The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1876-08-26
Romance en- the Rail.

II was at Jim Larnigan's wedding
and the occasion suggested the story
Jim had set 'em up handsome for the
boys - and the generous wine Lad
warmed Caps blood until he felt that
every man was brother or lie might
have been u ore reserved about this
episode In his checkered life. For Cap
seldom spoke OF his wife to the boys
and when he did it was with deferen-
tial air unusual in one of his class.
There was legend current that a
green hand" on the road had once
hailed him witr
Well, Cap, how's the old woman
and the babies 2"
The story ran that "without deigning
an answer in words, Cap struck straight
from his shoulder, and his wOuld-be
friend went to the grass with shanty
over his eye" for his undue familiarity
The chivalrOus spirit of the act appealed
to those rude natures mere fOrcibly than
a volume of sermons could have done
aod all along the line Cap Lollard's wife
was invested with sort of halo of ro-
nance.
" Wal, gentlemen" began Cap, in
response to the solicitations of the
crowd, if nothin' else II do We, sup.
pose you must have yer way so hyer
goes.
'' In the summer of '65 I was haulin'
construction train, though was put
on to a passenger that fall, There
wa mt much business on the road an
we was ordered to ballast up long
stretth o. track dOdgin' out o. the
grand pit an back ag'in between the
reg lar trains.
" All along the road thar was some
mighty fine farmhouses an one
struck my eye in particular. 1t was ne
reg'l old styie-low an sprpadin' out
over the ground SOS to be comfortable
an roomy. A lot o. clambrrin' vines
an half a dozen de.sprtadin' oaks
made it mighty coOllOOkiD' place on
hot summer afte rno0n and an I'D
fashioned well.sweep to one side made
you think that water was a pretty choice
article after all.
" Wal, boss, you bet it was mighty
slow work settin' on the box in the sun,
with that house in sight. while the men
was unloadiu' the fats an it didn't
take me long to make up my mind that
/ was powerful thirsty when we got
jest opposite that partic'lar place. So
down | jumps, leavin' the fremen in
charge, an makes fur the house, all
legs an no ceremony.
" was jest fetchn' up at the well,
when 1 turned, an'--JeIusha Jane l.
thar in the doorway stood about the
trmmest pt of female flesh an blood
that | ever sOt eyes un-yOu hear me |
Lord love ye allow thar couldn't no
two legged man critter look at her with
out its maxim his mouth water
" Fellars, felt jest like schoolboy
caught in a melon patch My brPeches
was in my boots ] had only one gal
lus no vest-nO coat no collar, and an
old felt hat with three>quarters of the
rim torn away, leavin' the Test stickin'
out like the visor of a cap. An thar
she stood, aloOkin' at me an larfin, a
little, l thought, because | was so all
sturck in beap! had waItzed up thar
As brisk as a sky terrier ; but one blink
o her r0guish eye, an you could a.
knocked me clean out o. time with a
feather.
" Hem ! Kin git drink, ma am,
II you please says kind o. stammer-
in.
''Yes, sir" says she, as clipper as
bird. jest wait, an III bring you
q dipper.' ...
/" She skipped into the house and out
ag'in before you could toss up fur the
beer, brrgin' dipper that you could
'a'shaved by d+uced sight better than
any three cOrnered piece of lookn' :
glass.
" It's hot work rain on a locOmo.
tive this weather, amt it p says she,
droppin' her eyes, modest-like but
knowed she'd took me in from top to
toe, one gallus an all.
g It's all fired hot, says / an fur
the first time in my life lost my tongue
fiat fact dummer'n q wooden man
with his mouth shut
"But didn't lose my eyes, hnss you
bet Lord love ye she looked like as
If she'd jest stepped out of fairy book,
with her sleeves rolled up almost to the
shoulders, an apron-strings circlin' a
waist that Queen Victori' herself
couldn't 'a'matched. AS trim as a pin,
an as neat As wax l-felars,I i felt as if
I'D jest drop down on my marrow bones
In the grass an worship her
" But all the time knOwed she must
be thinkin' that looked like slOuch !;
an that made me sweat, you bet So
says, says l
" 'Thankee, ma am -
" And givin' her back the dipper,
jest bumped myself fur that engine, Gus.
sin my luck at every breath.
Wal, you bet yerself, the next day
| was tricked out like a drill Sargentl-
boots shiny-black pants, with roll at
the bottom, SOS to show the stiff min
billed shirt, with ruftied front red
butterfly an crush hat that seven
dollars and ninety nine cents wouldn't
buy | If that cut didn't take her eye,
then I'd throw up my hand
" She comes to the door, but whiTled
round like fash, maxim an excuse o.
goin' after the diPper again. Bat seen
the corner of her mouth go up, an
knowed she was lartin' at my sudden
blow out She was cute one, an
knowed a thing or two. l could soc
that plain enough.
4" But with my store clos on l kin