Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-04-20

! There was a wonderful stir on the big
playground of DR.. Thwackem's school
| during the noon recess. Nobody was
playing baseball or football, but the
running and rushing, the whooping and
| general racket and riot were something
| uncommon.
| "Who ever heard such noise?'' ex-
claimed DR.. Thwackem himself, putting
| his head out of an upper window.
"What in the name of common-sense
hare those boys found to play at now?"
DR.. Thwackem soon discovered. 1t
was Erasmus Jackson's new game.
| Erasmus jackson was the pride of the
whole Institute for the inventing of new
games, and this was his latest effort.
| Erasmus had organized the one hundred
and twenty-three other boys into the
| Great Royal Kamtschatka Railroad.
Erasmus was its President, of course.
The playground of the Institute hap
pened to be pretty good-sized plot of
school. 1t ran clear through from street
corner ran a double track marked out
with sawdust. Along it could be seen
rushing, with an appalling whooping
time. These were the passenger trains.
Freight trains, consisting of from fifteen
to twenty boys, alternated with these;
they moved more slowly, but with a
wonderful putting and letting off of
steam.
Every few minutes a loud hurrahing
and the blasts of a certain cracked tin
horn warned everything ahead upon
nnt TO cIpo f10f l. f<,. tt,
Royal Moscow Lightning Express. Mos
jackson said that that didn't make any
difference. The general Office" of
the company was at Moscow.
AS the Doctor looked on, amused, the
brakes were applied to the express with
suddenness that nearly threw it heels
over head. That, however, was to avoid
collision with a freight train, and a
purse of marbles was Immediately made
up and presented to the express engi
neer by the passengers, who owed their
lives to his presence of mind
Upon my word,'' exclaimed DR..
Thwackem, chuckling, g it s truly quite
shocking to think of so narrow an
escape"
All at once a new idea entered the
good Doctors white head. He looked
down to the southeast corner of the
playground; there was located Timbuc-
too, the other terminus of the railroad.
Timbuctoo isn't in Kamtschatka any
more than Moscow, but Erasmus Jack |
son said that it sounded just as well as
if it was
The Doctor looked to see if close to |
its imaginary towers lay a great pile of
cut cord-wood. Yes, there it was; just |
as somebody had thrown it from a
wagon.
1--WE good piece of a mind to sug-
gest it, said the Doctor to the sparrows
chattering on bough close by. cit |
won't hurt their fun. 1t IL do them
good. and her good"
He pulled his head inside the window,
and left the sparrows to chatter. TAX
ing his hat, he walked down stairs, and
out upon the steps.
Boys! boys"' he called in his kind,
clear old voice.
The Royal Kamtschatka Railroad roll
ing stock resolved itself quickly into
circling group of one hundred and
twenty-four boys, closing around the
Doctor on the steps.
The Doctor eye twinkled. He made
a low bow.
81 should perhaps have said Mr..
President, Stockholders and Officers of
the-what is it?''
.sGreat ROYAL Kamtschatka Rail-
road.n came the deafening answer.
''Thank you, responded the Doctor,
slipping politely out of the necessity of
repeating the rather long name of the
company. He continued: 'sOn OBJ
serving your splendid system of road
thought has occurred to
me. I wish to respectfully submit it to
you. Do YOU see that red cottage,
which nobody lives in. down by your
furnishing city of Iimbuctoo? Good.
And now will you kindly turn and
perceive that other red cottage, rather
larger, not many yards from your noble
depot of Moscow? You will
notice that they are just diagonally
across from each other. Very we'll.
Our old acquaintance Widow Pitcher,
who sweeps our schoolroom SO thor
oughly for us, bought two cords of
hickory from Farmer Nee yesterday,
and told his boy to dump them at her
red cottage on the left. side of the
school play ground upon Spring street.
What did Farmer Mee's boy do but
come to town early this morning, and
dump every stick of the hickory along ,
side the red cottage to the right side
Simmer street. Poor Mrs. Pitcher !
woke up, and looked across to the other ,,
sidewalk, and there it was. She told /,
me before school-time that she didn't !,
know how in the world she was going +.
TO get all that wood over to her yard, !.
where it ought to be. Don't you think /.
hat the freight trains of the-the
Royal Kamtschatka Railroad could !,
solve her difficulty for her, especially if ,
should give them half an hour recess
% accomplish itp''
1t is lucky that the storms Of h,lrrahs,
he cheers for the Doctor, Mrs. Pitcher.
md the railroad itself, can not be heard
n readinp this rauort of r,rooeadinrS