absented myself two days without leave, all of which I was obliged to admit; and as he considered that sufficient, I was graciously allowed to depart, with my hopes and aspirations suffering from a severe frost.
MERCY FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER.
As I was walking down the office stairs, I contrasted the superintendent's and master mechanic's manners with those of the general manager. I remembered that he had said to us, "Employees shall certainly have the right of appeal." I had appealed to him once, and got justice; why not try it again? As before, I had all to gain, and nothing to lose, and I would do it. I went to his office at once, and learned that he was out of town. But ten days later I called again. He greeted me with extended hand, and a hearty "Ah! good morning, Mr. M. Fine morning; what can I do for you?"
I told him as rapidly and clearly as I could the whole story. He listened carefully without once interrupting, and when I had finished, he asked me what I wanted him to do. I was rather nonplussed at that, for I had hoped he would offer to do something himself; so I answered, somewhat sheepishly, that I didn't think I ought to be discharged, as I didn't consider myself to blame for what had happened.
"No," said he, "from your standpoint you certainly are not; but I suppose you know the old saying that one story is good until another is told. Not that I doubt your statement for a moment; but you know your conception of the affair is apt to be colored by your interest. It certainly is a very serious matter for an engineer to take out a brand-new engine and bring her back wrecked; still, it is quite within the bounds of possibility that you are not altogether to blame. I will look over the master mechanic's and superintendent's reports; and if I find that they do not conflict materially with your story, you will hear from me, probably through one or the other of them. Will that be satisfactory?"
Considering that it was all I had hoped to accomplish, I told him that it would indeed; bade him good-by, and withdrew, hope once more springing in my breast.
Two days later, on returning to the boarding-house for dinner, I was informed that the caller had left word that the master mechanic wished to see me in his office; so down I went, wondering what the verdict would be.
"Well, sir," said he when I entered, "have you got rested?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you think you can manage now to double the division with one engine?"
"Well, yes, sir, except under very extraordinary circumstances."
"Better not have any more extraordinary circumstances for a while; they don't pay. I don't believe you are any richer for the last one, and I know the company isn't. And now a word of advice: when you get in a tight place and have an engine with a power brake, don't reverse after setting your brake; or if you think she will hold more with the lever than with the brake, reverse her, and release your brake. When you have done either, you have done all that you can do, and sliding the wheels don't do any good, but just the reverse."
Being in the freight service, I got into those tight places, and experienced those hair-raising accidents, which are the particular property of freight crews. For the passenger trains run on schedule time; the road is theirs on their time; their engines and cars receive the most careful attention; station agents, switchmen, telegraph operators, track-gangs, and watch-men, and, in fact, all employees know when they are due, and look out for them—for to delay a passenger train for any cause is a serious offense; and then, too, the superintendent is apt to be riding on any train, and each and every employee, no matter how lowly his position, firmly believes that the "super" cannot possibly ride over the road without seeing him and noting just how he is performing his duties; so that the passenger trains are well looked out for, and it is very seldom that anything happens to them.
But the poor fellows on freight,—they are the ones that get all the hard knocks. Obliged to pick their way over the road between trains, they have no rights at all; they must get to their destination as soon as possible, or there is trouble; but they must not exceed the regular schedule of freight-train speed, no matter how good a chance they may have to do so; they must not run by slow signals faster than the rules allow, nor through yards, nor go by a passenger train at a station, even on the off side; and, over and above all things, they must never get themselves, or allow themselves to be put, in such a position that they will have to flag a passenger
