Show key ii the girl of lamy BY H A CALLAHAN copyright 1301 1901 by dally daily story pub co cc just a handful of 0 wooden houses in lamy thrown together as if by the haphazard hand of 0 a careless god into the little pocket of 0 the mountains that stand like priests around the city of santa fe here it la Is that the dust gray coaches which thunder in from rora arizona on the west meet their brothers from the east and exchange for or a few brief moments the greetings of 0 the way ot of course the red clapboard clap board eating house and station are the main attractions during these arrivals anil and present scenes of unwonted activity to those accustomed to the aching solitude of 0 the place by day or its blinking dreaminess beneath tile the stars at night no one distinctly remembers just when or how the girl became an institution at lamy however they do remember that one september morning come borne years back there was a new face ace behind the counter in the eating house bouse a face framed in dull gold hair and lighted by two blue gray eyes which teemed seemed forever on the brink of 0 laughter the boys who made their homo home in the be little clapboard clap board affair used to call her mollie ll ollie but it was a name ot of their own devising and she accepted it as she did many other little things with an inscrutable smile that puzzled yet meant nothing when the crews would come in from a heavy climo soaked to the bone with rain and sleet tho the girl was as in a motherly way with a stiff three fingers ot of whisky and a supper that lifted them clear ot of their weariness or it if on a saturday night f at ED A new face behind the counter the sounds of 0 a brawl would flaunt down on the st still lit air tile the girl would walk over to ge german joes in a busl busi ness like way and scatter the drunkest brunkest drun kest ot of them with a quiet word and an ad monni tory jerk of 0 tile the sleeve that sent them sneaking out like coyotes then perhaps she would stand and smile anille I 1 n D the doorway with her hair blowing in the wind her eyes speaking more plainly than words that a new era bad begun in lamy her sway was absolute and it was not long before every and throttle man on the division had had his own individual experience mu 1 wheres dan tamed by the graceful slip of a girl with golden hair who seemingly came from nov nowhere here the angel of the grade this was all before dan beard happened in dan was from the colorado hills and no angel they had bad put him first on the little bunt line that runs crazily over the hills to santa fe then he was shifted to the main line lina tor relay work and became a fixture at lamy dan was six feet one brown as leather and as tough and incidentally ouid could drink more whisky than any man this side of phoenix lie he spent his bis mornings against the bar in german joes place cursing out the road from the president down then about ten minutes before his run began he would shuffle over to his machine and get gel his orders when these were duly scanned dan would open up no 20 gently and sneak out ot of lamy like a snake but before the whistling post was passed he had her galloping over the rails like a frightened thing and bellowing like a bull lie ile became notorious as the most reckless devil on the road and everybody said that sooner or later there would be a smash amah sonie somewhere where up in the hills and dan beard bould get off the line forever but the smash seem to come coma and dans mad way continued then a change came it was almost imperceptible cep tible but gradually dan dropped away from the whisky and bade fair to quit it altogether lie ile take the grades so fast and slackened up on the curves almost like the rest some said it was mollie some said the division superintendent nobody ever leally knew it was a morning in the early june the great event occurred A dispatch had come over the wires saying that a special was wal coming froni from the cast that a doubleheader double header would be b nde to carry it over the grades dan beards no 20 could climb a tree trea and tada the big fellow got his ordwa to make the tha run it was getting close to starting time and johnny coloman coleman dans ore bro boy was growing anxious dan had not shown up all morning he BBS as not at german joes nor around the station the dispatcher was standing in the sun looking at his watch and swearing safely to himself he was i just on the point of putting another man or no 20 when something white chita caught his eye on the hlll hill path that runs above the cut As it came nearer he saw it was moille and right behind was dan clumsily picking his way over the stones at the station dan called out all ready to the dispatcher looking rather sheepish and strangely happy Ren remember dan spoke mollie as 0 no o 20 began to move not another drop little girl not another and e lavt waved a a brown list fist back at the girl the tender bumped over the switch to the main track and not until the big machine dwindled to a mere bug in the distance did turn her back and disappear in the doorway that night the special from the east was late it crept into lamy with one engine and that engine was not no 20 the little knot that gathered in curiosity on the platform felt in their hearts something was impending johnny coleman limped up ills his head bandaged in white cloth and looking weak and sick SICIL wheres Wb eres dan asked a little woman with a face very white johnny coleman did not answer but looked uneasily away they were lifting something very gently from the baggage car to lay it on the platform johnny told as briefly as possible the details making up time we left the track at the culvert he said 1 I jumped clear but dan get out in time when we got him from beneath he was pretty bad and someone was crying very softly over where dan lay johnny continued 1 I guess we could ha pulled im through at that but ho take the whisky we give him aint drinking johnny not another drop was all he said and then he sort 0 turned over like a tired little md kid and I 1 spose when he died that night was a lonely vigil in lamy and along in the early dawn dawa they buried dan beard iles hes up there near the hill path that runs above the cut and can hear the loo donners climbing up the grade and sometimes when the boys give the long blast tor for the junction they just pull a shot short one for dan the worst man on the division it if you are ever down that way drop in on the girl at the eating house ashes not very stylish and I 1 guess perhaps her talk is a bit western but somehow or other they seem to think pretty well of 0 her in lamy and by the way they dont call her mollie Moll lt any more its just dan beards girl the girl at lamy |