Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1870-11-11
5liscellamy.
A Good story Well Told.

A1Aiith
eve stopped at Syracuse, (New York
for dinner. You remember the railroad
depot, centrally situated, with its eastern
and western entrances exactly alike
as much SO as the two ends of car
After we had dined, the depot master IN
formed me that we had seventeen min
utes to spare before the departure of the
eastern train. This, thought /, will give
me an opportunity TO see the city, and a
glorious chance for a smoke, provided
clergyman could be tempted into such a
wasteful and worldly amusement
sauntered forth, and after an absence o.
exactly thirteen minutes, having enjoy
ed delightful and soothing stroll, | was
.eisurely returning watch in hand, when,
to my sudden establishment, | beheld
the train slowly gliding out of the other
end of the depot. and increasing its
speed at every puff of the gigantic To-
connective.
Here indeed was "call" which ad-
mitted Of neither correspondence nor de-
lay, there was no time for "taking into
consideration. So without comforting
with flesh or blood, | put like sky
rocket with double fuse. For mo-
ment / thought I had it all my own way;
l thought l was gaining ground, though
knew / was losing wind. was encour-
aged in the race by sundry hopeful fell
lows, who kept crying out as passed,
Go it, gaitersll" "Plucky boy!' "He
amt left, oh no! and we'll meaning and
benignant exortations. Though they in
tended, perhaps, to help me over the
course, / found that the more they shout
ed the less I was inclined to run, and
the more decidedly did the locomotive
make the terrible Roadway against me.
To give up the chase, to submit to the
chagrin of being left to lose my party
and my passage to meet with disap-
pointment and not to meet with friends,
all this was bad enough; butthe thought
of encountering, all the way back to
the depot, that line ofinterested individ-
uals who, with their cheering exclama-
tions, had so feelingly encouraged me
on my outward journey, this was the Bit
terest pill in this unexpected dose.
But it must be done; so tapering off
gradually, | gave up the contest and
turned back to meet my fate, and-if I
could find him-the depot master whose
laundering statements were the cause of
all my trouble. Without search, that
individual advanced to greet me with
the bland recognition of fact that no
one could we'll deny. "Well you got left,
did yon?" l replied only with silenc-
ing eye. IF I looked as / tried to look,
my photograph, taken at that instant,
would hardly be chosen to grace an al
bum gallery of eminent diyines." Sew
eral bystanders, seeking information,
asked, with show of confidential inter-
est in my case, in what wise the thing
had happened and others, wishing to
"poipt a moral" advised me to be on
hand little earlier next time. With
returning breath, relief and words came
together, and / squarely charged the
railroad official with all the blame.
spoke of his incompetency in no meas.
ured terms, recalling how that after /
had placed my party in the car, he
had assured me that there were full sew.
enteen minutes to spare before the train
went out {" while here" said I, with a
triumphant exhibition of watch, "the
seventeen minutes are now barely up
and yet the train is gone out of sight
After no little hot shot cast back and
forth, with the usual variations and fin
al perorations Of "you did and you didn't
your another ETC., ! asked him whether
/ would be risking another chance Of be-
ing left, if / depended on him to give
me the exact hour of the next Eastern
train. EASTERN" exclaimed he. eyes
Eastern" replied, with decidedly up.
ward and sarcastic infection. Why
quoth he, 'the train you've inst been
chasing with such good luck wasn't an
Eastern train but the Western express.
With much and interesting confusion
and excitement I stammered out, "Ther
where in Joppa is the eastern train p
Why there it is, replied he, just getting
under way at the other end of the depo
leg it, or you'll lose that. If ever made
Dexter time / made it then. passed
right through that depot like the wind
l felt as though l was all legs. On,
glance however, at the rear door of tn,
car as | was nearing it came near bein,
too much for me. l discovered the grou
of my long lost friends, whose forms an
faces seemed bursting with poorly sup
pressed and ill-timed mirth.
As reached safely the platform, III
fire that opened upon me could only b
equalled for its merciless effect by tn
fire in the rear from which had nrov