The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1885-07-21

uoisy anu lnteuSe Ms tuey QlScOVereO tual
it was human being instead of a COW
that impeded their progress As for the
idiot, he paused only long enough to in
dulge in jeering laugh and gesture
that was more irritating than decent. 4
The crowd Of brutal loafers that ex-
hibited more industry in accompanying
the race Oh this occasion than they bad
probably manifested in making an hon.
est living for year previous, vent tear
ing along each side Of .he locomotive,
shouting, cheering on the IDIOT
while hurling ell sorts Of exssperating
epithets at the engineer who by this time
was nearly blind with rage. 8
At this moment the conductor made.
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 sims we're
not we'll taken, for had the young man
been knocked down the locomotive would
undoubtedly have run over him.
From this the rough sutocrat of the
train desisted. for the idiots hackers,
with an American sense of fair play that
animates even the roughes: of our brutes.
began pelting the conductor with stones,
each pebble sent with the accuracy of q
rifle shot. He retreated hurriedly to the
engine house where be rubbed his person
in comical way with one hand while
with the other he sssuaged his wrath by
a furious rigging Of the bell. The en-
gineer seconded his efforts bv letting of
short shrieks and keeping the locomo.
tive frightfully close upon the heels ol
the wretched youth.
Having begun life with a strange dis.
position to take upon myself the ills oil
Others, and finding such practice unpless.
ant and useless, have gradually trained
N, self into the other extreme. and gen.
orally bear the misfortunes of my friends
with q philosophical indifference that is
very composing. On this occasion, how.
ever, forgot my cynicism and found
myself running under the broiling sun
shaking my fist, with my heart in my
mouth, at the conductor. and demanding
! in the most authoritative manner that be
stop the train.
From the depot to the tunnel was
about mile to accomplish this distance
the train and idiot occupied some twenty
minutes. The passengers, crowded q,
windows and on the platforms, took as
lively an interest in the affair as the en-.
tire population of Glen Cove that accom-
panied the train and backed the idiot. II
was godseud to the passengers, and
they expressed their satisfaction by the
liveliest betting and cheers, fret for the
locomotive and then for its strange com
petitor
1t was neck and neck between life and
the locomotive. A false step,a stumble,
and the huge macs of roaring, throbbing
IRON would have gone crushing over the
irail body OF the man who so strangely
impeded its progress. And such result
was imminent; for the poor fellow, ex.
bausted by excitement and over.exertion
staggered at times, and at times reeled as
II about to fall, in a way to make me
shudder.
That such probably would have been
the result became painfully apparent.
when an abrupt and somewhat unexpect
ed 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 Instructions suddenly
seized the youth, at the risk of bis own
life, and threw him with come violence
to one side. Such was the effort tha,
both rolled over and the huge locomo-
tive, giving shrilI scream of triumph,
dived into the tunnel, followed by the
long train, that disappeared ss il the
earth had opened and swallowed it.
l sat down at the mouth OF the sub.
terrsnean excavation quite exhausted as
the crowd dispersed, and from the mouth
of the dark entrance was pleased to find
8 cool damp air that came out in puffs,
as il dragon we're coiled up within and
painted out its cold, clammy breath.
asked the old watchman series OF idle
questions, of a statistical sort, such as q
man under the circumstances always in.
dulges in. He grunted out the exact
length Of the tunnel, the time required
10 complete it, the accidents that occur
red within his remembrance. and Alto
gether, in response to my leading ques-
tions, exhibited good deal OF informa-
tion 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 information to your
friends. 1t is bore at best and just as
well when it takes the shape of tunnel
Having exhausted the hole in the
ground-and really come to think of it
there was nothing in i'll spoke Of the
late race.
"Crazy jackassv' quoth the sententi-
Gus guardian OF the excavation; he'll git
killed yet, and sooner the better for all
consarued."
"why, do they often put him up TO
that ?"
mo, not frequent. They do it on
that train sometimes, for they hate the
conductor. Once. long ago. it wasn't
needed. He used to run ahead OF every
train, clear through the tunnel, a warn
if people off They switched that out
Nv him. Now the ornary cusses puts
him up to it."
"Queer sort of insanity"
"lsn't it p aud be was one! bright
feller-a raIe schollard."
"Ihdeed p
"Yes, was onct, but left his senses in
this tunnel"
why, how was that p
swell, you see, he's the son OF old
Judge Conard, of these parts-only
child, at that-and was sent to college,
and no end Of trouble taken and money
spent to finish and furnish up bis intel
lects. When he come home to study
law, what does be do but take after lit
tie girl named Mary Grubbs, da'ter OF
the cooper, an she was poor as pig an
purity as painted wagon. Well; l guess
she was about the handsomest critter in
this part of the vineyard. Len Conrad
was struck, tell you, after Polly, as we
called her, an l don't wonder; for her
hair was as soft aud light as silk on early
corn, an she had the handsomest teeth,
an the biggest, wonderfullest dark eyes,
o.~ol;far1uo oL;1 Rnt hor