Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 27, 1925 — page 13: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE CALL OF SHINING STEEL. still, then urged on by the slant of the hill and their suddenly checked speed, with the crash of breaking.wood and the sharp rip and clang of ruptured steel, they top- pled over and collapsed. The noise died down. The dust settled and a jumbled, splintered litter of wood and twisted metal blocked the right of way. In the all absorbing sight of the wreck, Zeb for a moment forgot the fireman, A shout attracted his attention and he turned his head in time to see him scrambling out of the thicket of blackberry briars that fringed the roadbed where Zeb had pitched him. Slightly bruised and bearing a few red scratches across his face where the thorns had raked him, the fireman limped up to the engine. 7 Looking up at Zeb he spoke: “ Fellow, I sure do owe you a heap. And as sure as my name is Jim Brown, I won't forget you for many a day. Come on down here. I want to speak to you.” Zeb wondering and trembling a little, jumped down, stood hesitant before the fireman who was fumbling at a braided leather thong that led from a button in his jumper to the watch pocket. Zeb watched. He really hadn’t any idea of what had hap- pened, so quick, so stupendous was the smashup. As for the hand he had lent the fireman, “shucks, t’warn’t nothin’,” he heard his voice mumble. Jim Brown unsnapped the leather thong with trembling fingers and drew a gleaming gold watch from out his breast pocket. “‘ Here, take this, old head!” Zeb heard the words and before he could manage his fluttering tongue, the fireman had shoved the watch into his hand and climbed up into the cab. Surprise written on his face, Zeb could not frame the words of thanks he wanted to speak. A watch, a railroad watch! No one else in his family had ever owned a watch or needed one. The sun at noon was close enough for them. They ate when they got up in the morning, had dinner when the sun rode above Big Hungry Mountain and their evening meal when the shadows be- gan to lengthen. And he, not yet two hours out from home, owned a watch. The thrill of possession gripped him. He gazed at the little intricate piece of mechanian in its gold shell that lay in his hand and through his mind a wordless thought ran again and again. That watch was the promise of many other things his people had never experienced. He forgot all about the wreck, so full of pleasure had the gift filled him. He looked back to see the conductor and brakeman hurrying forward, climbing over the wreckage. Without a glance at him, they called to the engineer. ‘‘ Oh, Johnny, are you hurt? Any one hurt?” Zeb heard a reply. “No, we're O. K.” A mumble of voices followed, through which he caught the words, “ Draw bar broke, safety chains parted. Jim putting in a fire. If it hadn't been for that boy, he’d ’a’ gone to hell sure. Quickest thing I ever saw. Slung Jim clear just as he was about to be pinched.” He felt their eyes on him. Some one asked: “ Bud, what’s your name?” ‘Zeb White,” he answered. Pointing up the creek, “I come from up thar and I’m a fixin’ to go to town to see about a goin’ a railroadin’ like you'uns.” He stopped. He hadn’t meant to say that. A flush swept over his face. He watched the group around him covertly, expecting every second to hear some one break out into a laugh at his effrontery. Here they were, men of experience, railroaders, with their clean overalls over good suits of clothes, with their gold watches and money in their pockets, while he was nothing but @ poor mountain boy without a penny in his homespun jeans and, he remembered shamefully, that he didn’t even have socks on to cushion the insides of his rough brogans. But no laugh followed. A seri- ous half circle of faces surrounded him. The fireman broke the strained silence. Patting him on the shulder: “ Well, Zeb, old horse, if you want a job, I'll see to it myself and put in the right word for you” “Me, too,” spoke up the enginew. “You're the very stuff.” Came the unanimous chorus: “ Weil all see that you get fixed right. We're fer you, kid!” “ Well, boys, let’s get moving,” the con COnniEaoo () SS Co