The boys stood there on the rear platform of #600 as the hiss of the
airbrakes engaged and the words that Joe spoke moments before echoing in
their ears as they eased to a gentle stop on the inbound track of the
massive yards. They followed Scott and Joe down the rear steps to the
ground and started walking toward #1200 as Bill and John started down the
rungs of the cab ladder just as the roundhouse foreman walked over to meet
with the crew. Halfway to the locomotive Jamie stepped back and away from
ICRR 43125. Sean smiled, "Aww, Jamie, it ain't going to bite you, it's just
a boxcar of Dynamite!"

    "Sean, quit scaring the boy, I knew my waybills were out of place, I
see the mice like to play while the two Tom cats were away!" Joe laughed as
he slung his arm around Jamie.

    "Yeah, Joe, we better get some rope and tie'em to the bunk so they
won't be so nosy!" Scott grabbed Sean and tightly wrapped his arms around
the boy. Sean playfully tried to break away from Scott's grip.

    "Y'all quit playing like a bunch of teenagers and get your butts down
here so we can get some breakfast!" Bill shouted.

    "Hey, 50% of this group is teenagers, Old Man!" Scott shouted back.

    John laughed at Scott's comment and before he could duck, WHAP, Bill
slammed his fist into John's shoulder. "I told you about laughing at me
about being old, didn't I, you little fart! Twenty-five years old and you
think you're a man!" Bill laughed.

    "Son-of-a-bitch! For a old goat you sure pack a punch."

    "Old goat now, huh! I will have you to know 45 is not old."

    "No, 45 is not old but you're about to crest the grade on top of the
mountain!" John couldn't help but laugh as the expression dawned on Bill's
face.

    Joe and Scott, with Jamie and Sean in tow, all with smiles on their
faces, stopped beside John and Bill.

    "Boys, you better help this little fart of a fireman before I brain him
with his own coal shovel. Telling me 45 is about to crest the grade for me
becoming a old man!"

    The roundhouse foreman walked over to where the train crew and these
two teens he'd never seen before were joking and playing around as if they
had just stepped off the varnish and not a freight train that had been
delayed and had a run-in with a tree. 'I wonder what they been smoking all
night to be in this kinda mood?' "So, Bill, I guess I can give ya number 9
over there, huh, since ya got this young fart for a fireman." The foreman
slugged John on the other shoulder.

    "Shit, everyone is ganging up on me for some damned reason! What I do
to deserve this kinda treatment? NO WAY IN HELL I'M A GOING TO FIRE #9 OVER
THERE!"

    "Oh, the little shit thinks he too good to fire a yard goat now, huh!"
Bill chuckled as he watched the expressions on Jamie's and Sean's faces.

    "Well, you wrecked my Locomotive, I let her out of her stall last week
and and I be damned, John, if ya didn't let Bill go and bloody her nose,
scarred up my paint job, broke the reflector, murdered her classification
lights, and look at this - got mud on her drivers! DAMN, guys! You think
we're a fucking mud line and not a class one Railroad the way y'all treat
my babies!" The foreman patted the side of the cab and smiled. "How you
doing, Joe and Scott, and who are the two fine lads you got with ya?"

    "Howdy, Matt! We're doing good considering how much time we lost, one
tree and one almost run-in with the Panama Limited, and these boys are Sean
and Jamie. Sean lost his parents and little brother in a fire the other
day; his father worked in our shops in New Orleans, Charles Davis. Sean is
now homeless just like his friend Jamie here and so me and the crew here
took them under our wings."

    "Nice to meet you both young men!" Matt reached out his hand and shook
both boys' hands. "I'm Matt Parker, chief roundhouse foreman here at
McComb. I'm sorry to hear of the death of your father, Sean. I met him
several times over the years and you are a spitting image of him almost. If
you boys wish I will be glad to give you a tour of the shops here. Master
Jamie, have you ever seen the repair shops of the line before?"

    "No sir, my father was a steamboat pilot before he lost his job to
drinking. This is my first time to ever be this close to a train without
the cops chasing after me!"

    "Well, Jamie, you do not have to worry about anyone chasing you here,
not while you're under my care or anyone else's; that goes for Sean too.
Hmm, a steamboatman, huh, well I hope Sean can convert ya to a railroad
man, nothing's finer, my young friend!"

    "Well, sir, they already have. The friendship and comradeness and just
treating me with such kindness is all I could ask for, and I must thank you
in advance, Mr. Parker."

