Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1870-01-13
Chasing Railroad Trains.

Se~ ~ ~ s"o~, ~''
J for dinner. You remember tb
railroad depot, centrally situated
with its eastern and western en-
frances exactly alike-as much s
as the two ends Of car. Alter W
he'd dined the depot master ipforme,
Us that We had seventeen minutes t,
ispare before the departure of th
eastern train. This, thought ]
Twill give me an opportunity to se'
the city and a glorious chance for
smoke, provided clergyman coulc
be tempted into such a piece Of
worldly and wasteful amusement
/ sauntered forth. and after an alb
seuce of exactly thirteen minutes
having enjoyed delightful anc
soothing stroll, ! was returning
watch 10 hand, when, to my aston.
ishment, ] beheld the train slowly
gliding out Of the other end of the
depot, and increasing Its speed at
every puff Of its gigantic locomo-
tive Here, indeed, Was a "call''
that admitted neither correspondence
nor delay; there was no time for
"takiug it into consideration So
without comforting with flesh or blood
| put off like sky-rocket with a
double fuse. For moment /
thought | had it all my own way; |
thought / was gaining ground, al.
though / knew I was losing wind.
| Was encouraged 10 the race by
sunlry helpful fellows who kept
crying out as | passed, "GO it, gai-
ters!'' "plucky boy!" ''he amt left,
%, nor and other we'll meaning
and benignant exhortations.-
Though they intended, perhaps,
helping me over the course, i found
that the more they shouted the less
inclined | was to run, and the more
decidedly did the locomotive make
terrible beadway against me. To
give up the chase; to submit to the
chagrln of being left; to lose my
party and my passage; to meet
with disappointment and not t.
meet with friends, all this was bad
enough; tut the thought oi encoun-
tering, all the way back to the de-
pot, that line Of interested individ-
uals who with their cheering exola.
nations had so feelingly eneour-
aged me on my outward journey,
this was the bitterrst pill in this
unexpected dose. But it must be
done, SO taperiDg off gradually !
gave up the contest and turned
back to meet my fate. and-if |
could find him-the depot master
whose blundering statements were
the cause Of all my trouble, With
out search that individual advanced
to greet me With, a bland recogni-
ton of a fact that 40 one could
well deny, "WeII, you got left, did
you?" / replied Ouly with a re:
sentiment Of "silenciDg eye." If
I looked as | tried to look, my
photograph taken at that instant
would hardly be chosen to grace an
album gallery of "eminent divines." :"
Several bys'snders seeking infOr-
nation, asked, with show of con-
foe ntial interest umy case, on what
wise the thing bad haPprned?. and
others wishing "to point a moral,
advised me to be on hand "a little
earlier next time" With returning
breath relief and words came to
gether, and ! squareiy charged the
railroad official With all the blame.
| spoke of bis iDcompetency, in no
measured terms, recalling bow that
after I had placed my party 10 the
Car he had assured me that there
were full seventeen minutes to
spare before the train vent out /:
"while here" said /, With q tri-
umpbant exhibition Of my watch,
the seventeen minutes are even now
hardly up, and yet the train is gone
out Of sight, After. no little bot
shot cast back and firth, with the
usual variations and fiual perora-
tons Of syon did and you didn'f, :
"you're another" ETC., ! asked him