The State Republican. (Cordell, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 5, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 15, 1906 Page: 3 of 4
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•Ycu want inn to drmk this?' be bnlf told Tat Barlio to put in irn much more
** lite n<p held, ami bed ill «o.
II * heard Sbockley
out entue the depot Muff with a alioot steadily upon It
jf t!aim« through the gout'* flue*, allot ' brc.ttblMg
"There, Cbrla; go homo. 1 il db't like I hero, nboi there, abut youiler, fly lug 1 8>me cr.rriod the headlight buck, ami
yen," added Shockley inmdeutly, turu- 1 du« u till* spur and dow* that anil the «otne tore the dour off ti box cat, ami
lui> wn Reynold*. "You dou't know 1 other, like atouea from a catapult, ami J they &■>( liliu ou. They carried him un-
wlial fun K Tbl* t iwn won't hold the tough connected. aiout fa«fd, blear evenly, stumbling. over to the depot,
you and me after tonight. You can eyod yard engine roughed and auortwd They laid lilm on Callahau'a imiitre**
' ' ~"k ~ * * ** ' ' nod the men
but the ouly
of us will cash In." ' ^he darte 1 nud d nig -d and Jerked tiud . sound waa hla breathing, and Inalde
He backed directly toward the front backed tip nnd down and ucioas the under the lamp the receiver, clicking,
door and o.it
Tec Leg LeyuoM* to >k only the night
to decide; next day be hit the trail.
The nervy yardui.nter be might have
wljM-d QQt If be kftd Htaye I. but the dla
grace of kneeling before the dog of a
Russian won Nonietblng never to lie
wiped out In the nunals of Bnnkleton.
Peg I*g moved on. am) thereafter cow-
boya took oecsalon to atop Shvkley ou
Ihe atreet and lolly blui on the way be
lead and uever for u fraction of a nee 'licking. clicklug. of Buck* and the
and took her eye off Shoeklejr'a lamp— company surgeon coming on a special
ahlvoring and clasglng and bucking 1 ahead of r>0.
with steam and IhjII and air, but al- l They twisted Liuniliiueta into hla
way* with oueaiuoky eye on Shoklcy's i quivering nnd with the light dy
lamp, uut.l 21 waa wrecked clean to the j lug |n hU eyes they put whisky to hla
caboose, and the switch engine abot | ||pa. Hut h" turned IiIh head and aplt It
down the nialn line wlili the battered frum hla moutii. Then he looked from
way car Iri her elaw.i like a hawk with
a prairie dog.
Then there waa only the wpNtlmtiud
did the one legged bully, and the light* | freight, ft.*, to make up with the Fort
were abut no more.
The railroad men awore by tht new
yardmaater: the Russians t; < k their
cigarettes from their mouth* nnd
t filched their capa when Shockley pass-
cd: Callahan blessed bla name, but lit-
tle Chris worabli>cd blm.
One day Alfabst Smith dropped off
Knwllu* stuff nnd the Cherry Creek
ateel, wbleh waa "rush," and a few
car* of tie* tlung ou behind on general
principle*. It waa quick wcrk now
aortlug and moving the bridge steel -
half an hour for au bour n work, with
(be north wind waking at the clatter
aud sweeping a bank of cloud nud mind
face t face about liliu to the engineer
and to lb* fireman and 10 little Chris
and to Callahan uud hla llpa mo\ed.
Chris bent over lilui. but try n* he
would he could not catch the wonts.
"Uloek'-hlock," anld Shockley'* llpa.
And Sbockley died
They lifted the mattress Into the bag-
gngc room. Callahan drew over it n
crumpled alieet. A lantern left burned
on the checking dealt, but the men. e*
cept Cbrla, went their way*. Chris
turning ou bla baiter.
"1 didn't ray ao,did P 1 aald drink'"
Ma red Tea Leg.
Everybody lookeiJ at BboeWley. He
atood lingering the glass quietly. Home-
bow everybody, drunk or aolwr. looked .
ct Shxklcy. He glauced around at the take It or you can lenve it. bat the Uret1 *nd aplt n ahower of aparto nnd aoot la the waiting room
«Ti wd. Other gun* were creeping from tlna« 1 ever put eye* ou you again one « d cinder* up luto the Christmas air stosl all alwut bim
tlie'r liolatera. He pushed the glaaa
back, amlllng.
