Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-01-23
4 Strange story.
FROM ANNA DICKISSuN's . RAGGED REQ
IsTEE "

Did tell them'of queer people and
strange experiences?
Yes, indeed, did l.
Can recall them now?
No-yes.,, One l remember. because
it was the most inexplicable affair tina,
ever beiell mend. did not befalI - bat
that hss ever ,oone to rue "second.
hau6, alnnost a. go6d 10 new" %
found myself one day at certain
town with mo connection till six
O'Clock in the sfiernoon-a train that
might msae sixteen miles an hour. with
ninety-six miles to get over. Due on
the platform : at $50 O'Clock. That
wouldn't do. SO of course had to
have special - n f1<f
Place and time-Central Iowa some
years ago. Country JUST fiat plain, not
the rolling prairie land Lying further
west, no towns, few villages, fenceless,
treeless; a spack Of anything easily seen
afar had any speck existed. 49,.
Even the ties we're without incident.
One after another, one after another,
all alike-same length. striking family
resemblance, lying on the even ground
without SO much as ditch ut the side
to break the monotony.
Nothing of interest without, so l
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
onthem by thousands. and have walked
about and questioned and gazed AMI
examined them pretty thoroughly, but
always with fresh wonder and admi.a,
ton. Strong as Titans, obedient az
slay ss-simple, complicated-helpful
merciless-beauiiful yet terrible.
And 4 never look ut them without
wondering what manner Of world this
will be when some one learns how to
utilize not 100, nor so, but even Is pei
cent Of steam.
As to their manipulators: fools don't
abound among them. A man needs
brains and logic to he good machinist.
like to watch first class one listen to
an argument on subject with which
he may be ever so unfamiliar. He sees
flaws, and knows where the screws are
loose, and the sequence is broken, and
the point overlooked or bunglinglv
made better-half the time-than the
combatants, though they be no mean
ones.
II man knows machine he knows
how to argue from cause to effect step
by step of the way, and he isn't easily
"bamboozled," and there's precious
little nonsense" about him.
My engineer was one of the right
sort. A clear.eyed, intelligent, wide.
awake young fellow from New England
the last man in the world you would
suspect Of either drink or superstitious
film. fans. t.... md
He was explaining to me some Of the
mechanism, when, with his right hand
on the lever, he suddenly paused, threw
himself half out of the little window,
gazed a moment up the track, then
turning his head with his left hand
thrust up before it as though shutting
out some awful vision, drove on.
There was no mistaking the attitude
and its meaning.
you have run over some one here"
said I.
"Yes-no-I don't know" he an.
swered.
His fireman seemed to notice neither
action nor answer. / gazed at both
with amazement akin to horror. "Am
l rushing through space 40 miles an
hour in the keeping of two madmen o.
thought Let US see."
on don't know?"
Il don't wonder you look" said he.
land ask too. Will you kindly oblige
at the right?"
Nothing. said I, "but open plain. I"
Nor ahead of us?'
Nothing but level track"
Nor behind us? Did you look 2"
Yes l looked back. There was
nothing but track and plain"
~ knew y" said be knew it Just as
well before asked as afterwards, but
couldn't help asking. Do you think
that's qaeer
Il think You are troubled. That is
more to the purpose. Do Won mind
my asking what has troubled you?"
- Do l mind !? Didn't I Just want TO
tell you and see what you can make out
OF it, and he drew his hand over his
forehead and across his clear eyes as
though it were a nightmare that threat.
ened to unmake him. at beats me. :"
~ wouldn't let it," smiling to cheer
his distressed face. You are too
broad-shouldered to stand that sort of
treatment from anything" at which he
laughed . little, and the fireman re-
marked encouraeingly, You Just pitch
in, Ned; and Ned pitched in.
AS for a story-it isn't much of a
story, you'll ssy-but well, You see
/! was coming down the road the other
day-s good two weeks ago-a road I've
been over hundreds of times and know
every foot of it. saw, off there, ut the
right, instead Of that, pancake region,
regular billy country. wild ana afea1.
looking, plenty of trees. aud among
them, on top of a sort of ridge. there
was stumbling tavern painted red.
IL was growing dnsky, aud l coul,,
see lights in the tavern and hear lond
voices laughing and rowing. Directly
fellow came plunging, ont of the door
with his hat of. flannel shirt unbut.
toned At the throat and one sleeve loose
and hanging. holding a whisky bottle
He reeled down the hill, stumbled and
stumbled struck his foot against log
near the bottom, aud pitched forward
into the ditch half way across th.