Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-04-08
The Perilous Puzzle.

Whlle we wh1rl away on the Atlanttc
& Great Western, the only road in free
America that is as broad as II is long,
the fat passenger asked me II ever
worked out the fifteen puzzleP"
1 tell him, with nameless gratitude
in my voice, that / have done almost
every thing else that Is foolish and
wicked, bnt I have never become ad-
dicted to the fifteen puzzle.
Then he pulled one out of his pocket
and settled down to It. Long and
patiently he wrought, while the other
passengers helped with suggestions and
criticisms. Presently the brakeman
came in, and he leaned over the shout
ders of the crowd and looked on and
assisted. BY and by the conductor
stopped to see what was the excite
ment. He pushed his punch in his
pocket, and leaned up with the rest OF
the crowd and told the fat passenger
what to do. The excitement ran high,
and half dozen bitter disputes arose,
which were only quelled by bitterer
ones arising over new points. The
train sped on its laundering way, and
in due time it slowed up little and
finally stopped. The conductor looked
up impatiently.
"What in thunder" he said, els
that fool stopping here for?"
"Water, reckon, or coal may be, +"
replied the brakeman, without looking
up from the puzzle.
eco out and see what he wants and
tell him to 60 on, said the conductor,
returning to the puzzle.
The brakeman, after feeble protest.
and one last, lingering look at the pug
zle, which was now farther than ever
from completion, went out. In the
space Of a minute he came back into the
car and shouted, in husky whispered,
ghost of q shout:
"Meadville! Change cars for Oil
City and franklin This train stops
twenty minutes for dinner!"
A wall OF rage and disappointment
"Why didn't this train stop at Allan
ticP" rosred the passenger with the
sandy goatee.
az wanted to get off at Evans.
burgP" howled the man with the SAM
pie cases.
"My sister wanted to get on at At
lantic, and I saw her on the platform
when we came through" shouted the
woman who talks bass.
"And l." sobbed a timid-lookino
young man In black clothes, "was 10
have been married TO q girl In Geneva
to-day, and now I'll bet you q cow her
old dad Is walking down the railroad.
track in this direction with SHOTGUN. ~
And he walled 80 pitifully that the whole
car howled in sympathetic unison.
just then the express messenger came
storming into the coach. ssl
"By chowder," he yelled, "I'd just
like to know what this meansp I'd ike
to know II the Express Company has anv
rights on this road It all, and how a man
IS going to deliver or receive packages
And the mail agent pushed him ont Of
the way and stood before the conductor
in al the gorgeous panoply Of half dress
and half working uniform. w
BY George, he shouted, /" the Cow
eminent shall be informed Of this out
rageous proceeding. II there's special
agsnt in the State Of Pennsylvania he
will be-, gHr ~
But before he could say any more a
telegraph messenger came in and told
the conductor the Assistant Superintan-
dent would like to zee him and the enei-
neer Ia his private Office Immediately.
And IL was 90 that they went. And pcr-
adventure they danced upon the CARPET:
yea. they stood In the perypiriug solitude
OF the sweat box.-Burdctfc, IN Burliw0.
ton Hdsckeye