The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-07-23
Train Talk.

''Keep q sharp lookout while on the
run?" echoed an engineer. "Should
say we did. The man that tries to run
an engine without keeping his eyes
peeled gets left sooner or later. Eve
heard about fellows out West that
would start out on a run with a board
reaching across from the drivers seat
to the fireman's, and deck of cards,
but | never tried that. just to show
you how necessary it is for a man to
keep his eye on the rails ahead of him
let me tell you a little story. l was
running along one night in Ohio some
years ago. 1t was a blowy, rainy,
nasty night, and in times like that
man is doubly watchful. For hours l
never took my eyes from the wet,
glistening rails ahead of me, except, of
course, when we stopped at stations.
All at once l saw in front of mellow
far ahead 1 couldn't tell-a glimmer of
light 1t was just spark. l barely
saw it before it disappeared Was it
lightning-bug? hadn't seen any that
night. What was 1t? That l couldn't
answer. But my instinct told me to
stop the train, and stop did. 1t was
mighty lucky j looked at it that way,
for that glimmer of light was caused
in the oldest way you ever saw. You
couldn't guess it in a week. A farmer
was walking along the track, when he
discovered short bridge so badly
washed out by the freshet that to run
upon it with a train meant wreck. He
tried to start fire with paper and his
clothing but couldn't do it. He had
one match left. He kept that until l
got close to him, his plan being to
strike that match, hold it in his hat,
and wave it across the track as he had
seen the brakemen do when they want
ed to signal stop. 1t was his hope that
l would see the blaze before it was
blown out. He no sooner struck the
match than out went the blaze. 1t
was merely flash, but l saw it, and
the farmer had saved the train. What
if hadn't made it rule to keep my
eyes peeled along the rails every min
ute while running?"
There was long-haired man in the
smoking-car and some of the younger
passengers were making sport of him.
They called him a crank.
Tut, tut. boys" said an elderly
passenger; don't call a man a crank
simply because he has long hair. Let
me tell you a story. owned a farm
many years ago down East. One day
l noticed long-haired man walking
around my place in very queer way.
/ asked him what he was doing and he
said he was just looking around a lit
tie. But he was there again the next
day and the next. Finally insisted
on his telling me what he wanted, and
he said: Well, farmer. there's buried
treasure under your farm. and I've
been trying to locate the best place to
dig for it. I've found the place, and
now I'll make a bargain with you.
You do the digging and we'n divide
the treasure equally between us l
agreed and went to digging where he
told me to. spent all the money /
had on earth putting that hole down,
notwithstanding that the neighbors
laughed at me and called the man q
ong-haired crank"
You were bigger fool than took
you for" laughed one of the younger
passengers.
There you go again" said the old
man; ..you youngsters judge by ap-
pearances and think you know it all.
You
but you never found any buried
treasure, did your"
Yes, did; hundreds of thousands
of dollars worth
What kind?"
Goal. The long-haired man was a
geologist. - ReIinlan, in Chicago Her.
aid