The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1885-10-22
Train Talk.

"Kcep 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. I've
heard about fellows out West that
would Start oct on Il run with a board
j reaching across from the drivers seat
J to the fireman., and Il deck OF cards,
but l never tried that. just to show
/ YOU how necessary it is for man to
keep his eve on the rails ahead Of him
. lie: me tell you a little story. l was
running along one night in Ohio some
years ago. 1t was blowy, rainy,
nasty night, and in tines like that i
man is doably watchful. For hours l
never took my eyes from the wet,
giistcning rails ahead OF me, except, OF
course, when we stopped II stations.
/ all at once saw iii iront OF mellow
far ahead l couldn't tell-a glinlmcr of
light. 1t was jus: spark. / barely
saw it before it disappeared. Was it a
lightnirg-hug? hadn't seen any that
night. What was Ii? That [ couldn't
answer. Bat my instinct told me. to
! stop the tram, and stop did. 1t was
mighty lucky looked at 1t that way,
! for that g:immer OF light was caused
in the oldest way you ever saw. Yoa
GouiGn't guess it in week. A farmer
was walking Along the track. when be
discovered a short bridge SO badly
washed out by the freshet lhat to rnr
upon it with train meant a wreck. he
tried to start = fire witt, paper and his
clothing eut couldn't DO it. He had
one match left. He kept that until l
&C: close to h;rc, his plan being to
strike that match, hold it iii his hat,
and wave it nc oss the tract. as he had
! seen the brakemea do when they want
ed to signal stop. 1t was his hope that
1 would see the bl:.Zo before it was
blown out He no sooner struck the
match than out went the blaze. 1t
was merely a flash, but l saw it, and
/: tie farmer had saved the train. What
if l hadn't made it = r:l!e to keep my
eyes peeled along ti.. rails cry min
atc While runnins?"
/ There was . .ong.-i.;.rud man in the
smoSing-car and s4,i:,e OF the younger
! passengers were making sport OF him.
They called him crank.
Tut, tut, boys" said an elderly
passenger; don't cali & iGan q crank
i Simply because he has long hair. Let
me tell you a story. i owned 4 farm
many years ago down East. One day
| [ 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 l insisted
on his telling me what he wanted, and
he said: We'll, farmer, there's buried
treasure under your iarm, and I've
peen trying to locate the best place to
| dig for it. I've found the place, and
now I'll make bargain with you.
You do the digging and we'll divide
the treasure equally between u.s. 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 a
iong-haired crank"
eYou were bigger fool than took
you for." laughed one of the younger
passengers. =,
..There you 60 again." said the old
man; '.you youngsters Judge by aP-
pearances anu think you know it all
YOU
..But you never found any buried
treasure, did you?''
..Yes, 1 did; hundreds of thousands
of dollars worth"
"What kind?'
Goal. The long-haired man was a
geologist. y WeItaal, ia Chicago Her:
xia.