THE WHITE MAIL THE WHITE MAIL BY CY WARMAN NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS 1899 _Copyright, 1899_, BY CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS. University Press: JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A. _TO_ BRYAN WARMAN WITH A FATHER’S LOVE CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. THE PASSING OF THE WATCHMAN 1 II. AGAIN THE REAPER 8 III. SLEEPING OUT 13 IV. THE FLOOD 21 V. TOMMY’S REQUISITION 30 VI. THEY HOIST THE FLAG 35 VII. THE LABOR QUESTION 40 VIII. LITTLE JACK’S PROMOTION 44 IX. TOMMY FLAGS THE WHITE MAIL 49 X. TOMMY MCGUIRE SEES THE CITY 55 XI. THE HOLD-UP AT CASEY’S TANK 67 XII. MCGUIRE GOES WEST 82 XIII. MCGUIRE LEARNS TELEGRAPHY 90 XIV. STATION-MASTER MCGUIRE 99 XV. THE COMING OF THE SIOUX 108 XVI. MCGUIRE GOES SWITCHING 119 XVII. SNOWBOUND 132 XVIII. BREAKING THE TRAIL 151 XIX. A NEW LINE 157 XX. COMING HOME 161 XXI. ON A ROLLING SEA 171 XXII. THE NEW PRESIDENT 176 XXIII. THE MAID OF ERIN 184 XXIV. OVER THE BIG BRIDGE 194 The White Mail CHAPTER I THE PASSING OF THE WATCHMAN DENIS MCGUIRE lived at Lick Skillet, on the ridge between the east and west forks of Silver Creek, midway between Troy and St. Jacobs, twenty-two miles east of St. Louis--Vandalia line. Denis McGuire was the section boss, Tommy McGuire was his only heir, Mrs. McGuire, in addition to being Tommy’s mother, made herself generally useful about the house. Lick Skillet possessed a saw-mill and a blacksmith shop, and contained, if we count the “nigger” who drove Jim Anderson’s bull team at the mill, twenty-seven souls. Denis McGuire was an honest Irishman, industrious and sober, except on Saturday nights, and possibly Sunday. He was unable to read or write, even his own name. Heidelberg, the station agent at St. Jacobs, the eastern terminus of McGuire’s section, kept his books and accounts and the time of the men. In return for this kindness McGuire used to do odd spurts of manual toil for Heidelberg. Sometimes, on a Saturday afternoon, he would set his car off at the end of his run, take his men over (between trains) and shovel snow and saw wood for the agent. In summer, when they had their scythes out, they invariably cut the weeds on the vacant lot between the station and Heidelberg’s house, clipped the lawn, and weeded the garden.