Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-12-10
Chasing Railroad Trains.


The Rev. ]. HIpeshi.h describes. as
follows his experience in trying to take
train in time:
"We stopped at Syracuse, n. Y, for
dinner. You remember the railroad de-
pot, centrally situated, with its eastern and
western entrances exactly alike-as much
r. SO as the ,two ends OF ateafs After Me hadi
dined the depot master informed us that
we had seventeen minutes to spare before
the departure of the eastern tram. 'Tiiis,
thought /, will give me an opportunity to
see the city and a glorious chance for
smoke, provided clergyman could be-
tempted into such piece of worldly and
wasteful amusement. | sauntered forth,
and after an absence of exactly thirteen
minutes, having enjoyed delightful and
soothing stroll, | was returning, watch in
hand, when, to my astOpishment, beheld
: the traimslowly gliaingsoqt 0fbthe other
end of the depot, and increasing it's speed
at every puff of its gigantic locomotive
Here, indeed, was "call that admitted
neither correspondence nor delay; there
was no time for taking it into considera-
ton" So, without comforting with flesh
or blood, put off like q sky;rocket with q
double fuse. For m6nent 4 thought i
had it all my own way; thought l was
gaining ground, although | knew l was
losing wind. L was encouraged in the
race by sundry helpful fellows whoakept'
crying out as l passed, "Go it gai-
ters!" "plucky boyp' "he amt left,
O, nop' and other well meaning
and benignant exhortati0ns Thought
they intended, perhaps helping me over
c the course, found that the more they
shouted the less inclined was to run, and
the more decidedly did the locomotive
make terrible headway against me. To
give up the chase to submit to the chagrin
of being left; to lose my party and my pas
sage to meet with disappointment and
not to meetswith friends all, this. was bad 4
enough; but the Thought of encountering,
all the way back to the depot that line of
interested individuals who with their
cheering EXPLANATIONS had so feelingly en-
cepraged me on my outward journey, this
] wasthe bitterest pill in this unexpected
dose. But it must be done, so tapering off
gradually gave up the contestant turned
back to meet my fate, and-ifI l. could find.
him-the depot master whose laundering
statements were the cause of all my trouble.
Without search that individual advanced
. to greet ME withath blands reeogpitior rh
fact that no one could well deny, "Wcll,
you got left, did you?' l replied only
with a resentment of silencing eye"
If looked as / tried to look, my photo
graph taken at That instant would hardly
be chosen TO grace raAe album gallery Of
"cminent diyines. u Several bYstanders
seeking Information, asked, with a show
of confidential interest in my case, on
what wise the thing had -lmppenedg
and others wishing g 6 to point a NOR
all" advised me- to !" be on hand
al. vITs a..
returning breath relief and words came
road official with all the blame i spoke
Of his incompetence, in no measured
terms, recalling how that after l had
placed my party in the car'he had assured
me that there were full seventeen minutes
to spare before,the train went out !" while
here" said I,'with a triumphant exhibi-
ton of my watch, the " seventeen minutes
are even now barely up. and yet the train
is gone and out of sight, After no little
hot shot cast back and forth, with the
usual variations and final perorations of
"yoTdid and you;f didn't," 'syoli're anoth-
er Ietcs, II asked him whether would be
rlsking another chance of being left if
depended upon him to give me the exact
hour ofSthe departure 6f1the aert Eastern
train " Eastern" exclaimed he.-"-Yes,
sriWSGiH, Iepileu l, Will ducClueQ upward
and sarcastic infection. {" Why,m muuoth
he the train you've just been chasing
with such poor luck wasn't an Eastern
train, hui the, Western ExpressA'h With,
glhhehs and increasing confuision~andEex.
citement | stammered out "Then where
in Joppa is the Eastern train?" "Why,
there it ais,'h replied he, Yjust, getting,
under way at the othertend Of the Depot
Leg it. or you'll lose that" If ever l did
make Dexter time I made it then. I.
passed right through, that depot like
the NwindarGIh felt as If / was all legs.
One glance, however, at the rear door of
the last car as | was nearing it, came near
being too much for me. l discovered the
group of my long lost friends, whose
forms and faces seemed bursting with
poorly suppressed and i'll ntirned mirth, AS
reached safely the platform, the firesthat
opened upon me could only be eQualled
for its merciless effect by the fire in the
rear, from which had providentially fled.
heard jibes, and jokes, and leers; heard
the hoarse laughter OF. full- -chested men,
the hystericaf efforts Of ninth Exhausted
women. They had all Witnessed my chase
after the wrong train; row fearful lest in
deGl sI7shouldT uvprtakG Fit,yands thenre-
,jeieedAat my evident lack Of what iockeysl
call bottom, y AS my speed began to
.,slacken and my chances with the locomo-
tive began To, grow, +" small "4by degrees
and beautifully less They had witnessed
cthessblowing5up administered the depot
master, 1.-The strange oprocrastination in
starting for the right train. until at length
1t had actiialy stAiaed land l1-ihad iehfefed
upon 2 second s stern chase Then they
feared 1 was left again, as they looked
with breathless interest at the unequal
Scnfest OF iegssoersns a locomotive They
had witnessed my final triumph, but how
gracefully was welcomed, and with what
feelings | received their peculiar congrata-
lations, leave my hearers; to iinagine.
-, ,.,,,------ . ~.---------- faa ei sth
"A schoolboy, II years old while slid.
ing downHon the bannister in srhnol.