Show AGENT PROVED BOSS SIX SHOOTER HIS MOST TIVE ARGUMENT for once conductor and engineer took bordere from the man whom they had considered an easy mark twenty years ago the man who was locomotive engineer on a freight train under any circumstances imagined himself boss of the freight traffic for his especial jerkwater line he would get his train out of the way of a passenger train that was coming head on but he swore at having to do it for the rest he dictated everything just as far as he could make it go ordinarily his dictation went for awhile at least the engineer always told the con ductor in the terminal yards just how many cars be meant to pull out on any given occasion it went too at the way stations both the engineer and the conductor got together en bane to oppose any orders of the station agent relative to cutting the train and switching in two or three lonesome box cars on the country siding and that always went with the new agent or awhile but away up in the northwestern country one winter a new agent was given the station at ardino he awaa a round faced jolly little chap years old who looked un usually easy he was too tor about a week when the siding at ardino began to bank up with empties which the conductors swore they wouldn t pick up for 1000 years at the least the little station agent lay awake most of one night figuring just where he stood he wanted to hold his job if he could but he coulden couldn t bold it it he coulden couldn t get his orders obeyed by the freight crews the result of that sleepless night was that the little agent was ready next morning for the giants conductor bingham and en gincer 0 toole who were due south bound with no 21 about ten clock railroad time half an hour before the train was due the ardino agent bad his yel low flimsy orders tor no 21 to pick up five empties of designated numbers on the sidetrack and pull them in to the nearest terminal half an hour later conductor bingham was jumping on the orders with both heels in the snow and signaling engineer 0 toole to go ahead 0 toole was going ahead too when suddenly dead ahead across the track the red arm of the block signal tell vibrated for an instant and bung still 0 toole shut off steam and jumped from the cab for the station entrance just one lap behind bingham but aa he entered be saw something which made him gasp bingham had one leg through the wide window of the agents inner office and had stuck there for some reason his jaw fallen and his eyes wide the telegraph in strument ment was clicking HC HC H C the emergency call tor the of flee of the general superintendent in bt paul stepping to one side 0 toole saw why bingham was stuck in the window the kid operator and agent was using his left hand for the sounder and in his right held a six shooter of large caliber and at full cock pointing directly at the man in the window ah t ell eald 0 toole well take cm jack the blank numbers 0 o thim cars anny how they re on the flimsy somewhere when the cars were shunted into the train the little agent lifted the block he s not an agent now though he s a chicago millionaire |