"1 dou't drink whisky, partner," aald
Shockly gently.
"You drink' that whlaky or I'll put a
little hole Into you!"
HhocUley reached good naturedly for
tbe glass. threw the liquor ou tbe floot
nnd a*it It buck on tbe bar.
"tio on!" aald Sbockley. It confused
Reynolds.
"A man that'll waite good whisky
oughtn't t' live anyhow," he muttered.
Angering hla revolver nervously.
"You've spoiled my aim. Throw up
your bat," lio yelled. "I'll put a hole
through that to begin with."
Inatead Sbockley put hla cap back ou
bla head.
"l'ut a bole through It there," aald
he. Reynolds act down bla glass, nud
Hbockley wnltcd. It was the cowboy
who hesitated.
"Where's your nerve?" nuked tbe
railroad man. The gun covered bim
with a (lash and a roar. Reynolds.
whatever bla faults, was n abot. !i!«
bullet cut cleauly through the crown.
nnd tbe powder almost burned Shock-
ley's fnee. Tbe switchman recovered
himself instant ly and. talcing off hi*
cop, laugbod as he examined the hole.
"Done with me?" be( asked evenly,
cap in hand.
Pog Leg drained his glass before be
•poke. "C!et out!" be snapped. The
■witchmnn started ou tbe word for the
(rout door. When ho opened it every-
body laughed but Sbocklev.
Maybe un hour later Reynolds was
slt'lng buck of tbe stove In a card
game when a voice spoke at bis ear.
"Get up!" Reynolds looked around
Into a pistol. Behind It stood Sbock-
ley, pleasant, "(let up!" be repeated.
Kobody bad seen him come In, but
there be was uml with an absolutely
Infantile gun, a mere baby guu, in the
yellow light, but It shone like bright
■liver.
Reynolds with visible embarrassment
stood up.
at Beukleton from Omaha Ueudquar across the valley. Shot-kit? nnd Chris hung irresolute around the open door,
tera. Alfabet waa the only specie* of and tbe goat < rew put ut It like black The apoctal pulled In. and with the
llfard on the payroll. He was tbe
west end spotter. "Who Is that allrn
fellow?" he naked of Cnllnhan aa
Sbockley flew by on the pilot l oard of
un englue.
"That'a Shocklcy."
"Oh, that'a Sbockley. la it?"
But be could aay little thing* In a
way to rnako a man prick hot ull over.
"Yea, thnt's Sbockley. Why?" asked
Callahan, with n dash of acid.
"Nothing, only he's n valuable man.
He's wanted, Sbockley la." smiled Al
fabet Smith, but bis smile would freeze i of coal. He recovered lightly, but the
(earSi i misstep sent hi* other foot wide, and
Callnhnn took it up abort. "Look J with a bit of a Jolt Rubedo'a new ahoe
here, Alfal>et. Keep off Sbockley." 1 allppcd Into the frog.
anta. There waa releaaiag anil aettlng aiio -a wringing Are from her heela ns i
aud kicking nud spllttlns, utid ouce In ahe slow«il Rucks nnd n man following
awhile a (lying awltcb dead nguluat the close sprung from tbe step of the coach,
rubrics, ami at last the whole train of Callnhnn met them: shook hla head.
ateel was In line, clean ns the links of Twenty minutes Inter W whistled f.ir
a aprocket nud ready to run In uu the ib<- yard, but In tbe yard all was dark
bouse track for tbe caltoosc.
For that run flirt* set Ihe oast house
track switch, crossed tbe track and
swung a great circle with hi* lamp for
the buck. To get over to the switch
again be aturtod to recrosa the track.
In tbe dark hla nnkle turned ou n lump
•Whf?"
'Why?
will
Because you nnd I
touch, bend on. If you don't."
Smith said nolhlng. He was used to
that sort. The nest time Buck* wna
up his assistant told him of the Inci-
dent.
Up the track he heard a roll of
| stormy coughs from the cuginc gather-
ing push to shave the string of flnt*
' down. They were coming toward him,
over tbe *|>ot where he stood, ou hla
signal, and he quietly tried to looscu
1 hla heel.
