The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1879-12-17


strange experiences7
Yes, indeed, did I.
Can recall them noWf
l. No-yes. One I remember. because
1t was the most inexplicable affair that
ever befen me-no, did not befall-but
that has ever come to me secondhand.
almost as good as new"
| found myself one day at a certain
/ town with no connection It'll sin
O'Clock in Tire afternoon-a train that
might make sixteen miles an hour, with
/ ninety-six miles to get over. Due on
the platform at 1880 o'clock That
wouldn't do. So, of course, I had to
have a " special"
Place and time-Central Iowa. soma
time age. Country just fat plain, not
the rolling prairie land lying further
west; no towns, few villages, fenceIess.
treeless; speck of anything easily
seen afar had any speck existed.
Even the ties were without incident.
One after another, one after another ali
allke-same length, striking family re-
sembIance, lying on the even ground
without so much as a ditch at the side
to break the monotony.
Nothing of interest without. 30
turned my eyes to inspect what might
be found within. They are generally
wide open when they are to look at ma
chimes or machinists.
have travelled behind engines and On
them by hundreds and have walked
about and questioned and gazed and ex-
anined them thoroughly, but always
with fresh wonder and admiration
Strong as Iitans; simple. complicated.
helpful, mercilessj beautiful yet terri
And I never look at them without
wondering what manner of world this
will be when some one learns how to
utilize, not one hundred, or ffty, but
oven fifteen per cent. of steam.
As to their manipulators, fools do not
abound among them. A man needs |
brains and logic to be a good machinist.
like to watch frst-class one listen to |
an argument on-a subject with which he |
may be ever SO unfamiliar. He sees
flaws, and shows where the screws are |
loose, and the sequence is broker. and |
helSoint overlooked or bunrlfhrIymade |
better, half the time, than the combat
ants though they be no mean ones. ? f1
1t q man knows a machine, he knows
how; to argue from cause to effect, gtep
By step of the way, and isn't easily
Z 1bamhbozled,' and there's precious 1T
lie tn6nsense" about him.
My engineer was. one Of the right sort.
a .sGleaE1eyed,3 intelligent, wide-awake
7oDIig fellow from New England 1.-The
asst man in the world you would suspect
II drink DR. nix or either superstitious finn
He was explaining to me some of the
When, with his right hand
n the lever, he suddenly paused, threw
imself half out of the little window,
azed a moment up the track, then,
1rning his head, with his left hand
lrust up. before it as though shutting
ut some awful vision. drove on.
There was no mistaHng the attitude
I'd its meaning. a
You have run over some one here" !
i'd I. r. ....... .-. J
'fYes-no-I don't know" he an
Fered. r.. .r -s =,
His fremen seemed to notice neither
,tiOn nor answer. [ gazed at both with =
t0herrOr. Sam rush
G. through, space forty miles an hour
= the Keeping of madmen?' thought
At'Ezet US see" .'' -
FYOu dom know ?" .s-- .s---.. I
81 Iedon't1aVonder. you look, " said he, 2
nd ask, too.5rWill you kindly oblige
Q BY teilipgme if you saw anything off y
the rightY' r..- .-o,,,) .------r- 9
''Ner ahead Of us?'' - =
IN othing but level track" 90 !
''Nor behind us? Did you lookup g..
.sYes, BIooked back. There was moth
G but track and plain"
81 lrT1avy - caiI bo. EGIZV,oyyy - |
I'll before I asked as afterwards, but al
uldn't help asking. Don't you think a a
ats queer Y' 81
81 think you are troubled. That is 81
ore to the purpose. DO you mind my II
king what has troubled your "
"DO / mind7 Didn't / want to tell 81
,u, and see what you can make out Of Il
?' and he drew his hand over his fore So
,ad and across his clear eyes as though Of
were a nightmare that threatened to is
make him. at beats me-" .t N
u wouldn't letit," smilingly, to cheer e,
S distressed face. "You are too broad a
ouldered to stand that sort of treat h,
ent from anything" at which he d
ughed a little and the fireman re- n
arked encouragingly: "You Just pitch Al
, Ned" and Ned pitched in. ST
fAs for the story-it isn't much of a NJ
Dry, you II say - but-welli You see I re
Is coming down the road the other day is
a good two weeks ago-a road I've II
en- over hundreds of times, and knew e.
cry foot of it. saw off there, at the q
yht, instead of that pancake region, G.
gular hill country, wild and green nI
oking, plenty of trees, and among -
EN-, on top of a sort of ridge, there was Lte1
ihambling tavern painted red. ~
''It was growing dusky, and could ~ ~
, lights in the tavern, and hear loud ~
ices laughing and rowing. Directly a a. a.
low came plunging out of the door 3,
tn his hat off, a flannel shirt unbut- II II
ned at the throat, and one sleeve loose - -
d hanging, holding a whisky bottle. Us Us
reeled down the hill, stumbled and y.
Imbled, struck his foot against a log f.
ar the bottom, and pitched forward - -
o the ditch half way across the track. e.
Il saw what was coming and had a.
istled down brakes and reversed the II n.
zine. The man could have got on his ~ -
{ easy enough if it hadn't been for his W uo
-sed whisky bottle; but he grabbed it a. a.
held IL up so as to save it, and VI
Ildn't get his balance, of course, with ~
both hands, and so pitched forward VI
in, and this time fat across the rails WI
we went over him. G GT'
1t was all done in minute, you see, II
the. train stopped, and I starting at no
/ here. and he at me"
What did you do that for?" said Jim, ="
rl1ing her up like that for nothing"
My Godl man, run over human
iture, and mash the breath out of
|, and ask what I stopped the train
1' 80 --....g d
era crazy ySo o. drunFP % fp But didn't 1ais Al
| streaked up the track to
ere the conductor was out, and tbs
kemen and passengers all had theis
DIS out of the windows, and everybody