Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-31
THE MINCE PIE.
Biu Nys in the Detroit FyAs prss

Bf1 NYe in the Detroit Free Press.
II am the engineer OF the 102 and Pm
givin' 1t to you straight. No man ever
stood by the company's interest or saved
more money for the Old Back Up ana
loot road than have. Many's the time
I'VE got off the 102 to drive off 2-year-
ola steer instead OF squashing him and
then allowin' the Back Up and loot road
to pay foc him. l could, pull the pay car
or yank No. loaded with Mormon emf
grants. it made no odds to me. I always
allowed to obey orders, whether it was to
back up four feet or slack ahead half a
car.
Il never was man that would drink
while l was on duty, but sometimes |
would take in the townwith the boys and
give 1t a coat OF red paint, when there
was no danger OF bein' called out on an
extra or asked to double back with 102.
Still, wasn't drinkin' man at all. and
didn't care two cents tor the taste of
hquor or the effect of it. | just wanted
to be sociable.
swell, one afternoon l was west-bound,
pulling three day coaches and two sleep
ers, besides baggage, mail and express.
we stopped twenty minutes for dyspepsia
at the regular supper station, and there
met q lady used TO be acquainted with
in the States. She was in the rear
sleeper and had lunch along with her.
It's all like Il dream, but it's burned into
my memory still. She asked me to eat
lunch or tea, or whatever you might call
it, with her, and did. 1t seems like yes
terday.
''She had an old-fashioned mince pie
with her. / can taste it yet. She held a
piece of it toward me with her beautiful
round wrist and white, dImpled knuckles
like baby's. l said NO, thank YOU:
never drink But she laughed and
socked 1t into my mouth. / knew it was
Favored with brandy, and yet l took it,
ate it greedily. She chatted on gayly
while | put that homemade demon pie
into my mouth to steal away my brains.
"Finally the passengers came out OF
the dining room picking their teeth as If
they'd HAD a square meal, and the con-
ductor hollered All aboard l felt as if
i ought to go and tell the conductor that
was unfit to run the engine, and that |
would be murderer, for my brain was
already on fire with pie. But | CLONE
into the cab, took a chew of fine-cut and
pulled out.
Somehow the face of my little daugh-
ter kept coming before my eyes. [ couldn't
Keep her out of my mind as she looked
when l left her in her blue and white
bingham dress and sun bonnet. She
haunted me and whirled through my pie
soaked brain. In an hour we would be
at my home, and would have her in nv
arms. My own little Mary Ann. 1t grew
dark fast, and the headlight flashed along
the track, but was in dream. ! fret
ted because old Hundred and Two didn't
get UP and hump herself as she ort. The
telegraph poles looked like corduroy
bridge, and still l wasn't happy. was
a mailman for the time, dragging my load
of human freight to certain DEATH
sAs we rounded the curve mile out of
the home station, the headlight showed
me lying across the rail the Bingham
dress and sun bonnet of Mary Ann! /
saw it too late. 1t was like a flash, then
dull sound came up from the murder
Gus wheels and the checked sun bonnet
lay outside the track and the gingham
dress was under the train. The drunken
engineer had murdered his only child.
My fireman stopped old Hundred and
Two and reeled to the rear of the train
where Mary Ann lay in the darkness,
still forever and ever.
n 4
s'I made wild plunge toward the little
mangled mass and caught it In my arms.
1t was, indeed, Mary AIMS little ging-
ham dress, but it was stuffed with straw.
"Then l heard childish laughter under
the culvert, and l knew Mary Ann had
put up job on me. But it was a close
call. They call me the mince pie maniac
now, for never touch it, no matter how
fair the siren that SEEKS TO feed 1t to me-
We never know when the pie is loaded.
Let us shun it as we would the deadly
unoa froa