The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-08-28
A COLD WATER BOY.
The boy Who Drank the Water Tank Dry
\ Railway Incident

The BOY Who Drank the Water Tank Dry
\ Railway Incident
Last winter--how pleasant it is to
think of Il time when it was cold enough
for OyercoatS-as we sailed down the j.
Nj. and l. Railway, krnwn among the
native HOLSTERS Us the jeff" road,
there were several things to look at.
There were two dramatic troupes on
board and boy from Indianapolis who
had designs on the water tank. He be-
gan drinking before we fairly got out of
indianapolis. He would drink as long
rs he could hold his breath. and then pat
down the cup and sigh, and 90 back t.
his sent. When he felt little rested he
would march down to the tank again,
and looking over the rim of the cup with
an injured expression AS he drank. gaze
at the passengers rs reprOachfully rs
hold = tubfull of water. Then he would
sigh and 90 back to rest. Then he'd
come up again, q little bit groggy, but
still in the ring. drink till the water
stood in his eyes. and 90 back to re-
cuperate. Once or twice the brakeman
drove him away from the tank. .'Some-
body else might want y drink before we
get to Madison" he said, "and any
how, there was no coroner on the train
if the boy should succeed in drowning
himself" Still, the boy, GLIDING the
vigilance of the careful brakeman, kept
on drinking great quantities of aqua
pura, with brief intervals for rest. Pres
ehtly the brakeman came in, after
fighting with man who didn't waEt
his two dogs banished to the baggage
car. and wrestling with an old lady who
had got it into her head, just because he
told her that she couldn't 60 in there,
that the smoking car was just the very
Alabazan car of al Alabazan cars, anG
fought to ge: into it. He was pretty hot.
because he hadn't half whipped the
man and couldn't rip out on the old
lady. and he was just hungry for a chance
to elbow off, somebody. The first thing
his ewes fell Upon was the boy at the
water tank. Heswept down upon him.
grabbed hiIh BY the shoulders, shook
the hat off and the breath out of him be-
fore the boy could yell. lifted him up IN
air. slammed him down on the seat with
Lagtry bang that shook open the VEN
tilatOrs. 'sTherer' he roarea: ..yuu
dropsical little squad! D'you want te
make milipond of yourself and be
-" The boys face was purple with
rage and he broke out into torrent of
profanity, abuse. defiance, threatening
and slaughter in one awful breath. He
danced on. into the isle, shed his coat,
beat his FISTS together and pulled NJ
volver. Everybody yelled and hollered
and laughed and stood up on the seats
and applanded the boy and encouraged
the poor. iumb-founded. ssammering.
blushiag. apologizing brakeman Poor
IXiOn. in his blind wrath he had snoep-
en- down upon an irascible, cross-grain-
little wretch of \ dwarf. forty-Oue inch
es high and iifty-two years old, belong
ing to one of the dramatic companies.
1t was TOO funny for anything. for the
rest of rs. And while the row was Alb
sorbing general attention, il that mis-
cradle boy with the hydrophobia didn't
sneak mp TO the w:ster-tank and drink it
SO dry that it wa,pcd.-kJ> Bwdette,
ia L, ook!yn Eagts