Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-02-27

find that one of the most serious OBJ
lection to living out of town lies in the
difficulty experienced in catching the
early morning train by which | must
reach the city and my business. II is
by no means a pleasant matter, under
any circumstances, to have ones move
ment regulated by timetable, and to
be obliged to rise to breakfast and to
leave home at certain hour, no mat
ter how strong the temptation 10
delay NAV be- But sometimes the
horrible punctuality OF the train is pro-
ductive of absolute suffering. For in
stance: | look at my watch when |
get out of bed and find that | have
apparently plenty of time, so L dress
leisurely and sit down to the morning
meal in frame of mind which is calm
and serene. just as | crack nv first
egg hear the down train from Viii
mington. | start in alarm; and taking
out my watch compare it with the
clock and find that it is eleven minutes
slow, and that | have only five minutes
left in which to get to the depot.
Just as | get to the gate | find that l
have forgotten my duster and the bun
die my wife wanted me to take up to the
city to her aunt. Charging back L
snatch them up and tear down the
gravel walk in frenzy. | do not like
to run through the village; it is undig-
nitied and it attracts attention; but
walk furiOusly. go faster and faster
as | get away from the main street.
When half the distance is accomplished
| actually do hear the whistle; there
can be no doubt about it this time. L
long to run, but know that if l do l
will excite that abominable speckled
dog sitting by the sidewalk little dis
tance ahead of me. Then | really see
the train coming around the curve
close by the depot, and | feel that l
must make better time; and | do. The
! dog Immediately manifests an interest
in nv movements. He tears after me
and is speedily Joined by five or six
other dogs, which frolIc about my legs
and bark furiously. Sundry small
boys, as | 60 plun2ing past, contribute
to the excitement by whistling with
| their fingers, and the men who are at
! work upon the new meeting house stop
| TO look at me and exchange jocnlar re-
| marks with each other. do feel ridic-
ulous, but must catch that train at
| all hazards.
| become desperate when | have to
| slacken my pace until two or three wo-
men who are standing on the sidewalk
| discussing the infamous price OF butter,
scatter to let me pass. | arrive within
few yards of the station with my
duster fling in the wind, with my coat
tails in a horizontal position, and with
the speckled dog nipping at my heels,
| Just as the train begins to move. put
| on an extra pressure, resolving to get
the train or perish, and | reach it just
as the last ear is going by. | seize the
hand-rail, am jerked violently around,
but finally, after desperate effort, l
get upon the step with my knees, and
am hauled in by the brakeman, hot,
dusty, and mad, with my trousers torn
across the knees, my legs bruised, and
three ribs of my umbrella broken.
Just as | reach a comfortable seat in
the car the train stops and then backs
up on the siding, where it remains for
half an hour while the engineer repairs
dislocated valve. The Anger which
burns in my bosom as reflect now upon
what has proved to have been the folly
of that race is increased as | look out
of the window and observe the speck-
led dog engaged with his companions
in an alteration over a bone. A man
who permits his dog to roam about the
streets nipping the legs of every one
who happens to 20 at more rapid
gait than a walk. is unfit for associatins
with civilized beings. He ought to be
placed on desert island in mid-ocean
and be compelled to stay there.-NGa