Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1885-09-26

came noisy and intense as they dlscov,
cred that it was human being instead
of COW that impeded their progress
As for the idiot he paused only long
enough to indulge in jeering laugh and
gesture that was more irritating than
decent.
The crowd Of brutal loafers that ex-
hibited more industry in accompanying
the race on this occasion than they mao
probably manifested in making an hon.
est living for year previous, went test
ing along each side OF the locomotive,
laughing, shouting, cheering on the ldios
while hurting all sorts Of exasPerating
epithets at the engineer, who ~ tnls
time, was nearly blind with rage.
At this moment the conductor made
his appearance, and crawling out upon
the tender, began throwing Jumps OF
coal at the boy as tie engine, putting on
steam, drew near the poor fellow.
Fortunately the conductors aims were
not we'll taken, for had the young man
been knocked down the locomotive, no
doubt, would have run over him.
From this the rough autocrat of the
train desisted, for the idiots hackers,
with an American sen! of fair play that
animates even the toughest Of our
brutes, began pelting the conductor
with stones, each pebble cent with the
accuracy of rife shot at that part
of bis animal economy where the legs
end and the body begins.
He retreated hurriedly to the engine
house, where he rubbed his person in q
comical way with one hand while with
the other he assuaged his wrath by q
furious ringing of the bell. The engin-
eer seconded his efforts by letting of
short shrieks and keeping the locomo.
tive frightfully close upon the heels OF
the wretched youth.
Having begun life with a strange Dis
position to take upon myself the ills OF
others,and finding such practice extreme
ly imp easant and useless, l have gradu-
ally trained myself into the other ex-
IRENE, and generally bear the misfor-
tunes of nv friends with philosophi-
cal indifference that is very composing.
On this occasion, however, l forgot my
cynicism and found myself running I'M
der that broiling sun, shaking my fist,
with my heart in my mouth, at the con-
ductor, and demanding in the most au-
thoritatiye manner that he stop the
train.
From the depot to the tunnel was half
mile; to accomplish this distance the
train and idiot occupied some twenty
minutes. The passengers, crowded at
windows and on the platforms, took as
lively interest in the affair as the entire
population of Glen Cove that accompaHi-
cd the train and backed the idiot. 1t
vas godsend to the passengers, and
they expressed their liveliest betting and
cheers, first for the locomotive and then
fer its strange competitor.
1t was neck and neck between life and
the locomotive. A false step, a stumble,
and the huge mass Of roaring throbbing
iron would have gone crushing over the
frail body of the man, who so strangely
impeded its progress. And such result
was imminent; for the poor fellow, ex-
hausted by excitement and over-exer-
ton, staggered at times, and at times
reeied as if about to fall, in way to make
me shudder.
That such would probably have been
the result because painfully apparent,
when an abrupt and somewhat unex-
pected termination was put to the cruel
sport. The man stationed at the mouth
of the tunnel and employed to keep Its
murkey depths clear of distractions,
suddenly seized the youth, at the risk of
his own life, and thew him with some
to one side. Such was the eff
giving shrill scream Of til
umph, dived into the tunnel, followed
by the long train that disappeared as if
the earth had opened and swallowed it.
sat down &C the mouth of the sub
terranean excavation, quite exhausted,
as the crowd dispersed, and from the
mouth of the dark entrance, was pleased
to find cool, damp air that came out in
pufs, as if dragon we're coiled up with
in and painted out its cold, clammy
breath. asked the old Waterman q
series Of idle questions, and of a statis-
teal sort, such as q man under the cir
always INDUCES in. He
grunted out thu exact length of the
tunnel, the time required to construct it,
the accidents that occurred within his
remembrance, and altogether, inresponse
to my Leading questions, exhibited q
good deal of information on tunnels.
For man to know one thing we'll, is q
power, It is better, however, to believe
you know some one thing and impart
the information to your friends. 1t is
bore at best, and just as well when it
takes the shape of tunnel.
Having exhausted the hole in the
really, come to think of it,
here was nothing in i'll spoke ofthe |
ate race.
Crazy jaekass," quoth the sententious
guardian of the excavation; he'll get
killed yet, and the sooner the better for |
Iii concerned"
"why, do they often put him up to
.hatr"
"No, not frequently. They do it on |
hat train sometimes, for they hate the |
conductor. Once, long ago, it wasn't |
needed. He used to run shead of every
train, clear through the tunnel, warnin' |
people off. They switched that out of |
him. Now the ornary cusses puts him |
Up to it"
Queer sort of insanity"
"Isn't it? and he was onct bright fel- |
era rale schollard."
"Indeed?"
Eyes, was onct, but left his senses in |
his tunnel"
"Why, how was that?"
"Well, you see, he's the son of old |
Judge Conrad, of theseparts- child,
It that-and was sent to college, and no |
md of trouble taken and money spent to |
inish and furnish up his intellects.
L 4