d Neighbor, gloating silently over the
toy.

"Cool as an ice-box," said Foley, swinging down. "She's a regular summer
resort. Little stiff on the hills yet."

"We'll take that out of her," mused Neighbor, climbing into the cab to
look her over. "Boys, this is up in a balloon," he added, pushing his
big head through the cab-window and peering down at the ninety-inch
drivers under him.

"I grew dizzy once or twice looking for the ponies," declared Foley,
biting off a piece of tobacco as he hitched at his overalls. "She looms
like a sky-scraper. Say, Neighbor, I'm to get her myself, ain't I?"
asked Foley, with his usual nerve.

"When McNeal gets through with her, yes," returned Neighbor, gruffly,
giving her a thimble of steam and trying the air.

"What!" cried Foley, affecting surprise. "You going to give her to the
kid?"

"I am," returned the master-mechanic unfeelingly, and he kept his word.

Georgie McNeal, just reporting for work after the session in his cab
with the loose end of a connecting-rod, was invited to take out the
Sky-Scraper--488, Class H--as she was listed, and Dad Hamilton of course
took the scoop to fire her.

"They get everything good that's going," grumbled Foley.

"They are good people," retorted Neighbor. He also assigned a helper to
the old fireman. It was a new thing with us then, a fellow with a
slice-bar to tickle the grate, and Dad, of course, kicked. He always
kicked. If they had raised his salary he would have kicked. Neighbor
wasted no words. He simply sent the helper back to wiping until the old
fireman should cry enough.

Very likely you know that a new engine must be regularly broken, as a
horse is broken, before it is ready for steady hard work. And as
Georgie McNeal was not very strong yet, he was appointed to do the
breaking.

For two months it was a picnic. Light runs and easy lay-overs. After the
smash at the Narrows, Hamilton had sort of taken the kid engineer under
his wing; and it was pretty generally understood that any one who
elbowed Georgie McNeal must reckon with his doughty old fireman. So the
two used to march up and down street together, as much like chums as a
very young engineer and a very old fireman possibly could be. They
talked together, walked together, and ate together. Foley was as jealous
as a cat of Hamilton, because he had brought Georgie out West, and felt
a sort of guardian interest in that quarter himself. Really, anybody
would love Georgie McN