The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1885-08-12


that Is, shot ahead and exhibited con
siderable power as racer by the speed
with which he got over the ground. The
engineer, infuriated at the delay, put on
speed and ratified after, But he was
upon down grade, and fearful of over
taxing the unfortunate, he almost imme-
diately put on the brakes and checked
up again.
BY this time heads were thrust out of
windows and the platforms crowded by
passengers whose excitement became
noisy and intense as they discovered that
it was human being instead of a COW
that impeded their progress. As for the
idiot, he paused only loug enough to in
dulge in jeering laugh and gesture
that was more irritating than decent.
The crowd of brutal loafers that eX
nibited more industry in accompanying
the race on this occasion than they had
probably manifested in making an hon
est living for a year previous, went tear
ing along each side of the locomotive,
laughing, shouting, cheering on the
idiot, while hurting all sorts of exasper-
ating epithets at the engineer, who by
this time, was nearly blind with rage.
his appearance, and crawling out upon
the tender began throwing Jumps of
coal at the boy, as the engineer, putting
on steam, drew near the poor fellow.
Fortunately the conductors aims were
not we'll taken, for had the young nan
been knocked down the locomotive would
have undoubtedly run over him.
From this the rough autocrat of the
train desisted, for the idiots hackers,
with an American sense of fair play that
animates even the toughest of our brutes,
began pelting the conductor with stones.
each pebble sent with the accuracy of a
rifle shot. He retreated hurriedly to
the engine house, where he rubbed his
person in a comical way with one hand
while with the other he assuaged his
wrath by q furious ringing of the bell.
The engineer seconded his efforts by let
ting off short shrieks and keeping the
locomotive frightfully close upon the
heels of the wretched youth.
Having begun life with strange dis
position TO take upon myself the ills of
others, and finding such practice ex
tremely unpleasant and useless, have
gradually trained myself into the other
extreme, and generally bear the mis-
fortunes of my friends with a philoso.
phical indifference that is very compos-
ing. On this occasion, however, l forgot
my cynicism and found myself running
under that broiling sun, shaking my fist,
with my heart in my mouth, at the con-
ductor, and demanding in the most
authoritative manner that he stop the
train.
From the depot to the tunnel was
about a 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 an interest in the affair as the en-
tire population of Glen Cove that ac-
companied the train and backed the
idiot. 1t was a godsend to the passen-
gers, and they expressed their satsfac-
ton by the liveliest betting and cheers,
first for the locomotive and then for its
strange competitor.
II 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-
hausIed by excitement and over exer-
tion, staggered at times, and at times
reeled as if about to fall, in way to
make me shudder.
That such would probably have been
the result became 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
murky depths clear of distractions, sud.
denly seized the youth, at the risk of
his own life, and threw him with some
violence to one side. Such was the eff
fort that both rolled over, and the huge
locomotive, giving shill scream of tri-
umph. dived into the tunnel, followed by
the long train, that disappeared as if
the earth had opened and swallowed it.
sat down at the mouth of the subter-
ranean 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 pulls, as
if dragon were coi,od mp within and
painted out its cold, clammy breath. l
asked the old watchman series of idle
questions, of a statistical sort, such as a
man under the circumstances always in
dulges in. lie grunted out the exact
length of the tunnel, the time required
to construct it, the accidents that oc-
CURED within his remembrance, and al
together, in response to my leading
questions, exhibited a good deal of in
formation on tunnels. For a man TO
know one thing we'll is power. 1t is
better, however, to believe you know
some one thing and impart the informa-
tion to your friends. 1t is bore at best
and just as well when it takes the shape
Of a tunnel.
Having exhausted the hole in the
ground-and really come to think of it,
there was nothing in it-I spoke of the
late race.
NNraz,y ;aciyooei ~ o,rofb tl,a santo,,4;