The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-06-09

H. would not veg thee waiting BY thy side:
bride;
Only Se,nink thee how alone lie;
10 die and be forgotten were to die
A double death; and deserve of thee
Some grace of memory, fair howe'er she be.
-Lou,sc chandler Moul0n, IN LtppincOtts Mag
Oz.nc.
"OFF THE TRACK INA SLEEP.
Err" II,
Nov then: all aboard who're 60
ing" cried the conductor of the east
ward bound train, and the porters flung
the last trunks into the baggage-car,
and the engine began to blow off steam
as engines will do before start ng, when
one would think they wanted all their
breath to start the heavy load behind
them.
From the open window of one of the
sleeping-rars the Mack family we're
wildly waving their handkerchiefs and
kissing their hands to an old gentleman
who was standing ON the platform and
doing exactly what they were doing.
But soon the train wound its great
length around the curve like gigantic
serpent, and the last faint cries of
Good by. grandpan were drowned in
the roar of the ears.
The Mack family, consisting of Mrs.
Mack, two boys. two girls and baby
(Which was also a girl but too young to
county, two colored nurses, Jour trunks,
and baby-carriage, were bound for
Manaman leach, where they were to
spend the last month of the summer.
travelling in a ''slee peri was new
experience for the children; AID. con-
trary to their usual custom. they were
al very anxious for bedtime to come,
for they could not make out just where
they all were to sleep-all, that is, ex-
ce:t the baby. who was fortunately
las good as gold''-that is, fast asleep
all the time. Nobody noticed her, she
was SO good; but before the journey
ended that baby was herself the center
of good deal of alarm and excite
ment.
II was Roger who enjoyed the jour-
ney the most--Royer, the eldest OF the
family, but only twelve for all that. To
be sure he would have preferred to ride
on the eng ne, or, fail ny that. in the
bagyage-car; but after all sleeping
car was not common car, and he ielt
some curiosity to know now it felt to
sleep in q berth. Of course Roger
knew all about berths. for he was rail-
road boy. There WASH t much about
this road that he d dn't know. He
could say the local timetable lar better
than the duplication table. He could
tell !. ou the number OF any engine on
the road by its whistle, and most of
them by the tone of their bells. He
was on friendly terms with several of
the engineers and tiremen. and could
call by name nearly every conductor
and brakeman on the line.
On this particular train he had found
an old friend in a brakeman named Kit.
If you were to ask Roger what Kit s
other name was, he would stare ut YOU
and think YOU uncommonly foolish to
ask such question.
There only one Kit on this road"
he would say. 1--WE dom t call them by
their other name unless there's two of
them: and then we don't ALWAYS, for
there two Jims we call Lame Jim and
Little Jim, and there's Old Bill and Bill
Squints -Squints amt his name, but he
does it, and 50 we call HIM it. But we
y
road the boy would add. as if the
"road' belonged to h m.
BY half-past nine the children's curl
osity was quite satisfied. Mrs. Mack
had comfortably slowed her little fam
lily away in their berths-she and Aunt
Rachel, each with a bed-.ellow, occu-
pying two lower berths. while Lou. the
colored girl with the baby, was in one
OF the upper berths, and the two boys
climbed into the other one.
Roger and Willie. however, could not
think of going to sleep until an i'm
portant question that had arisen was
settled. Willie had heard that people
on steamships slept in berths. and he
wanted Roger to pretend that they
were on board ship and starting on q
voyage round the world; but Roger,
who had read ..Dick Rodney" and
other ia es about midshipmen and stow.
Always, stoutly maintained that sailors
slept in hammocks. Whatever sailors
slept in, it was very plain, not only to
mamma, but a'so to the passengers in
the berths next to theirs. that neither
they nor the Mack boys would sleep in
peace until the matter was sett ed.
Roger himself seemed to think it would
be a good thing to decide the point
right there, for at last he poked his
head through the curtains and called t.
his mother:
Mamma, Willie says sailors sleeE
in berths. They don't, do they? They
sleep in hammocks; don't they?"
Eyes. dear, yes" answered mamma
from behind her curtains.
"But thew no sleep in berths; don't
they?' asked Willie, earnestly.
"Yes. YES. dear. You re- both right. ~
replied Mrs. Mack, anxious to satisfy
both Of them. "Now, do go to sleep,
there good boys"
"But. mamma began Roger agar
when suddenly deep bass voice
that sounded as If it came from some
where down among the wheels of the
car, interrupted him
"Sailors sleep in hammocks, and
passengers in berths. You are both
right. SO 90 to sleep like good boys"
This mysterious decision, though il
was not quite what they could have
wished. made the two boys forget theil
dispute, and. alter consulting together
in Whispers TOR few minutes about the
strange voice, they went to sleep still
thinking oft.
On and on the great train sped while
the passengers slept. Through the
darkness, with one great blazing eye t
light the way. the big engine. breathing
fire like a huge dragon. puaet ane
shreked and changed. rushing pas
towns and VILLAGES and lonely farm
houses. Once only it stopped for few
minutes to take q few great gulps o
water. and then it started again head
long into the black night, as if the cool
ing drink had given 1t new life ant
strength. as, indeed, it had.
BY and by, as it flew over the rails
tho sun arose and climbed the sky. ane
presently signs of lie began to b.
heard and seen in the sleeper" FRS
q stockinged foot would be slyly pokei
out from behpd the curta MS. followed
Immediately by it's fellow; then hanc
would appear and grope about blindly
for shoes. and SOOn an untidV head