The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-08-07
Catching the Early Train.

One of the delights of boarding in
the country for the summer is the plea
sure man derives from his efforts to
catch the early morning train by which
he must reach the city and his business.
When he gets out Of bed he looks Mt his
watch and finds that he has plenty of
time, so he dresses leisurely, and sits
down to breakfast in calm and serene
state of mind. Just as he cracks his first
egg he hears the up train. He starts,
Jerks out his watch, compares it with
the clock, and finds that it is eleven
minutes slow, and that he has only four
minutes left in which to get to the de-
pot. In fearful hurry he tries to
scoop the egg out of the shell, but it
burns his fingers, the skin is tough, and
after fooling with it u moment, it
smashes into hopeless mess, and he
gets his fingers smeared he drops the
whole concern in disgust, grabs roll,
scalds his tongue with n quick mouth
full of coffee then he stuils the roll in
his mouth, while his wife hands him
his satchel and tells him she thinks she
hears the whistle. He plungcs madly
around the room looking for his UNI
brella then kisses his wife rs he can
with all that unswallowed bread dis
tending his cheeks, says good bye to the
children in lump, and makes n dash
| for the door. Just rs he gets to the
gate,he finds that he has forgotten his
duster and he tears down the walk III Il
frenzy. He doesn't like to run through
the village, because that would look un-
dignihed, but he walks furiously. He
goes faster and faster. Half way down
he does hear the whistle for certain. He
wants to run, but he knows that he will
start up that yellow dog there by the
sidewalk if he does. Then he actu-
ally sees the train coming in at the de
pot, and he feels that he must make II
rush. He does. The yellow dog be-
comes cXcitcdand tearsafter him. Six 9th
er dogs Join in the chase, and bark turi-
ously, and froic around his legs
Small boys contribute to thecXcitcmcnt
by whistling on their fingers, and the
men at work on the new meeting house
knock off to look ut him and laugh. lie
feels ridiculous, but he must catch the
train. He gets desperate when he has
to slacken up until two or three women,
who are on the sidewalk discussing the
servant girl question and the price of
butter, scatter to let him pass. He ar-
riycs within one hundred yards of the
depot with duster flying in the wind,
coat-tails horizontal, and the yellow dog
nipping ut his heels, just as the train
begins to move. He puts on extra pres
sure, and resolves to make the train or
perish. He reaches it as the last ear is
going past He seizes the hand-rail, is
violently ierked around once or twice,
but finally lands on the step ON his
knees and is hauled in by the coat collar
by the breakman, hot, mad, dusty, with
his trousers torn across the knees, shins
bruised, and three ribs of his umbrella
broken. just as he gets comfortably
into the car, the train stops, backs up
on the siding and lays there for half an
hour while the engineer fixes a broken
valve. Then he is madder than ever
and determines that he will move in
town tomorrow, while he looks out OF
the window and watches the dogs that
followed him, engaged in II contest over
a bone which the yellow dog found on
the platform of the station and he reg
isters silent VOW to devote his first
holiday to hunting up. that dog and
Draining him with club.-liaG Adler.