"If he bothers Shockjey," Bucks faid, ' Tbe engine * drlvera let go. and she
"we'll got bis scalp, that's all. He'd j roared a steaming oath, uml Chris
better look after his conductors and could bear It, but be was glad, for his
I leave our men alone " > heel would not work quietly out of the
'Throw your ennnon into the stove, i *1 notice Sbockley isn't keeping bis frog; It stuck. Then the eug.neer. un
Reynolds yon won't need it," suggest- ] frogs blocked," continued Bucks, re- i ruffled, pulled at his aaud lever, aud
j verting to Other matters. "That won't his engine snorted nguln, and her drlv- <
do. I want every frog In the yard er tires bit, nud slowly she sent the 1
blocked, and kept blocked, and tell him 1 long traiu of steel down on Chris'
I said so." awltcb. He beard the frosty flunges
But the frog blocking wns not what
worried Sbockley. His push was to
kerp the yard clean, for the mouth of
j December brought more stuff twice
I over than was over poured luto tho
! front end yard before. Chris, though,
had developed into a great switchman,
and the two uever let the work get
ahead.
So it came that Little Russia honored
Chris r.nd. his big pay cheek above
' most men. Shocklry stood first In
Little Russia, then tbe czar, then Chris, switch. Sbockley couldn't bear, nnd be
I then Caliabau. Queen Victoria and j knew It. nnd he yelled again.
I Rlsraarck might have admirers, but The sweat broke over him as he turu-
I they were not in it under the bench. od aud twisted. The grip of the frog
When t,he Russian holldeys came. I seemed to stifle him. Half ihe time
down below, Chris concluded that tbe was gone. The
celebration would be merely hollow i screeched two car lengths away, and
without Sbockley, for was not the very : the switchman played his last card,
existence of Little Russia due to him? ; Time nnd time again Sbockley bad told
grinding ou the face of the rails a* he I
tried to loosen his foot.
Coolly, first like a eontldeut man lu a
quicksand, soon with iilnrui running I
Into fright; but there waa time enough, i
The heud car waa four or Ave lengths
above the switch and coming very, j
very slowly, heavylike nud squeaking j
stiffly under its load, yet coming, and j
he wrenched harder, but bis foot stuck. [
Then he jelled for Shock ley. Shock- {
ley had gone over to open the caboose I
K
All the growth, all the prosperity—
what wns it due to? Protection. What
I was the protection? Sbockley. There
! were brakeicon who argued that pro-
j tection came from the tariff, but they
| never made any converts in Little Rus-
sia, where tbe inhabitants could be hi-
j duced to vote for president only on the
assurance that Sbockley wns running.
Well, what's the racket anyhow
The onl|/ found ton* lila breathing.
nnd still. One mnn got off 59 that
ulgbt. Carrying hla little valise In Ills
hand, be-walked In and out of tbe dc-
v uuic P3t- hanging on the edges of the£roup-
near truck wheels '"g men. who still talked of the acci-
dent. After hearing he walked alone
iuto the baggage room and. with his
vnlise In his hand, drew back the edge
of tbe sheet nnd. standing, looked. :
Afterward he paused nt tbe door nnd
spoke to a man who was filing a Ian
tern.
"What, wna hla name?"
"Sbockley. Know him?"
"Me? No. I guess not." He walk-
ed away with his vnlise and drew hi* 1
coat up in the wind that swept tbe pint
him what to do if that moment came In
the nljrbt—bad told him to throw his
Inmp In the air like a rooket. But Chris
hud forgotten all that till jibe flnt drop-
ped heavily on the tongue In fronl of
him. Then be threw Ills lamp like a
rocket high into the night.
No lrelp came. He raised bis arms
frantically above his head, and his
cries cut tbe wind. Desperate at last, j
Pcj Leg danced
ed Sbockley. Reynolds looked around.
There appeared to be no hopeful alter-
native. The drop looked very cold.
Not a cowboy interposed. Under con-
voy Reynolds stumped over to the
stove and threw in his gun, but tbe
grace of tbo doing was bad.
"Get up there ou the bar and dance.
Hustle!" urged Shockley. They had to
help the confused cowboy up, and when
bo stood, shamefaced, looking down on
the scene of his constant triumphs and
did a painful fclugle foot; n&rking time
with his peg, tbe cowboys, who had
stood their own share of his bullying,
roared. Shockley didn't ronr; only
stood with busy eyes where be could
cover any man on demand, not forget-
ting even Pat Barlie.