    "Just Matt, kid!"

    Two men walked over to #1200 as she sat there in the golden rays of the
morning sun, hissing steam from her pistons and generator exhaust, with
black smoke puffing out of her stack. "Go ahead, boys, and put her in stall
#15, drop the fire and cinders from the firebox, and make sure her boiler is
full of water, then drop the tender, we'll go ahead and work it over too
while we're at it. Looks like about a week's work, maybe less."

    "Yes, sir, boss!" one of the men said as he climbed the ladder up into
the cab as the other walked to the rear of the tender. He waved to the
engine hostler to ease forward and there was a clink as the uncoupling rod
was lifted and burst of air escaping as the air hoses separated. The 2nd
man walked forward and climbed aboard #1200 as it eased down the track to
the switch and clanked over the points.

    "They better be gentle with my locomotive!" Bill said as he watched
#1200 being switched over to the roundhouse lead.

    "Well, Matt, it is bean time for us. You take care of my old boy now!"

    "Will do, Bill. Annie will have some fresh coffee made by now and
those famous buttermilk biscuits and gravy will be piping hot over at the
YMCA restaurant. Enjoy yourselves and get some rest, y'all deserve it!"

    "Thanks, Matt!" they replied.

    "Boys, once y'all get some rest, come back over to the roundhouse and
if you don't see me, one of the guys will point you in my direction. Bill,
I will do my best to make sure the caller does not wake y'all too early."

    "Thanks once again, Matt," Bill called as they stepped across the
tracks to the big brick building with Illinois Central YMCA written across
its stone face.

    "Thanks, Mr. Matt!" Sean and Jamie called.

    "You're welcome, boys!" Matt called back as he headed toward the
massive brick roundhouse.

    "Joe, we're not going to have any trouble here about our boys being
with us." Scott laid his arm across Jamie's shoulders as Joe wrapped his
around Sean. John and Bill smiled. "Aww, what ta' hell!" and Bill slung his
around John. The crew walked on across the busy tracks as car toads,
switchmen, and trainmen all just looked on and smiled. They made it to the
edge of the yards and walked across the brick lined street to the double
doors of the YMCA and entered the large dining hall. Long trestle tables
stretched from one end to the other, covered in white linen table cloths
with fresh flowers in glass vases. The room was well lit and clean, the
walls had paintings and photos of the town and yards. Over near the large
plate glass windows looking out across the street and toward the massive
yards was a small round table; Bill pointed and they walked over and sat
down. The dining hall was quiet since most of the early morning crews had
already left for their runs or were now working in the massive shop
buildings across the street. A tall shapely blonde walked over, carrying
a pitcher of ice water and six glasses.

    "Mornin', boys!"

    "Good morning, Annie girl, how are ya?" Bill asked.

    "Doing just fine, I heard y'all had a rough time last night, with the
storm brewing. I am glad to see this sun shining but I shure don't trust
it. Papa said more is on the way, he can feel it in his bones, he kept
telling me and Ma that as he was getting ready to leave for the cotton
mill." She talked as she filled the water glasses and sat them down. "OK,
boys, you want the mornin' special? That's the biscuits, gravy, scrambled
eggs, or fried uns if ya like em that way, ham, sausage links or patties,
and of course the good strong black coffee."

    "We'll take six plates and a platter of all the above! We got two
growing boys we have to feed!" Joe said.

    "My, my, they do look awful young to be on a train crew! When did the
Railroad start hiring babies?"  The boys turned crimson in the face and
Annie just laughed.

    "They are along for the ride, Annie, and if you don't quit staring at
them, John is going to get jealous."

    "Aww shucks, Joey, you know I am not going to try and steal one away
from ya and besides, John's a cute one. He more my age anyway, Bill not
so bad except he is married and got them gray whiskers appearing in his
mustache and you, Scott, I just don't know about you boys who ride in a
caboose all day long, I likes real men, the ones who are up in the engine
cab, so bold and daring!"

    "Besides, John is married too, remember, Annie." Bill laughed as
Annie frowned.

    "Damn, Bill, you had and go and remind me, didn't you! Well, I better
go and get that food and not on no platters either, it going be on them
six plates." Annie hurried off to the kitchen.

