Read Online Distant Dreams by Tracie Peterson, Judith Pella - Free Book Online Page B

this,” Davis bellowed.
    “Thought the B&O had more sense than that,” Edwards retorted. “Weren’t they the very ones to demand American production rather than British, on account the Brits roll in cinders to make cheap iron?”
    James straightened and wearily nodded. “Cheap iron has no place in a locomotive. This ought to be constructed from wrought iron. The best we can do is find a blacksmith and see if he can duplicate this piece enough to get it back to the B&O shops in Mt. Clare. It’s either that or send for the piece.”
    “Glad you two came along,” said Edwards. “This thing could have broke clear through while it was moving, and heaven knows what damage it would have done.”
    They worked for another two hours before the redheaded boss returned.
    “Who are you?” he asked James, after nodding cordially to Davis.
    James straightened up from where he had been bending over some machinery. “James Baldwin.” He extended his hand, then realizing it was covered with grease as was most of his clothing, he withdrew it and smiled sheepishly.
    “I don’t recall hiring you,” said the boss.
    “No, you didn’t.”
    “What’re you doing?”
    “Just helping out. I’m an engineer.”
    “You don’t look like an engineer.”
    “I’m not a locomotive driver, if that’s what you mean. I’m trained to build things—bridges, dams, railroads, whatever.”
    “Just be glad that ‘whatever’ took the form of locomotive engines,” Phineas threw in. He was attempting unsuccessfully to clean the grease from his hands.
    The boss scowled. “I can’t afford to hire no one else.”
    “I’m not looking for work. I just wanted to help.”
    Edwards added, “Hey, boss, you should see what he’s done.” He proceeded to show the boss James’ contributions.
    The boss let James stay. Why not? It wasn’t costing him anything.
    And James felt in his element, up to his elbows in pipes and gears and wheels. He loved it. The greasy smell, the complicated mechanisms, the challenge of troubleshooting a problem.
    When the job was completed around ten that night, he felt truly accomplished. The men let him know they would never have finished so far ahead of schedule without his help. They invited him to the tavern to celebrate. Only then did James remember that his mother had been expecting him for dinner. Thus, he was even more eager to join the railroad men in order to postpone another confrontation with his parents, this time over his tardiness.
    The ale flowed freely, and although he looked far more able to pay than his new friends, none would let him pay a single coin. He felt as if he had made friends for life. When Eddie Edwards lifted his voice in an off-key but loud song, James chimed in merrily.
    “ From whence have ye come and where are ye bound? From Baltimore way to Ohio ground. How will ye pass the mountainous load? We’ve engaged a passage by railroad.”
    They all burst out laughing. A barmaid poured more ale. The song had originated from a celebration in 1828 when the B&O had laid its first cornerstone. Old Carroll Carrollton, the only surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, had bantered the staged words back and forth with a Baltimore shipmaster during the parade. It was just the encouragement the railroad workers needed, and it was only moments before someone picked up the chorus again. But just as they started, from the opposite end of the tavern, a new song was raised.
    “I got a mule, her name is Sal, fifteen years on the Erie Canal! Low Bridge, everybod-y down, low bridge, ’cause we’re coming to a town . . .”
    The railroad men stopped singing, twisting around to see from whom this intrusion was coming. A group of four or five men reclined at a nearby table. There were no smiles on their faces. They glared at the railroad men.
    Undaunted, Eddie, who was six feet tall and two hundred fifty pounds, said, “Hey, do you mind waiting ’til we’re finished with our song?”
    The