The Republican journal., 1876-06-15
Miss Cushman's Prairie Ride.
From the New York Graphic. ]

/
"When | was running ou the Chicago and
/ Great Eastern Railroad one day received All
/ order to have my engine, the Hercules, ready
| to take train Of two ears containing Charlotte
/ Cushman. her luggage and attendants. from our
| station, IOganSport, to Chicago. The great
| tragedienne had lost connection somewhere
| and was being taken over her route Jy special
| train.
1t was a cold, rough afternoon, bad day for
| raliroadlng on the pralres, with the wind blow
| ing over them as | believe it never blows any
| where else, except off Lake Michigan But |
| had my orders to put the train through that
| Miss Cushnan might be in season 10 ill her en-
| gagement that night in Chicago.
| The train had arrived at Logansport ten
minutes behind time. and we started out with
the least delay possible | lid my best, but in
| spite OF fire and steam the head-wind got the
| better of us, and out on the open prairie about
| four O'Clock in the gray November afternoon,
we came to il dead halt. | went out with my
oil-can and attempted to pass around the for
ward end. of my engine, but the wind was 50
| strong had to give it up and crawl back into
| the cab
| Presently one of the brakemen, with his cap
tied on his head with Il stout scarf, came for
ward to tell me that Miss Cushman wished t.
see the engineer in the passenger car. | sent
back word that l must positively decline The
/ honor OF an Interview, that would do the best
l could with the train, and nothing that cou 4
| be said would make the least gain in our heal
| way The brakeman took himself off. and
was not over and above pleased when Mix,
| my fireman, announced, AN it j. herself luH is
! coming now, be jabbersH
| 'Sure enough, there she was, looking as il
| she We're the spirit of the wind At trs she
walked majestically forward, the wind storm
| seeming to make 10 impression on hel stout,
| erect figure, but soon she began to cling to the
| sides Of the cars, her ample skirts owing
| back, making any thing but graceful OF ,!igui-
| fed appearance in her progress.
| After we had dragged her up into the cab and
she was under the lee of the wind she stormGd
| about the delay enough, it seemed to me to
| subduc any or all of the elements. She tried
| high tragedy on me until she saw that it hadn't
! the least effect. Rest assured | said to her
| entirely unmoyed by her TRADE, that [ shal do
every thing that can be done. After Hercu Is
! has had time to breathe Il little think he wi,
take Us on again. imagine he will tind work
| Ing ahead Of old Boreas i'll his present tempel
| to be \ harder matter than any of the mmul-
| tai labors of his great namesake.'
She smiled and looked surprised that man
in my position should know any thing at all OF
| the heroes Of mythology. She now changed
| her tact; ths agreeable beamng from her coun-
I tenance and the low, soft tones of the Woman's
voice appealing to me in their honeyed persua
! sivehess. | now felt the power of her persona
magnetism. Mike looked at her in rountl-eyed
| wonder. She had put new life into me, and il
seemed as if the Hercules drew strength from
/ NY touch, for the etcam-guagc ran up to almost
! blowing-ot figures.
! told my distinguished passenger that if she
would now return to her car | would try and
! see what progress | could make. She begged
to ride on the locomotive, but as was inexor-
able in my refusal (tor 1 had become Il little
| nervous over the crown-sheet for some reason
| besides one of the rules on the line was that nc
woman should ride Oh our engines) She had no
| other alternative but to return. | thought the
mereiless wind would surely take the resolute
| woman off her feet and drive her past the train
| but she soon graSpcu the step-guardS of her car
| with Il will and was pulled upon the platform
| We started. ! clnpped on all steam The
| Hercules nobly answered the throttle-valve
and presently we We're making fair heal,4ay
against the fine gale. Ny engine now regular
| ly laboring along, | glanced back to The train
and saw Miss Cushman standing in tie front
end of the haIf-baggage and hat-smOkng ear
watching us intenty through the top indow
! OF the door. She nodded and smiled whenever
| ! looked that way, her great eyes aocam with
excitement and :. look of suppressed power in
| her face that never saw lined OIL any other
| human countenancc, | felt that she could if
| She would haYo carried Us along by her own
| will.
We reached Chicago at p. N. After leaving
| her car, instead Of Immediately entering her
| carriage that stood waiting for her, she came,
transformed now into the gra rous lady. to the
engine, thanked me heartily for my efforts in
| her behalf, told me she should expect me to at
played after her 'adventure,' and asking me
the street and number of III, h"ardng-house
shook my grmy hand as cordially as if it had
| been dressed i'll immaculate kid, ard ba(le me
| good-by
Half an hour afterward, while | WAS eating
Il hurried supper, Il messenger from the theater
| called with note for me in Miss Cushman's
own chirography, containing an o"der that |
should thereafter be admitted free to any thea
tire where she might be playing an engagement.
| went to hear her that night to be sure. anu nn
the strength of my 'standee' ticket, star,.lno
near the stage, was honored by glance and
nod of recognition. [ saw her at different places
afterward and she never failed to greet me cor
daily, calling me by name and referring pleas
| antly to that trip across the prairie and to the
old Hercules.
Since the death OF this gifted lady and the
publishing of her will, with the various news
paper comments upon it and the character of
the testatriX in the light of that document, this
little episode in my railroad life has freshened,
and have queried whether the fear of forfeit
ing a few hundred dollars in the event of her
being unable to fill that first nights engagement
in Chicago or the anxiety lest she should disap-
point the people on the occasion caused that
most unwarrantabe excitement on her part
during that notable Ito me) railroad trip