Peg Leg, who bad danced so many in
bis day, danced, and his roasting gun
sputtered au accompaniment from the
stove; but as Sbockley, who stood in
front of it, paid no attention to the
fusillade of bullets good form prevent-
ed others from dodging. "That'll do;
get down. Come here, Chris," called
Shockley. Chris Oxen, greatly disturb-
ed, issued from an obscure comer.
"Get down on your knees!" exclaim-
ed the yardmaster. Jerking Reynolds
with a chilly twist in front of the fright-
ened Russian. "Get on your knees,
right where I threw your whisky." And
Shockley, crowding Reynolds down to
his humiliation, dropped for the first
lime into rajjge civilities himself, and
the shame and the abasement of it
were very great.
"Boys," said the yardmaster. with
one restless eye on Reynolds and ono on
everybody else, as he pointed at Chris,
"this man's coat was burnt up. He's
•well, Wilms lue iuikbi cries cut tbe winrl. 1 (operate nt last, fornl' ' } 'l3'1 ,^Rn
Chris?" demanded Shockley lazily after i„, t|irow himself flat, to lie outside the ""^ered to himself. guess they
Cross Eyes, trying to get rid of the ! rail t0 sttve aU l)1It a foot| ,)Ut the fro(f don t want him- not now. j\nd e
Invitation to the festivities, bud sput- j hp,(1 hin) „luJ cryl„K horribly lie strug- H«ut back to ihe man nnd ask d b
tered switch English live miuutes at ! k«,.v- a hb (•«., «ni« ir, cini- gm>in a train left again for Chicago. He b.
blm.
"Ye got C'hrlsmus by us," explained
Chris desperately.
"Christmas." repeated Shockley grim- ui uiH iv|.) au
ly. "Christmas. Why, man. Christ- | ueck andhis yardmaster'* voice In his K'>W,or ,n
mas don't come nowhere on enrth in
January. You want to wind up your
calendar. Wbere'd you get them
shoes?"
"Dollnr sefenty-vife."
"Where?"
"Rubedo." %
"And don't you know a 6witcbmau
oughtn't to _put his feet in flntboats'
Don't you know some day you'll gel
your foot, stuck in a tongue or a guard?
Then where'II you be, Dutch, with n
string of flats rolling.down on you,
eh?"
riowevor, Chris stuck for his request.
He wouldn't take no for an nuswer.
Next day be tired Shockley out
"Well, for God's sake let up, Chris." i
said tho yardmaster at last. "I'll come
down awhile after 23 comes in. Get
back early after supper, and we'li
make up 53 and let the rest go."
It was a pretty night; pretty enough
il to save nil but u foot, but the frog
held him nnd crying horribly he strug-
gled back to bis feet, only to sink uguin A , ,, _ ...
r ... I.,. a warrant for Shock ey, but Shockley a
half crazy to the ground. A bis senses " ' . . „ „ „ '. .
left him he was hardly aware of a J hpnj ^ oue Rm;ks and
s inging pain in his foot, of a wrench th(, mirgeou t)llked to J
at his log. an instant arm around bis jn ^ waitjng room nmt chr|g |
( hanging by, blear eyed nnd helpless, !
; looked from one to the other; abowed j
"Jump!' screamed Shocklov. foot when Callahan pointed nnd sat |
Chris scrambled frautically on the paU<>ut wWle tho 8m.geon B,itched the j
deadly rails, unable to Jump, felt him- m w),ece 8hocU|ey s blade had touch-1
aelf picked from tbe ground, heard a i th# ,)one Tbcn lic Rtood 8RHm nn(j ,
choke in the throat nt his ear. and lie Wh„e anv oue (nlke<1 cbrl„
was flung like a drawbar through the lif|ten s-ient* aud lielnlesa. lust
dark. Shockley hud passed- a knife
listening. And wbew R«ck* lind gone
blade from vamp to sole, slit the Rus- U1)stairs ni!(1 ,he 8Urg:?on had gone up- I
slan's clumsy shoe. Jerked his font stairH and (^Uahan .tired and sick, had J
from it and thrown him bodily into tbe g0Qe „pstalrsi iin(i onlv the operator sat :
clear. m under bis lamp at the table, Chris stood
Chris staggered panting to his feet, back in tbe gloom in front of the stove
Already the steel was moving slowly ; nnd pokCd stealthily nt the flro. When
over the switch, lie heard tbe sulleu \t i,|nzed be dropped big chunks of
pounding of the trucks 911 the contact, amuttv coal in on it and wiped bis
A lantern, burning yet, lay on Its side
near tbe stand. It was Shockleys
lamp. Chris looked wildly around for
his yardmaster, called out, called
Shock ley's name, listeued. No scream, j torc oiT a 8trJp amj. holding It carefully
no groan, no cry. no answer. 113 sound. 0I)CU sprinkled a few clippings of to-
over the yard "for anybwly's Chri^nms, ! but J"st tbe 8tpad-v pounding of tiie b^pco upon lt nnd roliVd bis cigarette.