    "That girl sure knows how to flirt!" They all laughed. Sean and Jamie
were sipping their iced water and looking out the window at the busy yards.
They could see their train being broken in sections by the little yard
engines, little 0-4-0's and 0-6-0's with slope-back tenders, picking up 20
cars at a time and pushing them to the inspection tracks near the car
shops. Another switcher chuffed up and picked up the caboose and headed
backward toward the north end of the yards where it would be looked over
and resupplied, along with having the wheelsets and journal boxes looked
over and repacked with fresh dope and grease.

    Jamie and Sean were lost in their own little world as Sean explained
the best he could what was taking place in the yards, while Bill, John,
Joe, and Scott talked about other things and occasionally listening to
Sean explain the complex but exciting Railroad Operations.

    Annie walked back over, carrying a large serving tray with six
steaming cups of coffee and small tin serving containers of cream and
sugar. "Here's your coffee, boys, food soon be ready." She hurried back to
the kitchen as Bill reached for the sugar.

    "OK, boys, drink your coffee while it is still hot," Scott said to
Jamie and Sean.

    "Yes, Pa, will you please pass the cream and sugar, Bill."

    "Here ya go, Sean, I don't use cream, but I do need my sugar so I don't
brain John when he makes his smart ass remarks about my age."

    The boys smiled at John who just sipped his hot coffee with a devilish
grin on his face.  Scott and Joe just smiled at the two boys as they loaded
their coffee with sugar and cream until it was almost the color of milk.
Annie returned, carrying the tray laden with the plates piled high with
steaming food. She sat the tray down on a nearby table and started to pass
the plates around. "Annie, could you bring the two boys some milk, please,
I think they would like it better than coffee."

    "Sure will, Joe. I'll be right back, sweeties, with two tall cold
glasses of milk for you growing boys." Annie smiled and grabbed the tray as
she headed once more to the kitchen to get the milk.

    The guys tore into the piping hot food, saying little as they ate; they
nodded thank you to Annie when she returned with the milk and the coffee
pot to refill their mugs. She shook her head and headed back to her work.

    The division Superintendent sat behind his heavy desk, looking over
paperwork, the telegraph key in his office constantly ticking off messages;
he read them as if someone was talking to him. The Railroad telegraph was
six lines running from station to station; five lines were for general
purpose and one line - the red line as everyone called it - was for
emergency communications only. He was about to stand up from his desk
when the clear lines signal was heard coming over the key loud and clear
from the south. 'Oh Shit,' he thought as he sat back down. The busy
telegraphers stopped their messages as the clear lines was repeated, coming
over the red line.

    "HAMMOND OPERATOR CALLING McCOMB!" The line was repeated until he
tapped the key.  "Superintendent McDorn, what is the emergency?" he clicked
back to Hammond.

    HAMMOND OPERATOR: "SEND OUT THE BIG HOOKS! REPEAT, SEND OUT THE BIG HOOKS! LOCATION: NO BOTTOM CREEK, BRIDGE COLLAPSED UNDER TRAIN #28! WORK TRAIN HAS BEEN DISPATCHED FROM KENTWOOD. DERRICK #4 IS IN PLACE BUT WE NEED THE BIG 250 TON WRECKERS! FIRE HAS SPREAD FROM TWO DERAILED GASOLINE TANKERS. NEED SUPPORT! REPEAT, NEED SUPPORT ASAP!!"

    McDorn hammered back on the key: "DISPATCHING WRECKERS #3 AND #12, WORK TRAIN #6, FIRE FIGHTING CREWS WILL BE DISPATCHED ALONG WITH THE FIRE CARS! McCOMB OUT!!"

    McDorn raced out of his office, "Sound the Alarm! #28 HAS WRECKED AT NO
BOTTOM CREEK!" Men scrambled as the telegraph keys began to clatter,
sending out the call to clear the tracks.

    The large warning whistle on top of the roundhouse SCREAMED into the
morning air, causing all work to almost stop. They knew the call, the four
long blasts meant a train had wrecked south of town. Trainmen raced to the
work train on the siding as others raced to grab tools and equipment. Matt
looked around the roundhouse, "There, get that Mikado, she's ready, all
steamed up!" Engine number 1176 was backed onto the turntable and ran to
the coaling dock where the tender was quickly loaded as her sand box was
filled and the water tanks topped off, then she speeded down the yard lead
where the switchmen stood at the ready, throwing the switches, changing
routes, and lining the rails. #1176 puffed to the waiting work train,
backed through the switch and coupled onto the Big Hook. The work train was
fifteen cars long - the Big Hook and her tender, power car, blacksmith car,
engineering car, kitchen and dining cars, tankcars of water and high
pressure hose cars, followed by a caboose. The men clambered onboard and,
with a blast of the whistle, #1176 jerked on the heavy train, her drivers
spinning, sand shooting on the rails, and the drivers still spun, then with
a clang one of the yard goats began pushing on the caboose to get the heavy
train rolling. The big Mikado started chuffing and puffing as the train
started picking up speed as it left the yards, plumes of black smoke
shooting from her stack; she was on a clear track, sounding her warning.

