The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-10-27
BY THE THICKNESS OF A BUTTON.

line punch mas nau I1ll nedu OF SUedm
on this long time" cried old Engineer
Zimmerman to several sturdy figures,
who, deep buried in thick furs, that left
only red noses and cleaning eyes ex-
posed, came putting, and stamping, and
covered with snow, into the engi-
neer's room at Burglitz.
1t is New Years eve, and the table in
the engineers room is covered with an
exceptional neat white cloth, and on it,
next the stove, stands the mighty bowl,
at which old Zimmerman is vigorously
working, while the clouds of steam that
rise from it, and the empty rum-flasks
that stand by it, leave no doubt that its
contents are devoted to go at high pres
sure into throats of boiler-iron-a genu-
inc engineers punch.
"The devill Uncle Zimmerman !;
hard old Sylvester's day this, eh?" cried
the newcomers, shaking off the snow,
and pulling of furs, jackets, caps and
outer boots.
"What do you sugar-babies know of
hard days in your glass houses, on your
machines that rock you with their easy
springs as gentle as ii you were in your
nurses armsa You ought to have stood
with us back in '39 and 40 on the little
machines that went so hard and jolting
you felt every jog of the rails, from the
soles of your feet up under your caps,
and that wouldn't bulge O foot if the
snow lay hand s-breadth deep on the
rails, and then we stood all out of-doors,
night and day, without screen or shell
ter, summer and winter, the hottest day
in July and the coldest day in Decem-
ber, without any protection but our
coats and buffalo outside coat, that
had been well drubbed, 1 tell you, by
the storms. That was something like
hard times. But what do you know
worst you have to do to what they've
put our Hennig through here to-day,
who has come off A from his examina-
tion2 And here he is now"
"Hallo old fellow. How was it2
How did it go9 Did they make you
sweat9 Come, sit down Bring on the
punch !" were the EXPLANATIONS poured
on the newcomer from all sides.
"Less noise there |" broke in the
harsh voice of old Zimmerman. "Sit
down2 Yes PunchS mol Hornig
and Franz aren't here yet, that are COM
ing in with the freight. 1t is twenty
minutes behind now, and must be In in
a minute or two more. Glass and glass
about for all that's fair play"
"Well, now," began the young can
didate, wiping from his forehead the
perspiration that broke out afresh at the
recollection, "they gave it me well, ]
can tell you. was examined by the
new rules, you know. There sat row
of chaps, guess q rod long, and nary
one of 'em, except our engine-master,
did ever see on an engine or in shop.
And our engine-master wasn't the worst,
either. They questioned me sharp,
that's fact; right up to the handle.
But one could understand them, and
give them some sort of reasonable an.
swer. But what the other fellows asked
me / didn't more'n half understand.
'Twan't any railroad lingo they used
and what they were driving ai-well,
yes, / know-Pd looked it up in the
books Superintendent Herzel lent me-
just to be able to answer. Never saw
anything OF it in service, never had any
occasion for it, and don't believe 1 ever
shall If live to be 100."
"And what in thunder was il all
then2" began one of the crowd, hghtine
his cigar, just as the door was suddenly
thrown open. A cloud of snow burst in
and out of it emerged the dim forms o.
two new arrivals-the expected engineer
of the two engines that had brought il
the belated freight train. Bravo
Glad you've got here |" was the greetin(
that met them. "Now pass round til,
punch, and let's have the solids in from
what s-his-name's."
Here's bit of roast for one thing,
cried one Of the last arrived, and raisec
to view q half-scorched hare that he hsl,
by the hind legs.
"Where did you get that creature
And what are you going TO do with him9
"This fellow wished to do himself th
honor Of making part Of Hening's trea
tonight, but probably was in too mucl
of hurry, and did himself little to-
brown" laughed the possessor Of th
bare. "The red lights of my pluto
routed him out of the hole in the sno,
where he sat crouched on the bank a
comfortable as you please, and he bega
to run wager with our train. For tw