Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1871-04-20

stained with liquor, and eyes Sc
bright and fearless that any las:
would think them prize. " u
Whoop! rushi scream!
Delhi station goes by us just
like a cannon shot, leaving won.
dering crowd ON the platform, who
only caught a glimpse Of US to lose
it in second. There's curve
ahead, and Tom let the whistle
scream. On, on, and we catch
sight of a half dozen men, who
Just get the hand car off the tracls
Ia time. But for that whistle we
should have caught them on the
cow-catchcr. They raise their
hats and cheer, bat the rush and
roar is so great thst not the least
sound from their lips reaches us.
"Scream-m!' goes the whistle
and we rush on. Three minutes
and we are in sight iof Mason
Ha! hal see how the wood train
gees through the switch on the
side track. A minute more of de-
lay and we should have had a
fearful collision. There's a crowd
at the station and We slack just
enough to hear them yell and
shout. The operator has learned
what sends the North vest tearing
along the rack, and the shouting
takes he sound Of "bally for the
Free Press, felleri"
More wood, Hank said Tom,
and the red'hot door flies back,
and in go wood enough TO last a
family q week.
Whistle! scream! ding dong!
The fireman Keeps i he bell GO
ing, and the whistle sounds before
we strike curve. A mile in two
minutes That's pretty fast rid
ing, my dear sir. Did you ever
ride on a locomotive, especially
when there was no train behind
to steady its rocking motion--es-
pecially when there was ice and
snow on the track, and the mon
ster was straining to assist a re-
porter in beating the telegraph !?
Nell, ii is different from the broad,
easy seat in passenger coach,
where you may fall asleep from
sheer lisllessness. Its series of
jumps, jolts, knocks and bangs.
Here's = curve. Looking ahead,
you shut your eyes hard, fast,
and your, heart gives great throb,
for it seems that the iron monster
is going to leave the track for the
woods. No, it goes on, and you
open your eyes and feel like one
suddenly drawn back from death.
Suppose our engine should leave
the track p? Perhaps the train just
over broke rail or a culvert or
bridge trembled a moment after
the last car passed, and then went
down. Don't suppose such athing!
The bare thought chills the blood
and the heart seems to stand still.
"More wood, Hank" s.e.
The conductor asks why Ihang
to the seat, and is answered by my
being bumped against him with
force enough to throw US both
down. If yeu were driving wag-
on over succession of raj fences.
the jar and banging would be no
worse. l4 lS'I 3ita 81u
Leslie Here we stop. 1t is
almost time the mail train lett
Jackson, and there are too many!
lives now depending to run wild
further. a
What are you, running this en-
CINE down here in this stl lie for?'
asks tile crowd Of Tom. ,.i
q he Free Press has hired her
to run to jackson to connect with:
fast, express" 5 - 2 90"
Bully for the Free Press fel-.
lers;> but, you can't make it" "Tll.
show ye," replies Tom, and the.
conductor comes back with a mes.
sage which says: ''Run 10 Rvesf
Junction, and wait for orders" >
On! on! and the crooked rail ten
ces look as straight as liberty poles.
Count the corners Why, man,
you might as welltry to count the
hairs on q mans head byalooking
at him for a second! "Hoop-h hoop
hoop!Y says lthe,whis;:le, and away
down the track We see black
specks moving about that look
like bees. Rush.! scream! and
we catch sight of four men, labor,
ers, swinging their hats and yell.
That mile was ran in less than,
two minutes. There's speck on:
{ e track again. It grows larger
and larger, and we rush by a trav-
eler. He stands close 10 the rails,
and falls backward rs we, go by.
We think of broken bones and
bloody limbs, but look backward
shows him scrambling up from