The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-05-20
Gales, gkettBes, 3netNotes, ft.
THE sWITGH-TRNDER,s STORY.
l4INNET.

1t ran thus: ''It's nigh onto eleven
| years. sir, since 1 came on this road For
the first three years was brakesman, and
if had stuck to it might have become a
conductor by this time-who knows
My character was good and I've always
been a steady man, but you see it wasn't
to be. My old woman always objected
to me running on the train, it kept me
50 much away from home, not to speak
| OF the danger, and at the end of the third
|. year, when our little boy was born, she
begged SO hard to give it up that | con-
sented, and the company put me in this
| place, where Eve been ever since. It's
not hard, I've only got to tend one switch
and do odd jobs about the depot, the pay
is just the same as what | got before,
only there's no chance for promotion, but
then I'm always at home, which makes
it up. l live only little way across the
bridge, in the outskirts Of the town, yon-
der, on the other side of the rivera
small white house with an elm tree In the
yard. You can see it from the other end
of the switch. --a
$50 you think the river is very beau>
tiful at this season of the year ? Well,
sir, dare say it Is. l thought so once
myself; but don't take my pleasure in
looking at it now, nor have L done SO
for many day. Its green banks and its
clear water, with the sunshine sparkling
on 1t, only makes it seem the crueler to
me, as if it laughed over the misery il
has caused TO human beings but my
opinions haven't got anything to do with
what you come to ask me about so I'll try
and get TO the point at once.
cit will be three years come Monday,
the l3th of next month, which is May,
that after eatin' my breakfast and smokin'
my pipe, which latter operation | gener-
ally gifts through with about seven o'clock,
l started across the bridge, takin' with
me my little boy, Willie, who was at
this time just risin' o five years. He
was awfully tickled at the idea of bein'
allowed TO go out with me, as his mother
kept him mostly around the house, havin'
like nearly all women, great fear of the
trains. | don't think, sir, ever seen
finer mornin'-the sun well nigh up, but
not too warm, with a white cloud here
and there in the blue sky, the trees and
grass green and fresh, and glistenin' with
the dew, and underneath US the river
flowin' bright and clear, just as you see it
now, sir. My heart felt light, and havln'
nothin' on my mind-I had just finished
payin' for my house the week before-I
began to think on comparin' my troubles
with my blessings That after all it would
be hard TO find better place than this
same much>abused world we live in.
''Jhe timetable was a little different
then from what it is now. The freight
| train came down at 1880 a. M, switched
off, and waited for the express to go by,
which followed in fifteen minutes later.
/ reached The switch about ten minutes
ahead of time-I always do-and sittin'
down on the tie, filled fresh pipe and
smoked away, while little Willie gathered
pebbles, and throwing EN- in the water,
laughed and shouted at the splashes they
! made.
"Finally CROWN bolder, be ventured to
the rivers edge, and pluckin' one OF the
lilies that grew there in abundance, he
came in great glee and laid it at my feet.
put the flower carefully in my packet so
as not to bruise it, intending to show it
to his mother. He lisped out that pretty
blue ones grew further down, and begged
to go and get one of them but as it was