The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-09-06
TOLD AT THE JUNCTION.

TOLD AT THE JUNCTION.
Several years ago while reading medi
cine in the Office of a country practitioner
at C | formed the acquaintance of an
honest, good-hearted old chap by the name
of Tom Lee, fagman and switch-tend at
railroad junction two miles below the
village. 1t happened in this way: One
warm, sultry afternoon in summer after
trying in vain to concentrate my thoughts
upon the work before me, closed my
Anatomy and strolled off down the track
for breath of fresh air. The road ran
through deep, rocky gorges and ovcrhang-
ing with many a cool retreat from the
burning rays OF the sun, and | wandered
aimleSsly along, now stopping to rest on
some messy bank, or to throw stones at the
large-eyed frogs in the Shiny water of the
culverts, until finally [ found myself with
in a short distance of the junction. Just
ahead of me was a flagman's shanty built
under a shelving rock, which protected it
from the sun and gave it quite pictur-
esque appearance. Seated on bench out
side the door was the switch-tender,
roughly. dressed, hard-featured old man
with short grizzly beard covering the en-
tire lower part of his face, which gave him
a rather fierce aspect. A stubby pipe
which had evidently seen hard service was
tightly cllnched, upside down, between his
teeth. His head was tipped back against
buc SltlG Vi btlc SuhIhN anu MS eyes were
closed in peaceful slumber. His practiced
ear, however, trained like that Of most
railroad men to acuteneSS, quickly caught
the sound of my approach, and he awoke
with a start that sent his pipe rolling on
the ground and all but caused him to lose
his equilibrium on the narrow seat and
tumble after it. "Are you not aware, my
friend" said |, addressing him, that it is
a serious thing for a switch tender to sleep
at his post" "Eh! what! you don't mean
to say that l was asleep do you, young fell
low," he growled good-natursdly while
STOPPING over to pick up his fallen pipe.
~, no." answered with smile, "Only
slight drowsiness consequently upon the
extreme heat of the weather." "Well, sit
down and rest yourself, anyhow !" and he
motloned to a seat on the bench at his side
which gladly accepted. l have always
had great fondness for studying human
nature, especially in it's CHER element
and often spent hours at time listening to
the crude logic and quaint expressions OF
some poor, unlettered being whose whole
life had been one of ceaseless toll, with far
more of the shadow than OF the sun.
My friends often ridiculed me on my
popularity i'll this respect, but all
to no purpose. 1t was part OF nv own
strange nature for which | could offer no
explanation. Every life teaches its own
lesson and points its own moral, and no
life is so lowly but what something may be
SdluGu lTOUl lIS ODSeTNSUlOn. L ne AFTER
noon was far advanced ere | terminated
my visit and parted with my new found
friend, promising to come again at the
earliest opportunity, which | did on the
succeeding night and many nights after.
AT a certain hour of the evening the Mon
treal express with long line of luggage,
postal, sleeping cars and coaches Games up
from the city below and went laundering by
on its way north. | would generally limit
my visit to the time of its arrival, and one
night just as | was setting out for home,
the old man, who was putting up his Ian
tern, made the remark in an off-hand way,
that he always dreaded the approach Of
that train" "Whyp | asked, greatly in
terested. because it calls up sad recol-
1ections, boy, that | can never choke OIL"
L at once surmised an interesting story and
insisted on hearing it, but the hour was
late and old Tom was obdurate, so after
exacting promise Of it on the morrow, |
babe him good night and left. The next
evening was on hand early and all eI-
pectation. The old man was sitting in his
accustomed place outside the shanty. The
night was clear and warm and nothing dis
turbed the stiffness but the low sobbing Of
of freight engine on the siding a short
distance down the track. cts sad story,
my boy, but youmay perhaps be interested
in it," he remarked, by way of prelude,
while he lighted his pipe. Then, after a
short pause, marked by vigorous putting,
he commenced: "This junction was a
lively place once compared to what
1T is now. 1t was the stop-over,
or switching point for all the
freight trains and wildcat engines on
the road. They would often lay here tor
hours at a time waiting for orders and a
clear track. Our sidings were always full
then, but the rapid growth Of the towns be-
low, with their extensive freight yards,
has taken the business all away from here
until now have little else TO do but flag
the regulur passenger and through freight
trains. The boys used to make the shanty
a kind of hanging-Out place. They liked to
stop here, it gave them q chance TO rest and
stretch their legs after being cooped up in
the cabs. Firemen, brakemen and drivers,
L knew them all and loved them, too. | tell
you, boy" and the old man laid his hand
impressively on my knee, "there's no bet
ter, Drawer men that walk than these same
railroad men; generous and brave every
time. I've been among 'em good many
years and know of what | speak. | was
always great favorite with them, and
there wasn't a man in the lot who wouldn't
have risked his life to have saved mine,
and-well Pm not telling what old Tom
wouldn't have done for them. There was
one young fellow in particular, Joe Norton,
afreight engineer, he was born and brought
up there in the village aboye, and like
Tier lad never stepped on the foOt-board of
an engine. He was not over handsome,
but he had good face, a strong, honest
face, one you could pick out in crowd and
depend upon every time. He was a noble
fellow and every inch man, steady as
clockwork and as brave az lion. He was
favorite with me from the start. / took
a sort of fatherly interest in him and loved
him as If he had been my own boy; and he
returned it too, he did; he confided every
thing in me and sought my advice on all
subjects, which |, in my poor way, was
only too willing to give. l lived for that
boy; yes, I lived for himl He's sleeping