The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-04-19
JOHNS TRAIN.

Then you never heard what brought
John and me together? Just hitch your
chair close up to the fire, for there's
rain falling outside, and this wind from
the sea sounds cold and feels cold. If
you'll believe it, when John is foolish
he says that fire is like the light in my
black eyes. John talks lot of non
sense. But there, haven't started that
story. / think John and | always fam
cied one another ever since we went
barefooted to the little yellow school
house at the corners, but then we did
have so many fallings out, hot one day
and cold the next The makings up,
though, were nice, and fancied some
times that John did it all purposely,
that he would have falling-out time
that there might be falling-in one.
There is oi.e thing though that did
make me mad-the way John would
show attentions to Sase Cullis. She was
a little snippersnapper sort of blue
eyed thing. She had a pretty, milky
kind of complexion, lot of curls
pasted together over night, and she
knew how to put blue, yellow, and red
together, and come out some Sunday
gay as a rainbow. But | knew the girl
was hollow as a pumpkin stem. She
had little brains. but heap of self, and
/ knew she could not make John happy.
So unlike himl
There had been a GOODNESS between
John and me, but when l saw John
Gray and Sase Cults walk away from
the harvesting at Uncle Tobias's / was
not cool bit; was hot. If any one
had touched me with wet finger /
should have sizzled. "That john" 1
said, ais fool She is not fit for him,
and yet she's a-winding him round her
little finger, as she does one of those
pasted-up curls round stick. He was
smart, enterprising young fellow, was
my John. Why, he started brakeman
OH our road only few years ago, and
was at the tail end of the train.
The next thing people knew he was
handling baggage at the forward end.
Then-well, 1 don't know all the
steps, but one day John had bit
of gold ribbon tied round his blue
cap, and he looked real foolish I'M
der it. / asked him what it meant, and
he blushed and said ne was conductor"
-. ~ool <xfoI SosI
"Are your and he spoke to me in a
quick, surprised way. 81 didn't know
that you cared nowadaysp
"why, John," l told him, "of course
do"
Then he turned to me like fash, and
looked at me just the very same way he
did when we sat on the old log and made
up after quarrel. But then was not
going to have any of that after he had
been cutting up so with Sase Cults; and
/ knew, too, that / was needed at home,
and / broke out, "Why, John, l believe
have lost my mind, for haven't SKIM
med the milk at home" 1t is real handy
to have some such thought near you in
an emergency, and used it to good effect,
and turning left the conductor to bis re-
Elections. About a week after that
wanted to 60 to the Mills and do some
shopping. l thought / would take the
first afternoon train down, and come back
on a train reaching home about seven.
1t would be dark, then, well knew, and
/ could have hxd an earlier start, but |
knew it was Johns train, and l wanted
10 see what kind of conductor he made,
! did not want him to see who ! was,
and so / borrowed sister Cynthy's veil
This and my own would make screen
he could not see through. Then wore
some of mothers fxings, and / knew
John could not tell me from Methuselah.
Well, everything passed off just as had
planned it. My lord, the new, nobby
conductor, came up to me and took my
ticket. He suspected nothing. Behind
that thick fence Of wells | was safe as
Adam.
"Good mother" he said.
The idea Of it, calling me good mother.
GOOD MOTHER" he remarked, "are
you going farr'
cracked my voice and pitched it
high, shrieking, "a leetle way, sir, but
I'm skittish as Pm alone"
Don't worry! I'll iook after you"
"Well," said to myself, John
makes good conductor"
In two minutes from that time, was
saying, John don't make good con-
ductor." That fellow went and sat