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“What’s your name–Toddles?” inquired Donkin, as Toddles halted before the dispatcher’s table.

Toddles froze instantly–hard. His fists doubled; there was a smile on Donkin’s face. Then his fists slowly uncurled; the smile on Donkin’s face had broadened, but there wasn’t any malice in the smile.

“Christopher Hyslop Hoogan,” said Toddles, unbending.

Donkin put his hand quickly to his mouth–and coughed.

“Um-m!” said he pleasantly. “Super hard on you this morning–Hoogan?”

And with the words Toddles’ heart went out to the big dispatcher: “Hoogan”–and a man-to-man tone.

“No,” said Toddles cordially. “Say, I thought you were on the night trick.”

“Double-shift–short-handed,” replied Donkin. “Come from New York, don’t you?”

“Yes,” said Toddles.

“Mother and father down there still?”

It came quick and unexpected, and Toddles stared for a moment. Then he walked over to the window.

“I haven’t got any,” he said.

There wasn’t any sound for an instant, save the clicking of the instruments; then Donkin spoke again–a little gruffly:

“When are you going to quit making a fool of yourself?”

Toddles swung from the window, hurt. Donkin, after all, was like all the rest of them.

“Well?” prompted the dispatcher.

“You go to blazes!” said Toddles bitterly, and started for the door.

Donkin halted him.

“You’re only fooling yourself, Hoogan,” he said coolly. “If you wanted what you call a real railroad job as much as you pretend you do, you’d get one.”

“Eh?” demanded Toddles defiantly; and went back to the table.

“A fellow,” said Donkin, putting a little sting into his words, “never got anywhere by going around with a chip on his shoulder fighting everybody because they called him Toddles, and making a nuisance of himself with the Big Fellows until they got sick of the sight of him.”

It was a pretty stiff arraignment. Toddles choked over it, and the angry blood flushed to his cheeks.

“That’s all right for you!” he spluttered out hotly. “You don’t look too small for the train crews or the roundhouse, and they don’t call you Toddles so’s nobody’ll forget it. What’d you do?”

“I’ll tell you what I’d do,” said Donkin quietly. “I’d make everybody on the division wish their own name was Toddles before I was through with them, and I’d make a job for myself.”

Toddles blinked helplessly.

“Getting right down to a cash fare,” continued Donkin, after a moment, as Toddles did not speak, “they’re not so far wrong, either, about you sizing up pretty small for the train crews or the roundhouse, are they?”

“No-o,” admitted Toddles reluctantly; “but—-“

“Then why not something where there’s no handicap hanging over you?” suggested the dispatcher–and his hand reached out and touched the sender. “The key, for instance?”

“But I don’t know anything about it,” said Toddles, still helplessly.

“That’s just it,” returned Donkin smoothly. “You never tried to learn.”

Toddles’ eyes widened, and into Toddles’ heart leaped a sudden joy. A new world seemed to open out before him in which aspirations, ambitions, longings all were a reality. A key! That was real railroading, the top-notch of railroading, too. First an operator, and then a dispatcher, and–and–and then his face fell, and the vision faded.

“How’d I get a chance to learn?” he said miserably. “Who’d teach me?”

The smile was back on Donkin’s face as he pushed his chair from the table, stood up, and held out his hand–man-to-man fashion.

“I will,” he said. “I liked your grit last night, Hoogan. And if you want to be a railroad man, I’ll make you one–before I’m through. I’ve some old instruments you can have to practice with, and I’ve nothing to do in my spare time. What do you say?”

Toddles didn’t say anything. For the first time since Toddles’ advent to the Hill Division, there were tears in Toddles’ eyes for some one else to see.

Donkin laughed.

“All right, old man, you’re on. See that you don’t throw me down. And keep your mouth shut; you’ll need all your wind. It’s work that counts, and nothing else. Now chase yourself! I’ll dig up the things you’ll need, and you can drop in here and get them when you come off your run to-night.”