    Bill, John, Joe, Jamie, Sean, and the entire kitchen crew were out the
door before the final blast of the whistle finished sounding on top of the
roundhouse. The two boys' mouths were wide open as they watched the work
crew spring into action like a well drilled army unit. The rush of #1176 to
the point and the coupling onto the work train. The switch engine, #9, sat
on the siding, puffing black smoke into the air from her stubby stack, bell
clanging. More men still stood by the mainline as men threw the switches,
lining them back for the main track as blast was heard coming from the North
Yard. They all turned their heads to see a headlight shining down the rails
as a puffing engine raced forward; the switchmen had the route lined as the
train chuffed closer. The boys wondered what was this train till it roared
past them at 30 MPH and picking up speed. Behind the speeding Consolidation
was derrick #12, boom tender, and 10 cars of rail and ties and other
supplies, and caboose. The 2-8-0 Consolidation, with the black ribbon of
smoke lying low over her stack and the flashing drivers, sounded her call as
it left the yards. "DAMN!" Jamie said as he watched the rushing work train.

    "Must be a bad one, boys, real bad!" Bill said as he reached for his
pipe. Scott was now standing with the rest of the gang as he looked down at
Jamie.

    "Come on, boys, let's get some rest, nothing we can do, and right now
Matt is going to have his hands full until they know for sure how bad the
wreck is."

    They headed back into the building as the yards returned to normal, the
switchers resumed sorting cars as the mechanics and craftsmen returned to
the engines in their care. They passed through the dining hall to the
stairs that led to the sleeping quarters for the train crews. Once on the
second floor, an attendant gave them keys to the rooms; each room was
furnished with a small dresser, wash basin, and a single bed, with a light
bulb hanging from the ceiling. Each had their private room except for Jamie
and Sean who both said they wanted to sleep together.

    Joe and Scott chose rooms on both sides of the one Jamie and Sean
would be sleeping in to make sure if something went wrong they would hear
the boys if they called out. They bid everyone good night even tho' the sun
was shining brightly overhead and the day was growing warm. Sean locked the
door behind him as Joe instructed. Sean pulled off his shirt and yawned.

    "You getting sleepy again, Sean?" Jamie asked as he pulled his own
shirt off and draped it on the wooden chair in the corner of the small room
by the dresser.

    "Yes, I am, my friend, I guess all the excitement is wearing me down."
Sean pulled off his shoes and socks after he sat down on the hard bed.
"Damn, the bunk in the hack is softer than this damned thing!" Jamie kicked
off his shoes and socks as Sean was and he saw his chance. He bounced onto
the bed, knocking Sean on his back and landing on Sean's chest.

    "Hmm, nice and warm and comfy and I don't have to worry about the goose
down coming out of my pillow!" Jamie smiled as Sean just looked at him and
tried to catch his breath that Jamie had knocked out of him.

    "You little turd! Why you go and try to knock all the air out of my
lungs for?"

    "I sorry, Sean, I could not resist that urge," Jamie frowned.

    "Aww now, no puppy dog eyes and frowns and if you insist on jumping on
me, at least you could watch out for that damned brass button, that hurt."

    "What brass button?" Jamie looked puzzled.

    "THIS ONE!" Sean caught Jamie off guard and rolled the boy over,
pinning him to the bed with his hands above his head with one hand as he
reached for the brass button on Jamie's jeans.

    "Oh Shit!" Jamie said as he tried to break the older boy's iron grip
that held his hands captive. Jamie struggled to break the grip but Sean was
just a little bit stronger and Jamie was actually loving this!

    Sean grabbed the button and unfastened it, as he reached for the zipper
and yanked it down, Sean began struggling to pull the boy's tight jeans off
his frame. "Looks like I am going to have to do it the hard way!" Jamie
thought, 'It already is hard,' as his face turned crimson red.

    Sean saw the crimson red in Jamie's face, "What you hidin'?" Sean ran
his hand over the golden blonde pubic hair that was already exposed to the
light of the sun coming into the room.

