Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1869-07-22

then, and everything was quite
primitive compared to what it is
now. The fagmen had got on a
sort of a strike about those days,
too, SO that you trusted to luck
for safe running. | was running
sort of way-train between New
York and Poughkeepsie then
Running an express is much
pleasanter than running a way,
you may easily lmogine. An ex-
press sometimes don't stop for an
hour at time, and, after you've
worked your coaches once, you
have nothing to do but TO sit down
and earn your money that easy
way. Then, when you reach the
next station, if your brakemen
mind their business, they can tell
you how many passengers have
got into each coach, and then you
can always pick them out, because
they haven't got the settled air of
old passengers. But way-train
conductor has a much harder
work.
"Well, l ran the train out of
New York one afternoon, and |
had for the driver of the engine a
man who was famous for the ac-
curate way in which he would
come up to his stations. He would
stop any named coach almost to a
foot where he said he would; but
on this occasion lie appeared to
have very poor luck. He ran past
his stations and had to back down,
and then again he would stop SO
short that the engine would be in
front of the station and the rear
coach an eight of mile back,
and it raining hard too. Then he'd
start up again, just as the passen-
gers were getting out. So we
kept running behind time all the
while. There was a sort of light
ming express came out of New
York about an hour after us, and
we were gradually working back
into its time.
eve got near Fishkill, and,
having made an awful bad shot at
depot, / said to the baggage
master: Mack has bad luck at
making his stations today. Won
der what's the matterY
"The baggage-master turned
round on me quickly and said:
+" IF you want to know what |
think, l think Mack is drunk!'
"'It can't be- says l, Il never
saw him touch a drop of liquor
or smell of it in any way
"'That's so, said the man, but
| think he's drunk to-day. He
was in the car here a little while
ago, and picked up all the brake
mems lanterns and slung them in
bunch at me. I lodged, and
they went out cf the car and
smashed. Then he chuckled and
went back to the engine.
81 didn't like the idea of
drunken engineer, but had to laugh
at the fate of the lanterns. If [
had known how I was going to
groan over their fate soon, I
wouldn't have laughed then.
when | got above Fishkill, l
thought I'd let those who got on
at one of the little stations ride
free to the next station, while |
rode on the engine and investlga-
ted.
$50 1 got on the Corning and
Mack looked black enough instead
of as civil as usual. / joked him
about his bad luck in making
his stations, and he grOwled out a
curse. | asked him if he knew
how nearly he had got back in
to the lightning express time,
and he said he knew his own busi-
ness. He was evidently drunk
and surly. I happened to put my
hand under the cushion of the seat
and felt a bottle. Pulling the cork
out, l smelled whiskey, and quiet
lly threw it overheard. But Mack
saw me and cursed me for destroy
ing his property. 'What did you
throw that bottle away for; it
wasn't your rum?' he said at the
end of an awful swear.
1'll tell you why,' said / I'm
conductor of this train, and you
are too drunk to do your business
right, and you'd get worse and
worse if you had a BOTTLE
"Then he grinned a savage sort
of a grin, and quieted down into a
silent state, but he looked danger
Gus about the eyes.
"sYou're conductor Of this train,
are you? III show you how much
you have to do with running it,
| says he, and began to slow up,
and we behind time already, you
know. l didn't know exactly
what to dove were getting dan