The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-01-19

BEWARE OF THE LOCOMOTIVE = no
hest Joke of the season we have hearu
of vet happened the present week, and
the parties to it were certain ladies ana
gentlemen residents in this city, whose
names, for obvious reasons-as the po-
lice reporters say-we suppress. oIhey
two gay and happy couple, intent on
a few hours of innocent, exhiierating
excitement-went sleighing for some
twelve miles ont upon the road-we
won't SAY what road Their epjoymept
was Of course, intense, for the weather
was comparatively mild, and the gen
tlemen. with admirable forethought,
had provided themselves with liberal
supply of cheering stimulants. DRIVING
ont. caution was the order of the day.
and d iudicious moderation was OBJ
served. Homeward-bound, however
the conventional restraints to some ex-
tent relaxed under the softening intiu-
ence of the shades of evening and soul
reinspiring draughts became more ire
ouent. Now the road wherein the!
drove ran Immediately alongside OF a
railway track and, as the darkness rap
idly descended, they bethought them
that furious engines would come shrek
ing past, with rafting trains of cars
behind them. They realized the fact
that the animals behind whom they sat
might feel alarmed at the strange appa-
ration, and perform maneuvers that
would result in q disastrous spill, ana
long trudge home through the snow
and scarcely had the thought occurred
to them, when 10! in the distance they
behelo a brilliant disc, the which they
felt betokened the approach Of the
dread thing they feared. Carefully they
pulled ont to the side of the road, so as
to be az far from the srieking, snorting
fiend as possible, and patiently they
waited for the thing to pass. They
waited. For considerable time
thew continued to. wait. In point
of fact they waited over an hour;
vet still no locomotive came along
The .spirits-of both kinds-which
hitherto sustained them;had long given
out. They were getting chilled and un-
comfortable. Finally-s reconnaissance
was resolved, upon. One of the gentle
men valiantly prospected the track
He looked up he looked down; but No
sign of train or engine or dazzling
lamp of warning met his vision. But
be saw something else, and regarding
it for moment, light of a different
kind from that h, expected to see broke
in upon him. 1t was the light Of the
Moon. The young man didn't say
much, and statement made by one
of the young ladies-to the eff
feet that regardless OF their
presence he calculated q forcible
expletive of one syllable, and gruffiy re-
quested his companion to drive OH
must not be taken without some grains
of allowance. Explanation, we pre-
sumo, would be superAuous. 1t is sure
" needless to say that, under the in
fluences before limited at, the rising
moon had been taken for the circular
blaze Of lamp with which engines are
furnished at night, and that, under
the impression thus created, the Incl
dent we have related came to pass, 1t
is necessary to add that the joke would
probably have forever remained unre-
vealed had not one Of the young ladies
thought it too good to keep from the
ears of confidential female friend, to
whom it was-of course asain-impart-
ed in the strictest secresy; and that's
the way it got out.