    "Umm, nothing!" Jamie said, his red cheeks glowing in the sunlight.

    "Uh huh, sure you're not!" Sean moved his hand lower until he came in
contact with Jamie's hard penis. "Hmmm, what is this then, that is harder
than a iron rail, but is also soft and smooth!"

    Jamie let out a soft moan, when he felt Sean's hand explore lower and
brush his hard penis.

    Sean slipped his hand out of Jamie's pants and this time tugged with
both hands. Jamie's pants slid down his hips as he lifted his butt off the
hard mattress, Sean pulled the pants on down Jamie's almost hairless legs,
then off and onto the floor. Sean smiled, as he looked at his friend in all
his glory lying upon the bed, he was beautiful. The smooth long legs
slightly spread open with just the beginings of blond hairs, the short toes
on his feet wiggled as Sean ran his fingers down the boy's legs, the tight
pale skin on Jamie's stomach and chest showing the muscles below. Jamie had
his eyes closed as he let his friend rub his legs, his hands cupped around
his boy meat to hide it. Jamie was letting soft moans that sounded more like
the purr of a kitten when happy as the powerful hands rubbed his tired
flesh.

    Mixed emotions ran through his brain, the ones of happiness of having a
trusting friend and the darker ones of what Lord Oliver tried to do to his
body. One voice called from the darkness for him to open his mouth and tell
Sean to stop while the other, grown stronger over the last hours, hushed
the darker one. Jamie knew he could trust Sean. Other parts of his young
body told his brain the same thing, he never grew hard when Lord Oliver had
grabbed him down there or when he ran his fingers over his body. Sean's
hands were totally different, 'trusting hands if you wanted to call them
that.' Jamie lay in a blissful state of mind, the first for him in a long
time. He had no worries about having to come home to parents who did not
give a damn, he did not have to answer for any actions, he knew as long as
he trusted Sean and the rest of the crew, he would be safe and he was safe.
The magical hands on his lower body told him what his own mind was finally
trusting. Jamie felt the warm powerful hands leave his body, he opened his
eyes to watch Sean stand up and walk over to the window and pull the
curtains closed. Jamie leaned up to have the gentle but firm hands push him
back down onto the bed with a smile on his face. Jamie looked into one that
beamed friendship and love. The perfect rows of white teeth, the ruby red
lips against the olive skin tone, the greenish-brown eyes sparkling
back, an Earthbound angel.

    Sean smiled at Jamie once more, "Shall I get comfortable?"

    Jamie nodded his head, yes.

    "You want the honors?" Sean asked, as he raised his arms in the air and
wrapped them around his short brown hair.

    Jamie lay there for a moment, stunned at what Sean just asked him, he
was stunned that he had nodded yes. Jamie leaned up and leaned over toward
the edge of the bed where Sean stood with his hands behind his neck, with
the light curls poking through the intertwined fingers. Jamie slipped off
the bed and slowly wrapped his hands around Sean and eased his friend toward
the bed and slightly pushed him down onto the mattress. Jamie then crawled
back onto the bed and reached for the button on Sean's faded jeans. He
unsnapped it and eased the zipper down. He gripped the jeans and began to
pull them down as Sean lifted his behind up, the jeans came off and onto the
floor onto Jamie's. Now it was Jamie's turn to tease his friend.

    "I must be lucky, here I am stripping a angel, one a Lord tried to buy,
but one a street urchin gets for free. Just maybe there are really angels
watching over me." Jamie smiled as he let his hands roam the body he had
already seen, the same one he had slept cuddled against and now one being
offered to him. "Just as the stag horns were given to the fastest steamboat
on ole man river after the great race between the ROBERT E. LEE and the
NATCHEZ, but my prize is Oh so much sweeter." Jamie smiled again, "Pa might
be a bastard but one thing was sure, he worked on the best boat on ole man
river. To you, Master Robert E. Lee," he gripped the band of the tight white
briefs and slipped his hand inside in search of the prize.

    Jamie found Sean's hard member and ran his fingers over its length,
letting his tips brush the sensitive head, feeling the slit. The moans of
pleasure that escaped Sean's partially open lips were enough to keep Jamie's
fingers exploring in the confines of the tight briefs. Jamie gripped the
heavy loose balls with his hand as Sean's moans grew louder; he felt a hand
reach out and tousle his hair and stroke his neck as he played with the
family jewels in their soft velvet sac.

