Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1877-01-09
SGltttr0 Storp.
BY ne THICKNESS OF A BUT
TON.

All there you come at last, DO you
The punch has had iull head steam
on ~ loug time cried old engineer
In 10 srmsnu to several sturdy figures.
whr, deep buried in ,hick llys, that left
on.~ ted noses and cleaning eyes eX-
Io sec came p-iliog and s,ampicg and
cove Ell with snow into the eugiccey'>
ro om a, Blre'iz
IL = New Years eve, and The table in
the ,ngiocor's room Is covered with an
eN &c ,,ional.y neat white cloth. sud on
il. next the stove. stands The mighty
bowl at which cd 4 mmermann is viz.
orou ly working; wni.o The clouds Of
steam that iise from it. and the empty
rum tasks that stand by il, leave no
doul ;aa, its contents are devoted to 60
a, high pressure into tbroats OF boiler
iron--a ceruire engineers punch.
That deyul UUc,e L nmermann ;
hard oll Sylvester day this. eh?" cried
the rew corners shaking n the snow
and putting IL fu,s Jacket, aad outer
boot
'NNhat 90 you sugar babies know of
hard days in your glass houses, on your
machines that rocz you with their easy
sprin : as gentle as II you were in your
nurses arms? You ought 10 have Stood
! with Us back 10 80 aud 40 on the little
machines that wen, - hard and jolting
YOU te.t every ipg OF the rails from the
soles q your feet up under your caps.
and that wou,dn't bulge a loot if the
| snow lay hands breadth deep on
/ tie rails; and then We soOd al Uu;-oi-
doors, night aud day, without screen or
/ shelter. summer or winter, the hottest
/ day in July ard the ooldes, day in
/ December. without any protection but
YOUR coats and a buffllo-ou,side coat,
that had been well drubbed, tell you,
bv tue storms. That was something
ike hard times. Bu. what do you
know about il For that matter. whats
the worst YOU have 10 DO 70 wis, they 'ge
pu, our uenpig through here to-day who
has come off A from his examination
AID here be is now
"HAllO, old fellow. How did it 60 ?
Ujd ,hey make you sweat? Come sit
down, Bring on the punch :" were the
exclamatious ed on the new conner
from all sides.
Less noise. there!" broke in the
harsh voice Of old Zmmermsnn. "Sit
down? Yes Punch Mo- Hornig and
Frarz aren't here yet. They are coming
in with the freight 1, ia twenty minutes
behind now, and must be in q minute or
two more. Glass and glass about ioI
all. that's fair play"
well. now" began the youug candi-
date wipiug from his forehead the per-
spira,ion, that broke out alresh at the
recollection, "ihey gave it to me well,
can tell YOU. | wss examined by the
new rules. You know. There sat row
of chsps, | guess rod long ard nary
one oi 'em except our engine-mas:er, did
/ | ever see on an engine or in shop.
Aad our engine master wssnt the
worst either. They questioned me
sharp. that's a fact. right up to the han
die. But one could understand them
and give them some sort of reasonable
answers. But what the other fellows
asked me didn't more than halt under
stand. Txant any railroad lingo they
nsed. and what they were driving at
veil yes. | know-rd looked it up iu
the books Superintendent Herzel lent
me. inst 10 be able to answer. Never
saw anything of i, il service, never bad
snv occasion for it, and don't believe
ever shall i'll live to be hundred"
"Aud what in thunder was it all then :
heosn one of the crowd, Lighting bls
c;gsr inst as the door was suddenly
brown opeu. A clo1d of snow bust in'
and ont of i, emerged the dim forms oi
,wo new arriyals-the expected englt-
GERS of the two engines that had brought
:; ,ha heated freight train. "bravo