Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-08-05
How ! Became n Brak csmaM, and
What Became OF it.

Is whom can rlcneS rcpute ana trust,
Content or pleasure, but the good and just'
judges and Senators have been bought for
gold:
Esteem and love are never to be sold.-PoPE.
At the time wherein my simple story
commences, | had just returned from the
office of OF, ofthe railr ads, having applied
aud applied successfully, for the responsible,
respectable, and as times 90, the tolerably
well paid situation as brakeman.
The situation, repeat, is a respectful e
one: yet not exactly to the liking of one
who, but few months before, dashed in
his own buggy, alter a pair Of fast nags,
down The Bloomingtale road-who eschew-
ed any others than Bajour's kinds, sporled
diamond studs, and was throwing the bucks
Of the Avenue into commissions of envy with
the patterns Of his wastcoat. All these
wele niue, Vet became brakeman.
OF course, when applied for the situa-
tion-wih letter OF introduction from "A
former clerk OF my father, now IA ~ell-to-do
merchant up-,own-I took good care to
stroke nv incilie't mu~tache with that del
icately white hand ni nine. Oi course,
alluded. Incidentally t" the iormcr greatness,
=
wealth nt my family Ot cpars | took il
or gr,hfed III :, the President would not
conseut Ia ,iebase me hy making me Il
brakeman, b4t would appoint me his prl-
.ale secretary. Aiasl the unromantc mat
,er-u!-tacl official, instead OF shedding tears
+ r my ml>torinurs-lnsjead OF endeavorlng
to suolhe my laceraled feelings scanned
ne from head 10 tool, aad SAID
Wed, you are not .exnctly chap we
caie to employ, but as my friend Mr.. Brown
recommends YOU. we'd Try you. Come to-
morrow morning, and mind, Young man, 10
be here ii, eigh clock, to Il second.
'Cnar! Yuuny man.' Aud this to me.
o.. how ,ny hl,od bon ed at the iudiguiiv
|. Augusta, Reginald et cctera for shall
noi utter my patrnnymic in connection with
the brake on the rail to be called a
chap by that lnsolent President.
But ,nen dear read r, did you ever live
for months by sending up the spout, or in
PLAIN English, Ly deposiling with the pawn.
broker your valuables? Well, hope you
never did, and ierven,ly pray you never
may. did. and it is truly wonderful what
a teacher Of philosophy and moderation is
poverty. accepted the offer.
My history is pretty common one in
our fast country: rise from corner gro
Gerry anu bad liquor store. to brown stone
front house, thence to bankruptcy, which
carried my father through the bar room to
the grave, and broke my mother heart.
Ny only sister, older by some ten years.
than myself, l scarcely remember, being
l., .h,lI ,,ha, chn I1con r1ad fnr
marrying beneath her, as my mother used
to say, u young man who was nobody. and
q mechanl, 10 boot.
On me, therefore, the presnmp,ive heir OF
the brown stone from, house, anu to count
less thousands, were all the parental endear-
men,s lavished that is to say, my father
sent me TO the most expensive schools,
where learned to smoke cigars, ride on
horseback. decline with out much stammer-
ing, the fine Latin declensinns; and speak
Saratoga French, which no Partisan could,
by any possibility, have understood; so that
when revarses came, was fit for nothing
but jockey; yet, with the innate shrewd-
ness OF my nature, took, in preference, to
the situation in the ascendant, the rail.
can't say liked my new employment,
at least did not like it at first. BY de-
grees, however, custom bnnted of the edge,
and in course Of time | almost forgot my
former SELF and even passed, without a
blush, my former acquain,ances on Broad
wav.
Hardships-and those of brakeman are
II nher few nor light-s,rengthened my con-
sti,u,ion, till finally by dint OF att ntion to
my duties, and good conduct. l worked my
way from the platform to the inside of the
ears, and sported the label with the legend
conductor with far more pride than ! for
mcrly did the best beaver Of Genin'S match
less manufacture.
1t so happened that my route was on
branch road of one of the greatest railways
that ever enriched the country or beggarrd
the stockholders; and that l took board
with widow remarkable for nothing par
ticular, unless il be for pale. pretty, and
sad looking niece-an orphan girl who sun
ported h. rself in decency and comparative
comfort, in exercising her trade of milin-
er.
At first there was but little sympathy be-
tween the young lady and myself. She was
silent. reserved, talkative and forward.
TO be sure we met seldom, at supper on
week days, and on Sundays only at meals
our pursuits on that day being of an oppo-
site character, for while was poring over
the columns of some trashy Sunday paper,
she attended church, or Sunday school in
which she was teacher.
One Sunday at dinner, MISS Kate men,
toned Ii at the Reverend Doctor NJ
would preach in the afternoon at her church,
and asked me, with what then construed
into sneer, whether would like to hear
him.
If Miss Kate will permit me to accom-
pany her, replied I, with the Fifth Avenue
bow.
with the greatest Of pleasure answered
she, eagerly. slight tint of the rose color.
ing for moment her usually pale counte-
nance.
Thought never saw her so pretty. IN
fact thought her very beautiful, and be-
lieve, kind reader, think SO still.
We did 90. I offered her my arm, and
cannot account how it happened, that when
that little neatly gloved hand came, by q
natural consequence Of position, within q