    "Pull them off, Jamie, my sweet boy, pull them off!" Sean moaned, the
pleasure building up and the warm sexual heat traveling up his body
overwhelming all other feelings, blocking everything but this new exciting
pleasure.

    Jamie smiled when he heard the words, "My sweet boy". No one had ever
called him that before. He slipped his hand out of the tight briefs and
gripped the waistband and pulled them down off the perfect butt cheeks,
Sean's stiff rod popped up and brushed Jamie's cheek, Jamie felt the warm
heat from the soft skin. Jamie did something he thought he never would, he
kissed the skin-covered head as Sean let out a soft growl of pleasure as
the briefs were quickly whisked away to land on the pile of jeans.

    Jamie sucked in a deep breath; it was now or never. The haunting image
of Lord Oliver flashed across the back of his mind for a moment, then Jamie
blocked it from his mind as he let his hands free to roam and set his mind
to soaring with these wonderfully new but strange sensations. He started
rubbing the powerful, youthful legs with the dark brown hairs, feeling the
warmth of the skin beneath the tips of his fingers, rubbing upward to his
now exposed prize. He looked up at Sean who lay with his legs spread, hands
behind his head, eyes closed, and the partly open mouth with that special
smile.

    Jamie at first did not know how to continue to his prize. He was not
sure how far to continue. 'Was he ready? Was Sean ready?' he asked to
himself as he continued to rub the legs of the Boy God before him. He
reached upward toward the family jewels on his friend and lighty brushed
his fingers against them, then he grabbed them in his hand gently and
lightly tugged on the sac. Jamie knew he was doing something right when he
heard the deep moan escape Sean's lips and the smile widen upon the angelic
face. He slid his hand up over Sean's hard 7 inch shaft of hard teen meat
and the rod throbbed in his hand as he rubbed it, now free of its clothed
prison, just as Jamie's own jerked with each motion of his hand upon the
other.

    Sean continued to moan as Jamie rubbed his hard cock, his own hands
never felt this good when he jacked off at night alone. Sean badly wanted
to pull Jamie up on his chest and kiss his handsome face, but Sean, like
Jamie, still was fighting the last fading memories of the past and of Lord
Oliver. "The Bastard," Sean hissed. He opened his eyes to see Jamie staring
at him motionless.

    "Did I do something wrong, Sean?" Jamie asked as he sat back upright
between Sean's legs.

    "No, Jamie, my sweet dear boy, you did nothing wrong, it's the fading
ghosts of the past that want to return to haunt me. I am sure he haunts
you still."

    "Lord Oliver?, that bastard?"

    "Yes, my boy, the very one. Come to me, come!" Sean reached out and
pulled Jamie's naked form upon his chest, their hard cocks rubbing against
each other as Sean pulled the boy close and down upon his chest, their
faces only inches apart.

    "Listen to me, my special boy, Lord Oliver may haunt us for a long time
because of what he tried to force upon us, but now we have each other and
what is stronger, love or hate? The answer is love, my friend, unbound
love." Sean leaned forward, his eyes closed as Jamie looked, breathing hard
as those lips came closer to his own. They bumped noses as they pulled back
and began to giggle.

    "You might talk like a grown man but ya sure can't kiss like one,"
Jamie said as a new fit of the giggles broke over his face.

    "Oh, really now!" Sean dug his fingers into Jamie's sides, tickling the
boy into uncontrolable laughter.

    "Quit, quit it, Sean, com'on Sean, quit it!" Jamie gasped for air as
the fun torture continued by the fingers in his sides and all over his body,
chest, stomach, thighs. "Sean, if you don't stop, I'm going to piss in the
bed and all over you!"

    "OH, REALLLY NOW!" Sean continued to tickle Jamie, he rolled Jamie on
his side facing the open window. The bed and window were so close you could
only get between them if you sucked it all in, unlike the first window that
was in the open. Sean grabbed Jamie's hard boyhood, "Let me see how
talented my boy is, if he can piss with a hard on." Jamie knew he was
trapped between the open window and Sean who continued to torture him with
one hand as the other stroked his boy meat.

    "Oh God, I can't hold it back!" Jamie moaned out as he gasped for
breath.

    Sean quickly tightened his firm grip on Jamie's jerking boyhood as he
pointed the tip out the open window as the yellow stream of piss started
shooting out into space from the tip. Sean quit tickling Jamie as he
watched with frank amazement as the yellow stream continued to shoot from
the tip of the rock hard penis in his hand.

