the 16S. Antiquated rolling stock was to be ground up.” He recalled the exact words eplaced with new and improved equip- Ewing had spoken that day; and his own mt: the road was to have heavier steel sneering reply: “From the ground up! n 4 additional ballast; working conditions Well, you’d better try the pick and shovel vere to be improved and the wage scale route. That’s the only way you'll ever be Sted to a union basis. Also the trunk of any use to 4 railroad.” And again s was to install a superintendent familiar Ewing’s concluding retort: “Some day I ‘with its policies and capable ef transform- may be superintendent of this division, and ag the old slipshod T. L. & G. into a regu: “¢ Tam I'll make you hit the ball. I'll fire - railroad. you so thoroughly you can’t even get a \t first Dave Thorne felt a sense of job with a pick and shovel.” tion. Perhaps, after all, there was a Well, somehow that young mans i" ace for him. With the official docket boast had come true. Was it fate, coincl- ept clean, with no longer any personal dence, or the man’s own vengeful con- ) nism on the part of his triving that had brought him back here jiate iors, he might be rewarded with authority to fulfill a threat made the status to which his long service years ago? Malice, Dave » knew, often led him. * jends stimulus to a man’s ambition for wo months later a bulletin appeared position and power. Could this be true e vard office announcing the appoint- in Ewing's case? He didn’t try to formu- ‘of a new superintendent. In sub- late an answer. Ph, n’s idle For several days he contrived to keep Re ., out of Ewing’s sight. He dreaded the . Edwin L. Ewing has been appointed meeting, not only because he feared “ “A ve | one * aterm to result, but because, now that he had come r - . Tt TedAlu waguely familiar, the name at 4h ashamed of the way he . .~ ca . i RES © ud =" - ho = Yee & ell =< 4 il ry comicbooks ‘com . - ta tc as bs > i res » = 2 L -— - it ot Pe “ote to realize the folly of the old days, he was ~ oo —_ Myo Dave. It seemed to abused the well-meaning brakeman. se