; wheels over the contact. The little ne |Uci;ed it lietween his lips. It was
frostbitten nose with the back of his
dirty hand.
Chris drew his cap low. pulled me-
chanically from bis pocket a time table.
Julian or Gregorian—no snow, but a
moon, and u full one. rising early over
tho Arikaree bluffs and a frost that bit
and sparkled and the north wind asleep
in the sand hills.
Shockley after supper, snug in a pea
Jacket and u storm cap, rode with the
switch engine down from tbe round-
bouse. Chris, in bis astrakhan reefer
company for the sileuce. and be could
more easily stop the llsteniug. But be
did not light, duly pulled his cap again ,
a little lower, buttoned close his reefer.
switchman screamed again in a frenzy
and, turning, raced stumbling up the
track to the cab. He swung into it and
by signs made the engineer shut. off.
He tried to talk and only stammered a j looked at his bandaged foot, picked up
lingo of switch pidgin nnd the name of j jjjg [anip and started home.
.Shockley. They couldn't understand it | it wil8 dark, and the wind from the
all. but they shut off with faces pinch- noriii w-as bitter, but he made a great
cud turban, walking over from the dug • and sallow, threw open the furnace j <>tour into the teeth of it-around by
out in Itubedo's new shoes, flipped tbe
footboard at the stockyard with almost
the roll of Shockley himself.
Happily for Christmas in Little Itus
door ahd. grnbbing their lanterns, ran the coal -chutes, a long way round
back. The tireman, on his knees, held 1 long way from the frog of the east
his bmp out under the flot that span house track switch—and tbe cold stung
ned the contact. He drew, shrinking, bis face as be limped heavily ou. At
sin 23 pulled in on time,"but it was long i back and. rising, started on the run j last by the l&> house he turned south
and heavy that night. It brought coal j for tbe depot to rouse Callahan. and. reaching the fnce of the bench,
a poor devil, and his money comes hard. I aud ties and the stuff for the Fort; H was Callahan who pulled tbe pin ; paused a moment, hesitating on tha
Chip in for 0 new coat I've nothing 1 Rawlins depot and a batch of bridge i a moment later. Chris shivering like a I side of the earthen stairs. It wns very
against anv man that don't want to I steel thev had been waiting two weeks j rabbit at bis side. It was Callahan dark. After a bit bo walked slowly
pivo. but Revnolds must pass the bat. Tor. mostly Cherry Creek stuff, eleven ! the slow pull ahead order . down and pushed open the door of his
Take mine you coyote.' cars of it. 1 11,81 cut the train in two at the frog j dugout. It was dark inside nnd cold.
Nearly everybody contributed as Rev- The minute tbe tired engine was cut and Callahan who stepped, wavering, j The firejwns out. The children were
Holds went round. Sbockley made no | off the long train up ran tbe little
comments. "Count it," he continued ; switch engine and snapped at the head-
when tbe fallen monarch bad finished, j less monster like a coyote.
tha wfce? the taV was made Shockley j Out enme tbe cofJ with a clatter blindly out for the target rod &zi un
from tbe gap that opened behind the j asleep. Tbe woman was asleep,
receding flat-back from something be- j He >at down In a chair and puf out
tween the rails—back to put his hands j his lr. There was no Christmas that |.
nigh Little Russia.
j(nnouncement
Next* week's issue of the State
Republican will be a hummer. It
will be replete with real live news,
and contain much valuable matter
calculated to give the outside world
an idea of the importance of our city.
WE WILL ISSUE
2000
COPIES
Vho State
^Republican,
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Utterback, J. W. & Smith, Frank M. The State Republican. (Cordell, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 5, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 15, 1906, newspaper, March 15, 1906; Cordell, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc159599/m1/3/: accessed April 24, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.