Whistle-Stop West Read Free

That’s the mail car. Look at all those bags of letters!”
    Still dragging Simon between them, the boys dashed to the car ahead. They watched as big canvas sacks were tossed off the train and onto wooden trolleys. There seemed to be no end to them, and even more cartons tied with rope and crates holding large objects were unloaded.
    â€œWouldn’t you like to know what’s in all those boxes?” Ethan grinned. “I guess you can send anything but people through the mail.”
    At the front of the long train, past the station house, more activity was taking place. A huge chute swung out over the railcar behind the engine, and coal poured down it with great speed. Black soot flew up, and the noise was deafening. The boys stared in fascination as the coal car filled up. A torrent of water was poured into the boiler attached to the engine.
    â€œThat’s what keeps her going,” a voice shouted over the racket, and strong arms scooped Simon from the ground. It was Riley, and he placed the little boy on his shoulders. “Now you can see better.”
    Simon could indeed, and what he saw was amazing. The track on the other side of their train was clearly visible to him. Another train, headed toward the east, was standing on that track.
    Simon clutched Riley’s hair and hung on as he gazed openmouthed. “Ethan,” he hollered, “there’s—”
    But Ethan didn’t seem to hear him. Simon continued to talk, but the wind carried his words to join the rest of the hubbub around them. No one answered him or seemed the least bit interested in what he was saying. By the time Simon was lowered to the ground, he had decided to say no more about what he’d seen. They wouldn’t believe him anyway.
    Riley disappeared into the crowd, advising the boys to start back toward their coach.
    It was warm on the platform, and Simon was tired of being pulled along at breakneck speed. “It’s hot down here,” he complained. “I can’t see anything. Besides, I’m thirsty.”
    Ethan and Bert stopped to look around them.
    â€œThere must be a pump around here somewhere. All these people have to get a drink once in a while,” Bert reasoned.
    â€œThere’s one,” Ethan pointed out. “Right there behind the building.”
    They rushed over to the pump and took turns pumping the water and drinking from their hands. While the other two drank, Simon stood swinging his arms back and forth. It felt good not to have them being jerked both ways.
    â€œWatch out, little boy,” a voice said behind him. “You almost whacked me in the nose.”
    Simon whirled and found himself face-to-face with a girl no taller than he was.
    â€œI’m not a little—” he began, then stopped and stared. This was no girl. She was small, to be sure, but she was dressed in ladies’ clothes, and her face appeared to be as old as he remembered Ma’s to be. Simon opened his mouth to ask who she was, but a sudden whoo, whoo from the train prevented it.
    The tiny lady disappeared, and Bert and Ethan each grabbed one of his hands again and hustled him along between them. Quickly they rounded the station house and charged down the crowded platform. When it seemed as though they had passed more ore cars on the way back than they did when they came, the boys slowed down and surveyed the scene.
    â€œWe never went this far from our train,” Bert said, “and we still can’t see the end. How come?”
    Ethan frowned but didn’t answer. The trio turned around and began to make their way toward the front again.
    â€œDo you see anyone you know?” Bert asked.
    â€œNope. Where do you s’pose Matron and the girls are?”
    The crowd was much smaller than it had been, and the boys anxiously searched the faces of all who passed by.
    Simon tugged at Ethan’s hand. “I saw—”
    But Ethan cut him off. “Wait until we get