The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-09-04
TOLD AT THE JUNCTION.

TOLD AT THE JUNCTION.
Several years ago while reading medi
cine in the Office of a country practitioner
honest, good-hearted old chap by the name
OF Tom Lee, hagman n switch-tender at
railroad junction two miles below the
village. IL happened in this way: One
warm, sultry afternoon in summer after
trying in vain to concentrate my thoughts
upon the work before me, I closed nv
ANATOMY and strolled off down the track
for a breath of fresh air. The road ran
through deep, rocky gorges and oyerhang-
tng with many q cool retreat from the
burning rays OF the sun, and wandered
amnesty along, now stopping to rest on
some messy bank, or to throw stones atthe
targe-eyed frogs in the Shiny water of the
~culverts, until finally I found myself with
In a short distance of the junction. Just
ahead OF me was q hagman's shanty built
ander q shelving rock, which protected it
from the sun and gave it quite a pictur-
esque appearance. Seated on g bench out
side the door was the switch-tender, a
roughly -dressed, hard-featured old man
Win q short grizzly beard covering the en-
tire lower part of his face, which gave him
rather fierce aspect. A stubby pipe
which bad evidently seen hard service was
tightly clinched, upside down, between his
teeth. His head was tipped back against
the side of the shanty and his 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
MS equilibrium IN the narrow seat and
tumble after it. "Are you not aware, my
frie4d." said l, addressing him, 'that it is
serious thing for a switch tender to sleep
- his post?o "Ehl whatl you don't mean
70 say that l was asleep do you, young fell
STOPPING over to pick up his fallen pipe.
20, no" l answered with a smile, "only a
slight rowsiness consequently upon the
extreme heat of the weather." "Well, sit
dow and rest yourself, anyhow !" and he
motioned to e seat on the bench at his side
which I gladly accepted. 1 have always
had q great fondness for studying human
nature, especially in its rougher element,
and often spent hours at q time listening to
the crude logic and quaint expressions of
some poor, unlettered being whose whole
life had been n of ceaseless toll, with far
more OF the shadow than of the sun.
Ny friends often ridiculed me on NV
popularity in this respect, but all
to no purpose. 1t was a part of my own
explanation. Every life teaches its own
lesson and points its own moral, and no
life is so lowly but what something may be
gained from its observation. The after
noon was far advanced ere I terminated
AJ floAb 6ld par Will NY u6W lOunQ
friend, promising to come again at the
earliest opportunity, which l did on the
succeeding night and many nights after.
AZ . certain hour of the evening the Mon
freal express with a long line of luggage,
postal, sleeping cars and coaches cames IN
fromths city below and Mountaineering by
en- its way north. I would generally limit
my visit to the time of its arrival, and one
night just as I was setting out for home,
the old man, who was putting up his lam
E0Err naaAn hhA -ar.AwI r. -
that he always dreaded the approach of
that tramp "Why?" l asked, greatly in
terested. Because it calls up sad recol-
lections, boy, that ! can never choke off,
I at once surmised an interesting story and
insisted on hearing it, but the hour was
late and old Tom was obdurate, so after
exacting a promise of it on the morrow, l
bade him good night and left. The next
evening l was on hand early and all ex-
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 q freight engine on the siding a. short
distance down the track. 'Its a sad story,
my boy, but youmay perhaps be interested
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,
OF switching pOlQG LOT 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 sidiugs 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 I have little else TO do but flag
the regulur passenger and through freight
trains. The boys used to make the shanty
akind OF hanging-out place. They liked TO
stop here, it gave them a chance to rest and
stretch their legs after being cooped up in
the cabs. Firemen, brakemen and drivers,
] knew them all and loved them, too. 1 tell
you, boy" and the old man laid his hand
lmpressiyely on my knee, "there's no bet
ter, Drawer men that walk than these same
railroad men; generous and brave every
time. pve been among 'em a good many
years and know of what 1 speak. I was
always a great favorite with them, and
there wasn't a man in the lot who wouldn't
have risked his life to nave saved mine,
and-weu Pm not telling old Tom
wouldn't have done for them. There was
une young fellow in particular, Joe Norton,
bfreight engineer, he was born and brought
ap there in the village above, and a like
Tier lad never stepped on the ~foot-board of
an engine. He was not over handsome,
bot he had a good face, a strong, honest
face, one you could pick out in a crowd and
depend upon every time. He was a noble
fellow and every inch a man, steadr as
CtOCkWOThd anu as brave as a lion. he WAS
Q favorite with me from the start. I took
q 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
tding in me and sought my advice on all
subjects, which !, in my poor way, vas
only too willing to give. 1 lived for tina
BOY; yes, 1 lived for himI He's sleeping
now up there on the hill beyond the vii.
lage, and my old heart gss there with him.
DO you know, my ladT and he removed
/. nrnA f~--
give his words more emphasis, shat the
great secret of life y to live for one an
sther, to help each, sther all we can; no
matter though my fife be one long record
81 darkness and error, and God knows it
aas been, If l can lend a helping hand, now
and then, to some poor fellow more unfor-
innate than I am; if 1 can make his bur-
den lighter and his life a trifie happier,
then surely my life will not have been al
together in vain. That's the principle
80 on, boy, and it's not a bad one to fol-
bw, either. But to continues: from the first
sme l knew him the lad had a great liking
Tor a young girl in the village up there.
he was constantly singing her praises and
alk1ng to me about her, so that l came to
tnow her pretty well. / never saw her but
snce. Joe had been up on the branch one
say with a load of freight. and on his way
rack through town had picked her up and
brought her down to the junction. "Just
or q ride,o he, laughingly told me, but I
thew better; the sly rascal had been tell
ing her about me and the little mink a
saken this means to get q peep at the old
nan and make his acquaintance. l heard
en- a'coming up the track. Joe was blow
ing for the switch, so 1 went out and threw
.er over and was just getting my flag ready
o let him know it was all right when he
blew again, and he kept on blow.
ing all the way down. L didn't
snow what to make of it at first,
and thought the boy must have gone
.razy, for there was my signal right
here in plain sight; however, - mystery
was soon explained. A they shot past
ne ento the siding / saw Q girls fsce