Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1853-08-30
Chat with the Conductor.

"Il's not often man loses anything
by kindness. know little matter OF
that sort saved my life, and perhaps the
lives Of many others n, the same time"
"How was that!" asked VIZ of our
friend Rawlins, the model conductor
"Why, we had an lrshman on this
road watching tunnel 1t was warm
weather, so he used TO 90 into the tunnel
to keep cool. rather think he usel to
take little liquor when lonesome; any.
way, he laid down on the tack one day
10 listen for the cars. lie fell asleep,
and very inprudcnlly got his head cut
Off by the express train. Well, there
was the las, of that lrishman. There
was the devils own row al his shanty
when we took the poor fellow up. and
We got away as soon as we dcccntly
could, for you know is not agreeable
TO be surrounded with distracted lami.
y, when you're neither doctor nor u
nurse, nor a preacher. Somehow | was
always sorry when | passed.; Of course !
felt as il--not exactly the same thing
but just as bad might happen TO me some
day, and then ihere'd be another row in
a family. told my wife about it, aud
she sent the family some little l!ings.-
The widow Of the dead lrishman WAS
n Catholic, and, as was then on avery
fasl.,rain. / would sometimes take up the
old woman on sunday and carry her to
chnrch at Marlinsburg. | somehow
thought il was sali .faclon to her to 20
to church, for she had but little chance
in the world any how. certainly did
not expect TO &c, anything for i, in this
world, and | expected they had so much
scored against me in the o,he: that it
wouldn't amount TO anything there
That was during the summer.
"Onecght the next winter, ii was We.
ry cold, and the mountains were covered
with snow; we were running TO make
time, when on turning curve, the en-.
sinrcr saw wavin. ish, on the track,
and we soon heard some one ahead shout.
ing. was ,hon on tho platform. The
engineer Stacked up and stopped the en-.
gine, and we GOT out an went ahead
in The dark TO see what was the matter
There it was. a large on!s ic had cal.
len ross the track, near the shanty oj
that oil Irish woman. She had built Lp
"A large fire and watched for the train ,lol
the curves were SO sharp that We mighl
have been upon the slide before W. coul.
see it. So, when We run up, there was
the old lady, with her calico cap, swing.
ing the chunk Of fire like Il revolving
lighthouse, ard there were the little Irish
carrying brush like so,mony lillc bca.
vers. She had watched all that night in
the coll. But for her, in another min.
ute we shonl.l have run into ii pile o
dit and stone as big as Barnum's Hotel
| should have got pit lickc, certain
for was on the platform. What would
have become of the passengers and train
you can guess as well as | can
We expressed a hope that the old
widow had been property rewarded.
"The passengers made up eighty dol.
lars; the company uflcrwarl gave her a
shanty rent iilct, the brakeman anl en-.
ginccrs bought her a COW; and she made
out very we'll. But when | handed the
money to her that nj ght she said: 'Ginlle.
men and ladies, I'm thankful, and may
yc Liver know the want of what yc give
me. But what | dill was mostly on ac.
count of him, there. He was kind an |
thoughtful to the poor aud the afll lc,ed,
aud Id watched till froZe before har.
rum should have came TO him, if could
ha helped it,"
"Darn the thing, it made me choke
right up
'Passcnjars for the rcla.a'y." "Don''
forget your umbrella, sir; there might be
an explosion, and you'd want it 10 keep
Off the cindcrS." "Lrt me pass your
band, box, miss" "Take care of your
little boy madam no insurance on him."
"All right! 90 ahead p