Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-06-27
The Conductors Story.

Good arabic land! lcS Sir; ana II
you look at it in the way of scenery,its
as pretty bit of land as you'll find
in Kent county. That stretch nov
ahead. BY the way, there was a
queer thing happened just there,
three years ago come Thanksgiving
AS queer as ever came in my way
since I've been railroading. 1t oc
Cured in this way; I'll have time
to tell it, 1 reckon. We have to
switch off for the express at the
next station, and lay by awhile.
This branch road was built for
the local peach business. was put
on as conductor of the first train
that was run. BY George! how the
engine woke the country up! The
Dclewarcans arc genuine Southern
ers-lazy and hospitable. They
were hospitablc to the very train, in
a way commercial people could not
understand. 1t wasn't matter of
business; it was n home affair to
them, like their churches or their
darkics;-somcthingto to chuckle and
gossip over and boast about. The
stations used to be crowded with
young fellows in fiashy neckties, and
their swecthcarts, nice, modest lit
tie girls, loaded with cheap fincry,
who had made up parties and come
down from the interior to sec the
train 60 by. Every old farmer on
the route thought he owned the en-
ginc (thc General Jackson it was},
and lie knew each scpcratc car as
well as he knew his cattle. They'd
treat ther wives to few miles ride,
as you town people would run over
to Europe with yours.
OF course, sir, / was at home here
on the road in two weeks. Every
body called me Dick. There was
scores of places where l could drop
in for an odd meal. l began to
doubt whether they were my unclcs
or cousins or not. Besides, a man
here, after fifty, has no other bust
ness but loafing. All the old fel-
lows got free passes over the road,
and torsook their corners by the
tavern fire for the baggage car.
They had smoked day after day, and
told queer stories Of their neigh
bor's families for the benefit of any
body that chose to listen. l knew
all the gossip by heart directly. 1t
was just when the peaches were in
bloom, too, when l went on the
road, and l was soon punching open
buds with my thumb-nail, and talk
ing earnestly of Early Blush and
Morris Whites with the rest. It's a
curious sight to see that pink flush
above the carly spring mud, from
one end Of the State to the other,
and to think that crop is one matter
of life or death to the people.
The peaches had come and gone,
though, when one day, about a
month before Thanksgiving, an old
man came on board, who had a pass
for two, down to St. Georges. ]
saw ut a glance that he was none Of
the usual dead-hcad squad. A thin
wiry old man, whitc-hcaded, but as
active as boy Of sixteen, and with
the true Dclewarean knack of find
ing friends ahd showing himscli
friendly. He was reporter or
some Philadelphia penny paper, and
had his notebook out every minute
pumping me about the Wilmington
whipping-post, Sloan's fish breeding
experiment, and the condition of tht
freed negroes.
"Make items, make itcms!" hi
said. "Pushcs the paper wonder
fully into local circulation"
He had been a doctor or Il law
yer, l forgot which, in New York
and was starved out he told me, an(
SO took up journalizing. He did no
impress me as a man Of ability; ant
besides, the poor fellow was worl
out. 1t was high time for him t.
lie by and loaf with the others il
the baggage car.
Newspaper work." he says" ,"pay'
handsomely, compared to my owl
profession. We get on quito com
fortably on my salary, quito com