Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-04-28
tie CIR p fr9ns i q s was Switched

ty little, thing )tln.t, does fit. In
half an hour, now, that car will
be way over to the East Side, ard
we shall he out on The Hills, four OF
FIVE miles etween us; and vet here
we are close together Aud thai
little sliding iron does the bus n ass.
It's just about as little's that divides
men of in this world Gsn't it, noyg
and set~',m going different ways.
And they don't get together again
often, either; let'em once get separat-
cd. | tell you(and he gave ges-
turea Of co,ifi lehce) we've got to look
out what switch we take.
Soon after this we came tn a stand
still, stepped by ear in front of us.
The driver wound his reinS around
the brake-handle, turned partly al out
so aS to take a half-seat upon the
edge of the fender, and gave himself
up to patient waiting The delay
was not likely t. be more than a
m memt or two, but one might have
thought, from his deliberate way,
that it was certain to he an hour.
Looking out presently alongside, !
could see a long line of ears hauled
up before us and a sill longer line
crowding mp behind.
What's the matter? asked the
driver, very composedly, when / had
finished my survey.
There's Il train on the track, stuck
or something.
The driver began to whistle, drum
mingl with his feet at the same time.
Presently, after viewing the situa-
ton himself, he resumed The more
serious form of expression.
What trouble it makes, he said,
l.alf to himself and half to e, when
one man gets into another mans way.
He thinks he's onlyl troubling one;
but there's good many others like
ly to be troubled too. You stop one
car, aud you stop dozen behind it.
That's the reason l like to pay my
debts as fast as | have 'em. Don't
you? That helps the next man to pay
his, yon see; and so we keep a NOV
ing, instead of getting all choked up.
Specially so these hard times.
While we were thus waiting the
driver caught the eye of some one
who stood within a shop ON one side
of the street, looking out through
the window. Tokens of friendlyFes
oghition passed between the two.
Good chance te3eount us this time,
observed the driverin soliloqaizing
tone. s.
How's that? | asked.
Oh, he answered, that's the espot.
ter," he keeps count of the freights.
Counts the passengers, do you
mean? -
Yes, 50 as to see that the2 conduc-
tor makes up his fares right. The
conductor might forget, yeu know,
just how many there were. 3
There was twinkle in my. instruc-
tors eve as he advanced this very
reasonable hypothesis to account for
the necessity Of "spotting" eondnet-
ors. But in an instant hisfaee as
sumed ssgraver look, as he, contin-
ued: - e
Iwonder how many folks remem-
Der the Great Eye that looks down
on 'em, watching to see how they
mind their business. Spoilers is
nothing to that. -
There was silence now for little
time. The drivers IDEAS and his way
of putting them were impressive, ii
his speech was rude. Here was a
man leading very common sort of
life, whose mind was yet open to
most uncommon thoughts, in whom
conscience seemed TO be all alert,and
whose recognition of truth and duty
approached the remarkable. began
to be glad l had come out on the
front platform. 50 M
The blockade had by this time
endedy but we had not more than
fairly got underway before the
wheels .oflo1r car, for some cause,
slipped from the rails. We were go
ing at rapid gait to make up lost
time, and as a consequence jolted
along over the pavement in a very
lively manner for some moments be-
fore pHlIing dp.l Pub up, the driver
did, however, as soon as he could;
and rather than jolt along any fur
ther in the indefinite hope of getting
his wheels into their place of them
selves, he cunhitchedslis horses, at
tached them to the other end of the
Car and drew it back a rod or two.
BY this MEANS we easily reached
easy going once more, and then kept
on our way.
t's miserable business, this getting
off the track, amt it? said the driv-
er, falling back again into his old
mood; and what a little thing will
do it. Fact is, there's smooth
enough track for rs thFeugh this
world if we only keep on Ii but if
you once get5off it's pretty hubby
riding-mId is mighty easy getting
off. Some people, when they're off,
keep right on, bouncing and jouncing z
over the Stones, thinking they'll get
right again presently. But they don't
get right. When I get off my track
| can generally look back and see
what did it; and Pye found ontSthe
best thing is to nnhitel and 90 back
to where 1t happened. Then you're
on right agaln. Done you see?
And he vlipred up his horses as if
appealing to them to know if it were
not better to be on the track than
off it. l c puld hot help feeling that
he was righ and the horses certain
ly seemed 70 thip < so.
A smart ffoe from the place of our
last detention. yer long aud open
stretch of track brought up to where
a steam rai.Foaa Crossed our street al
a grade. H Hefa Fe had TO stop, which
seemed a patty when in the midst OF
such an inS rlrlne onward progress,
belated, too. and senly for the sake
OF mere form, there being plainly
no train in sight ia either direction.
But stop " did Until the signal OF
the CONDUCTOR sliowesl "a e nf0.
ceed. -
A nuiSaTtt.e -aif = ~ .t.tIl47[tlf r.