The San Francisco call. [volume], May 04, 1913, Page 6, Image 6

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
6
THE TARDY CANNON BALL
JSSSSSHj| RIBALD FRIEND of mine used
i m9mwmmm st to yowl a song, which went:
I The telegraph man in his office
lal ! -
■AY Out west, out west —
ISSSBSI When in came a man without a
" »l hat,
■■■■■■■■■■■ Or coat, or vest.
~;";He never;could sing, and ; it is a poor effort, any
way, tending to; levity on serious,? subjects; but it ;
happens to sum up the situation in Dodd City on the
night of September 22, A. D. 1911.
At ten of the clock the station agent was hunched
in a chair, in a semi-comatose condition, waiting for
the click of the instrument which should notify him
of the: approach of the Cannon Ball. The Cannon
Ball lurches through Dodd City once a day, and, when
it does not run off the track, frequently attains a
speed of twenty miles an? hour: on the ballasted
stretches. A hatless man, in his shirt-sleeves,, came
in and leaned on the counter with the languid ease
of j practice. The agent ? roused; glanced once, and
felt surreptitiously of his waistband to make certain
that i his": gun -was within : reach, for? the • stranger's
appearance would never have begotten confidence in
timid souls, and the station was a mile from any
where. Thus did a plutocratic railroad slight Dodd
City.
• "Howdy," said the stranger. "Gimme a ticket to
Childress."
He ; was slab-sided ?> and very tall, and the agent
could not quite -determine to his :own satisfaction
whether he was a lightning-rod peddler or a sewing
machine man. But it was none of, his concern how
the gentleman had arrived, provided he had the
necessary money to depart, so he stamped the ticket
in the listless fashion peculiar to his species and
counted out change from a twenty-dollar bill.
"Got I your] credentials?" .
"Uh-uh—'l ain't a; regular drummer," was the
answer. "What made you go to think I j was?"
"Oh, the cut iof your mug * said the agent, in a?
sleepy voice. X
The other pocketed the ticket and
took possession of the chair that
held the door open. Not feeling in
clined to conversation, the agent
'■■*■ trimmed \ the lamp and fell to sort
ing a pile of flimsy.
FOR > a long time there was si
lence. The night was growing
cold, on the heels of a . day of
blighting heat. Outside \ was the
flat, dead -stillness of lone regions
after dark. A mosquito piped his
thin song. Once an owl hooted
from the track,?; and a bull-bat,
wheeling in erratic, flight, invaded
vthe office for an instant, swept close
to the lamp and darted out again.
Evidently the quiet grew irksome
to the; traveler.
"Say," he said abruptly, "if you
hear j anything of a doggone team
running ; loose around these parts,
notify Jake /Beasley at the City,
will you?" -x; ;■-.?■■■ .•:■ -.-,.
The agent turned reluctantly to
look at him. •
.;.;•; "I done hired a team from Jake
: and they away with me. You
know them j sorry.; grays of his?
Well, where the road makes a sharp
THE SEMI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE SECTION
POfieERNINQ AN ENOCH ARDEN-d^-TME ~SfIEIR*ft&UOE.
George Pattullo
turn lip here;about half a mile I could n't turn as
sharp as the road did. That 's where I lost: my hat
and coat. But wait — I did n't lose my luggage."
Very gravely he produced a flask from his hip
pocket and tendered it to the agent. That func
tionary hesitated for a moment; then, in response
to an urgent "Take a sip, anyhow," said "How" and
swallowed a I goodly gulp. II is eyes began to bulge,
and he shuddered and groped blindly about for a
glass of water.
"That 's sure stout." he remarked.
"Yon can't get any other kind in - these towns no
more.' No, sir; since this plains country went dry,
there 's been thousands of healthy stomachs ruined."
Saying which, the lank individual took a long pull
without blinking an eyelash and returned the llask
to his pocket. '• * '
■'X ' -. '?■' ■■'■'.' X , ■;•' •■'"' '■ --".''*' ■"';■■■.
THE -AGENT; turned again to a scrutiny of the
flimsy, but.it was apparent that a more sociable
footing had been established. Try as he would, he
could not look so sternly preoccupied as before.
Meanwhile the stranger rocked one leg over the other
and hummed a tune. Presently the telegraph instru
ment began to tick.
'■■■" -■>-:■- •;- ':■:-.:. ..<> , -•■ ■•■■' ■■.'■ ■■■■ J •■■" ■■ ' '-.'' ■-"■".■. : -■■;-.■ .■.,.,.....
" Dink hoisted her on top of a burro .'■ -.and off they went down the mountain side"
• . • - ■ ■•:■ ■:■:■.
"Gee! She won't be here for another two hours,"
said the agent, in intense disgust. "1 never will catch
up with my sleep. What do you know about that?
Fours nights now, hand-running, I 'ye sat here until
midnight, waiting for thai doggone Cannon Ball.
I swan, a man with a wife and family ain't got any
right to stay in railroading."
Nodding comprehension and sympathy, the trav
eler put in: "Speaking of railroading, did you ever
hear the one about the engineers?" ■
"I 'ye heard a right smart of 'em," was the cautious
reply. "Which one. do you mean?"
The traveler told the story, and the agent fairly
howled. Leaning back in his chair, he allowed him
self to relax and accepted a cigar.
"Say, do you play euchre.'" lie asked.
"No-00, i can't say I do. But I'm a wolf at
■ casino."--.-""; -„ .\
Without more ado the agent took a deck of cards
from a pigeonhole and made room for him at tbeJL
table. \s,
■"Come on 'round. 'm some casino player my
self," he added with a grin. And there ain't anything
you can steal here."
, A cordial relation being thus established, they
began the game.
"It's; right queer," remarked the traveler, "but I
ain't played casino in years. Is n't it funny how
time will change a feller's habits, though? I mind
when I used to play most every night.' And there
were no flies on me in them days, neither."
"Yes?" said the agent, raking in big casino.
. ■''.-■."■.■ ....... , .
. ■;■..; ■■~. ■■;.: ~ ■ .. ■;; .... ■ , ; •■■'■■■-, - ■-'■•-■■--.■:;;■
BOTH knew all?the finer points of the game. They
, played for half an hour, with scarcely a word ex
changed. The agent observed that his opponent was
not having much luck.
"No, but it '11 come." He shuffled the pack and
handed it to the other. "I always say that time will
do most anything if a feller only gives it a chance.
What's your idea?" '
"Sure," the agent replied. "It 's a long lane that
has no ash barrel." j
The telegraph instrument started j
its monotonous tack, tick-a-tack, ; ■-
and the official hurriedly shoved
back- his chair. After listening a X
moment:'.',' "That 's just my luck
every time/ Consarn it! Got to
relay Some stuff. Hey No; wash- !
out on the Canadian. I reckon j
we'd best not start another game. j
Don't move. Take it easy."
The Mother settled back, lighted X
the stub of his cigar and cocked his j
feet on the desk. -, For a space he |
listened to the agent receive. Then, I
in a break, he said musingly: . ; i
"Yes, sir, time will cure most: J
anything. A feller's a fool to let
himself get worked up over things. j
If he '11 only wait, everything'll
come out right. And if it don't/:
what does it matter?''/:
To which the agent, bending over
the key, retorted: "What the
answer?" x . ■•'.'. .
"There ain't no answer. But I
was just thinking — fire ahead.
Don't let me cut in on you there.
I just happened to remember about
a case that proves what I said."
. ■