Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-08-10
ROMANCE ON THE RAIL.
BY GUY GLYNDON.


BY GUY GLYNDON.
1t was at Jim Larnigan's wedding; and
the occasion suggested the story. Jim
had ''set EN- up handsome for the boys"
and the generous wine had warmed
Caps blood until he felt that every man
was brother; or he might have been
more 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 deferential air unusual
in one of his class
There was legend current that a
green hand on the road had once hail
ed him with:
well, Cap, how's the old woman and
the babies?"
The story ran that, without deigning
an answer in words, Cap struck straight
from the shoulder, and his would be
friend went to grass with a shanty over
his eye" for his undue familiarity. The
chivalrous spirit of the act appealed to
those rude natures more forcibly than a
volume of sermons could have done, and
all along the line Cap Lollards wife
was invested with sort of halo of ro-
nance.
oval, gentlemen began Cap, in re-
sponse to the solicitations Of the crowd,
" if nothin' else'l do ye, | suppose you
must have yer way; so hyer goes:
:" In the summer of '65 | was haulin a
construction train, though | was put on
to passenger that fall There want
much business on the road, an we was
ordered to ballast up long stretch o
track, dodgin' out O the gravel pit an
back agin between the regular trains.
All along the road thar was some
mighty nice farm-houses, an one struck
my eye in partic lar 1t was the regular
old style-low an spreadin' out over the
ground SOS to be comfortable an roomy
A lot O clamberin' vines an half dozen
wide-spreadin' oaks made it mighty
cool lookin place on hot summer af
ternoon; an an old 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 Micks was
unloadin' the flats; an it didn't take me
long to make up mind that | was power
full thirsty when we got jest opposite
that partic lar place. SO down | jumps
leavin' the fireman in charge, and makes
straight for the house. all legs an no
ceremony.
Il was Jest fetching up at the well
when | turned, an n'-Jerusha Jane :
thar in the doorway stood the trimmist
bit of female flesh and blood that | ever
sot eyes on-you hear me! Lord love
ye! I allow thar couldn't no two legged
man critter look at her without its ma
kin his mouth water!
"Fellers, | felt jest like a school-boy
caught in melon -patch My breeches
was in my boots; | had only one gallus
no vest-no coat-no collar, and an
old felt hat with three-quarters of the
rim torn away, leavin' the rest stickin
out like the visor of a cap. An thar
she stood a-looking at me an larfn' a
little, | thought, because | was 50 all
struck in heap! I had waltzed up thar
as brush as sky terrier; but one blink
O her roguish eye, an you could IA
knocked me clean out O time with a
feather.
"' Hem Kin l git drink, ma am, if
you pleasc? says |, kind o stammer-
ing.
"'Yes SIR says she, as clipper as a
bird Jest wait an Ill bring you a
dipper.'
agin before you could toss up for the
beer, bringin' dipper that you could a
shaved by deuced sight better than
ary little three -cornered piece O lookin'-
glass.
=" It's hot work ridin on locomotive
this weather, amt it?' said she, drop
pin her eyes modest-like; but | knowed
she'd took me in from top to toe, one
gallus an all.
'''It's ALFRED hot, says |, an for the
first time in my life | lost my tongue
fat!-fact! dummer'n wooden man
with his mouth shut!
But | didn't loose my eyes, you bet!
Lord love! she looked like as If she d
jest stepped out of fairy book, with
her sleeves rolled up most to the shoul-
der, an aprOn-strings clrclin a waist
that Queen Victori herself couldn't "a
matched. As trim as pin, an as neat
as wax!-fellers, | 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 a-thinkin' that I looked like a slOuch;
an that made me sweat, you bet! So |
says, says |:
Thankee, ma am!
can givin' her back the dipper | jest
bumped myself for that engine, cussin'
my luck at every breath.
wal, you bet yourself the next day
I was tricked out like drill sargeant!
boots shiny-black pants, with roll
at the bottom, SOS to show the stiff'nin'
billed shirt, with rufflcd front-red
butterfly, an crush hat that seven dol
lars and ninety-nine cents wouldn't buy.
If that cut didn't take her eye, then I'd
throw up my hand.
She come to the door, but whirled
round like flash, maxim an excuse O
goin' after the dipper again. But | seen
the corner of her mouth go up, an
knowed she was a-larfn at my sudden
blowout. She was cute one, and
knowed thing or two | could see that
plain enough.
But with my store clothes on, | kin
face anything that wears calico; an I
done myself proud that time, l know
Before | come away | had bOuncin
bowl O milk. Twas mighty thin drink
but I'd swilled dish-water if she had Of
fered it.
after that my fireman run the train
mostly, while | lay in the grass under
the trees an heard her singin about hel
work, once in awhile coming to the door
to give me pleasant word. OF course
I'd "a got the grand bounce if the thing
had got to headquarters, but my fireman
liked to learn, an as long as he didn't
find no fault at his double work it want
no one else's funeral So the thing last
ed two weeks-such soft job couldn't
last long-and the bottom fell out,
But Mary an me had come to BE-
right smart friends by that time; an
when was put on the passenger blow
| Il loHo.a I -