Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-05-25

cIllUdHkHlclC gave way, itIIu CWcHtJ
feet OF the road went rippen' down
down the mountain. They found
out the break before any accident
happened, and the culvert was re-
built, a good deal larger than before.
But that place the whole road was
afraid of.
As was tcllin', if 1T hadn't been
sich a wicked place, Devils Run
was the prettiest one on the whole
mountain. The bed of the stream
was deep down, n full of ferns and
grasses that Mary was alters gather
in, an we could see there in the hot
test day n the sun could never find
his way through the trees overhead.
AS was tellen', Charley was born
to be an engineer. BY the time he
had got to be six years old he knew
the name of nigh all the parts of a
machine. He'd learnt all the signals
that was used on the road. He knew
that red flag or red light meant
danger. That a lantern, at night,
swung backwards n forwards, slow
ly, across the track would bring a
train up, all standin'. All that sort
O thing he'd jest picked up hisself
He knew the sound of every whistle
and bell on the road, n could tell
what engine they belonged to, and |
believe he knew the tread of No. 20
whenever she went by, night or day.
No. 20 that was my injine, l run her
about three years, and there WASH t
nothin' in Gods world l couldn't get
out of her wen she was in q good
humor. We sort o understood one
another, and she hardly ever went
back on me. Once in 4 while she
did, and then she was perfect cuss.
Yes! he was seven that winter
jest seven years old few days be
fore Christmas. After Charley got
year or two old, l alters made
much of Christmas. Mostly 1 con-
trived to lay off that day so as to be
home with my little pard. Some of
the boys was alters ready and willin'
to take my run that day-them as
didn't have no wives or Children
They'd come and say "Now, Latham,
there's your little pard, he'll be
awantin' of you tomorrow, which is
Christmas. SO I'll Jest take your
run down. AM this 'ere basket, why,
the boys, you know, they ses, we
amt got no chick nor child, and so
we'll send this along to Latham's lit
tie Charley"
The first time they did that l was
took back that way stood and gap
ed, lookin' around like q natural,
and couldn't say a word. And the
things they used to send Charley
was astonishin'; toys and SO on
Why, one Christmas they sent i'm
a real silver ring. Oh! stranger,
them days was such times as I've
never seen since. There was no
other children around for Charley to
play with, but men his mother was
all he seemed to care for, n we'd
carry on together all day jest as if
none of us was more'n seven years
old.
Charlie had a little room by his
self, where he slept, which had a
window that looked down the track.
| gave him a railroad lantern, which
he trimmed and called hisself, after
l showed him how n wen it was my
night down he'd light his lantern n
put it in the window at the he'd of
his bed. l could see it a long way
before l got to the house, N you
don't know, stranger, what comfort
it was wen l was comm down to
see that light and know that my lit
tie boy was lynn there fast asleep
and dreamin' that the roar of the
train was the footsteps of his old pard
flynn at forty miles an hour
1t was my run down Thanksgivin'
eve. was goin' to stop off IN the
mornin', and Bill Walker was to
take my train goin' back. We start
ed from Altoona late in the evening
and a good deal behind. 1t had
been a warm day. The weather had
been warm for some time back, and
he'd rained all day. BY night the
wind chopped round to the north, N
it began to turn cold, so that wen
we started it was rainin' and sleetin'
with an outlook for heavy Storm
A darker night I never saw, N wen
the conductor pulled the bell l ses to
my fireman, "Crazy, this is goin' to
be an ugly run" My fireman was a
wild, harumscarum sort of a boy, ,and
so they had nick-named HIM Crazy
Jake. But they soon dropped the
Jake n left him Crazy, and that's the
name he alters went by. SO he ses
to me, "Boss, | guess You are right
there" Crazy was one O them boys
that never was afraid of nothin'.- -
I've seen i'm in desperate tight places
but never know'd i'm to show the
white feather. | don't believe man
or devil could scare him, but this
night he seemed to be sorter uneasy
like.
Sometimes there's something makes
you think beforehand that something
is goin' to happen-a kind of-of-
presentiment? Yes! that's it. Pre-
sentiment. You can't tell exactly
how it is, but if there is sperrits in
accidents or disasters, seems like
they was tryin' some way to let folks
know IN time, and couldn't quite do
1t. Everything seemed to 60 wrong
with us that night. The passengers
was all growlin' COS we hurried 'em
up at supper; and when l pulled out,
my machine had the very old boy in
her. No. 20, as | was tcllen' yc, was
one of the surest engines on the road
but wen she did get into her didos
she was more obstreperous'n gov
ernment mule. Inglnes is like these
sewin' machines or planners and
them things. They git out O kilter
without no reason, and yer can't tell
what is the matter with 'em, only
they jest won't, and that's all there
is about it. She wouldn't steam, she
fretted and snorted and foamed and
wouldn't do her work no ways at
all. Me and Crazy fused with her,
and worked with her. and coaxed and
cussed her, but it wasn't no use
We kept runnln' behind all the time
instead of making up, N the conduct