Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-12-13

said he hoped he might bc dad es-
sentially creminy JENNY teetotally |
gol twisted to jude.
| arose with the intetion Of leay- i
ing the car if such language was
repeated. | was spared the trial.
1t was not repeated. The next
time he said it he made it worse,
a thousand fold.
But | was used to it by that time
and endured it with fortitude and
resignation that astonished even
myself. l asked him:
!" Are we waiting for train to
pass us ?"
"Yesp he roared, waiting for
a train to pass right through us"
sighed and rolled upon the
bench and once more essayed to
sleep. Pretty soon, when the con-
ductor had the second lantern
trimmed and burning, he came and
stood by my virtuous couch. He
said:
Here, young fellow get up out
Of this. Take this lamp and trot
down the track about seventy yards
and stay there till l send for you.
Swing the lamp this way if you see
a train coming"
We asked him inquiringly,
And what does this feature of
the programme mean ?"
He said that it meant that the
engine and half our train and all
the brakesmen had broken loose
from us and gone on to the next
station, he reckoned, and when
they discovered we were left, would
come back for us. He had to flag
one end of the train against the re-
; turning half, and | must go down
the track and do duty against a
passenger and a possible freight OF
two that might otherwise wander
into US.
He was correct. Moreover, he
was very firm about it. He seemed
to be a man of convictions, so We
yielded to his earnest solicitations
and girded up our loinS and sailed
forth.
al
l halted at a cattle-guard. Great
heavensl but the night was cold.
could have warmed my feet in the
bosom OF a snow man. The vino
/, flew about 1000 miles a minute
! and everything it touched turned
to ice or stone, just as it happened
| got down into the ditch to ge
: out of the wind, but it was so mucl
I colder down there that the winC
! felt warm. Then | got out on thu
4 track and the wind had got Sc
much colder than the ditch that
! ! was afraid to step back into tn,
! ! ditch again lest l should be sun
struck. Ny teeth chartered so tha
!, | couldn't have heard a train if i
had run up my trowsers leg. |
! ! was terrible situation. Alone, il
! ! the wild, wild night, with no hu
: man ear to hear my cries if DANCE
! ! assailed me; no human arms to pro
! ! tect me ; suddenly the fearfu
: thought flashed across my mind:
= What if, in that hour of dark
! ness, in that wild, lonely place
! some woman should come along
; kick over my lantern, stifle mi
with chloroform, and kiss me?
| am a married man. | felt tina
= my duty to my family demanded
prompt action, and l left tina
y : warning lamp sitting by the cattle
guard, while ] trotted back to tn
! caboose and kept up the fire.
In about two hours the adyanc
guard of our train came feeling it
J way back after us and picked III
; up. The conductor came in, 81
q cold he couldn't shut his eyes, ant
saw me, just rousing up from
u dream Of peace.
i How long have You been II
q here ?" he demanded.
g | said | didn't know; | had beef
$ in so long my watch had run down
Il "How long did you stay at wher
. | sent you?" he asked.
. Istold him, "About five minutes.
9 The conductor was man o
, wonderful presence of mind. II
u didn't try 10 SPY anything jus
u then. He was too cold. lie mad
u me go out and bring in my lamp
:. brought it in and turned it owe
y to the company qna resigned m,
Il position on the spot. But | wasp'
allowed to got out Of the service o
" the company so easily.
II Theconductor waited until he wa
+ sufficiently thawed out to crate flu
, emily and rapidly, and then let m
!, have il, 1t Vas in vain thst I plead
u ed, in extenuation Of my fault, tina
le would rather have freigh
ls train run into and over me
u than freeze to death; that when
Il had to die | wanted to die warn
T. Excuses ayailel me nothing. Th
u conductor gave me the mostrehnsl
20 eloquent, polished, scholarly, class
!, = cal and vigorous "oqssingP ,tha