Jonesin'

The Cannonball Express pulled in to the Poplar Street Station at 11:11 PM and Thomas Kearney stepped down out of the kitchen and walked toward the dispatcher's office. Eamonn O' Carragain looked at Kearney with disappointment and said nothing because nothing could be said.

Kearney sat down on a wooden stool and signed the log book. "Cow on the tracks," he said quietly.

The dispatcher looked out at the Cannonball Express. Passengers asleep lay with their heads against the smoked glass. Mechanics swarmed around the drive-wheels.

O'Carragain pointed toward the pig room a nd said, "Tell Tate he's on." Then he dialed the Granada station on his candlestick phone. "Jack, it's O'Carragain. Kearney just arrived. He's an hour and thirty-five minutes behind."

There was a long pause as O'Carragain listened to the dispatcher's response. "Yeah, well," he said. "The right of way was obstructed."

There was another long pause.

"Yeah, okay," O'Carragain said. "I'll tell him. You want me to use those words exactly?"

The door to the pig room opened, and O'Carragain turned. Kearney stood there. "Listen, chief, you better come in here," he said. O'Carragain hung up.

"What's the problem?"

"I just think you ought to come in here."

The big man stood and walked into the pig room. There lay Tate on the cot with his shirt off. "You all set, Sam? Time to head south."

Tate smiled. "Oh I went down south for to see my gal," he explained. "Sing polly wolly doodle all the day."

O'Carragain took this in. He looked at his watch, then put it back in this pocket.

Tate raised the bottle of rye and took a long slug. He stood up. A moment later he fell down. He flopped onto the cot, which collapsed beneath him. Tate lay on the floor, still holding the bottle.

"Oh I'm goina Weezyanna for to see my Suzzyanna, sing Polly Wolly Doodle all the day."

The chief rubbed his face with his hand and left the room. Kearney followed. They closed the door to the pig room.

"That ain't good," said O'Carragain.

"I heard he got divorced," said Kearney.

A whistle blew from outside, and the northbound express slowly approached. The crossing bell sounded. No. 4 pulled onto the siding. A large man got down from the cabin, followed by a shorter one.

"What do you think about taking it from here?" O'Carragain said. "You game?"

"Sorry, chief," said Kearney. "I'm due to see the good wife."

O'Carragain thought about Kearney's wife, who was seventeen, the youngest of the six LeReux sisters.

"I'll give you doubletime."

Kearney shrugged. "Sorry." He smiled a smile O'Carragain did not like to witness. He had smiled a smile like this himself once.

"Tripletime," said O'Carragain. Kearney shook his head.

The door to the office opened, and a tall, handsome man walked in wearing a striped hat, a pair of overalls, and a red bandana around his neck. A black man covered with soot followed on his heels, took off a pair of gloves, and threw them on the floor in front of the stove.

"Hello, Sim," said Kearney. The handsome man went over to the stove and stood there for a moment, as his fireman walked toward the pig room and opened the door. Tate's voice spilled into the room.

"Buffalo gals woncha come out tonight, woncha come out tonight, won-cha come out tonight?"

"Christ in a sidecar," said Sim. "What happened to Tate?"

"He just got divorced," said Kearney.

"Listen, I'm kind of in a situation here," O'Carragain said. "You boys think you can help me out here? I'm paying doubletime."

Sim looked over at his companion, still standing by the stove.

"We're ninety minutes behind. I'd be grateful if you could double out, clean up this mess for me."

Sim waited for the engineer to make up his mind. There was silence in the office for a moment. The banjo clock on...