    Jamie leaned his body forward enough so that his ass was hanging
between the bed and wall while the tip was over the window sill. He could
not stop now if he wanted to. Jamie only hoped nobody was around to see his
boyhood hanging out the window in the golden sunlight.

    There were gales of laugher floating up from the street below as the
kids shouted, "Scooby got a shower straight from a Railroad hose! Scooby
got it good!" The boys continued to laugh as Jamie quickly shrank back
close to Sean, blushing crimson red. Sean was trying his best not to lose
control as he held his own laughter in check.

    "HUMPH, Railroad hose, my ass, that was a a Mississippi packet relief
valve going off!"

    That sent Sean over the edge as he cracked up, holding his stomach as
he laughed and laughed. Jamie saw his chance for revenge and jumped on top
of Sean, knocking the last of his breath from his lungs. Jamie bent down
face to face with Sean and kissed him on the lips. "Now that is a kiss!"

    Sean closed his eyes and gasped, as Joe and Scott called almost at the
same time, "Quieten it down, you two brats!"

    They quieted down, Jamie resting on Sean's chest as he watched Sean
regain his breath. Once he was sure, he leaned in and kissed Sean long on
his lips, his first real kiss of his young life. Sean held Jamie close as
their tongues danced for the first time. Then they broke apart.

    "So what you going to give the Birthday boy on his 14th?" Jamie asked
with a smile on his face.

    This chapter is dedicated to two friends, one who I met when I was ten,
an engineer for Illinois Central Railroad. Who let me ride with him in the
cab of his locomotive every chance I got. I first learned from him some of
the traditions of the High Iron, on the countless days I rode with him in a
small railyard just across the creek from my great uncle's house. He was
killed in 1994 when his train hit an open switch and derailed north of
Memphis, TN. I learned at his funeral how much he loved me. Joe Stewart, I
know you're in Heaven, riding those golden rails, with your head hanging
out the window, wind in your face and a stream of smoke flowing from what
it seemed like the neverending supply of Lucky Strikes.

    The second friend I never met, but he was very close to a dear friend of
mine now and through him I feel as if I also knew him. Chris, even tho' I
never saw your smile or heard your voice before you passed from this world,
I know you're looking down on your friend while you stand on that open
platform of that observation car with one I did know for a brief moment in
time. Jamie, I will never forget you or Joe and the rest of the angels while
Joe keeps his watchful eyes upon the rail.

    So, my dear readers, here we are once again at the end of the next
chapter of our boys' adventure. A lot more has happened on the High Iron.
In just part of a busy day, the arrival in McComb, to the disaster at No
Bottom Creek and the dispatching of the wreck trains. To the young boys
learning how to laugh and be boys once more. The laughter healing the
wounds caused by Lord Oliver and in a room in a Railroad YMCA, they first
learn about love and a friendship that will grow stronger as they continue
their adventures.

    I myself have been busy here in Mississippi as on last Friday we had a
terrible storm to ravage the northern part of the state. It is early for the
twisters but we had two. There was damage to my own line but, like in my
story, that is all part of Railroad life, you never know what will happen
next around the next bend.

    A few notes if I may on this part of the story. A typical work train was
anywhere from 15 to 20 cars, consisting of everything you might need at the
scene of the wreck. Total time from the sound of the warning whistle to
departure was between 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending as in the story what
locomotive was available at the time. The red line of the railroad telegraph
in the story was very important to the Railroad during the 1850's on to the
advent of direct dial telephone communications in the early 1960's.

    I have started a new story, my 3rd, this one is modern. OK, I know, it
is a shock to me as well. That I hope will soon appear as I work to bring it
to life.

    I must thank the ones who took the time to write me on the last chapter
even if it was only a few. Sometimes it only takes a few embers to keep the
fire kindled. So until next time, "HIGH BALL!"

    I must thank Ed for his wonderful work on this and all my chapters. Hat's off to the "Master Editor."

    As always I love to hear from my readers, it's the only gratitude most
of us get for our writings, E-Mail is still the same, Swarri1349@aol.com

    Stop by my pages and explore deeper into my world. I plan to soon do a
set of Railroading pages dedicated to life on the railroad and railroad
history of the High Iron. Just as I have done for the Civil War and, no,
those are not finished but a long way from it:
https://swarri1349.tripod.com/

    Stephen