The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-03-25
JIM CHURCHILL.

JIM CHURCHILL.
1t was dusty, hot and badly ventilated
indoors, although out of doors cold rain
was beating cheerlessly against the car
windows, and the damp, raw wind was
as fresh as the brown hills and ice COW
cred marshes it blew over. 1t was an ac-
commodation train on one of the trunk
lines in the central part of this State and
therefore better condition of affairs
could not have been expected. No mat
ter how cold the weather or wet, it is al
ways hot and dusty on an accommoda-
tion train. The colder and wetter it is
outside, the hotter and dustier inside,
and the more unpleasant it is the slower
the train bumps over the rails, the more
frequent the stops it makes. the larger
the crowd of on-coming passengers, and
the greater the throng of gocrs-out. At
Palatine Bridge the train came to another
stop. On the uncovered platform of the
railway station there were gathered a few
shivering would-bc-passengers, eager to
barter one condition of discomfort for
another almost equally as disagrceable
and impatient at the delay, for whoever
knew an accommodation train to be on
time? Among them were man dressed
like farmer and two little girls-thc ell
der less than six years old and the young
er her junior a year or so-with fresh,
smiling, dimplcd faces and sweet, prat-
Ting voices, which even the rumbling of
the train, the sticky dust, the plashing
rain, the smoke, the heat and the crowd
ed load of ill-tempered passengers could
not cloud OF silence. They came into
the car where l sat. The farmer and the
younger child found vacant seat in
front of me- ! moved nearer the aisle to
let the other climb over the parcels by
my side next to the window, out of
which she gazed into the rain and
through the binding clouds of smoke
which covered the soggy fields with an
intensity of delight that was so unatfect
ed that the train ought to have felt fiat
tered, had it had sense enough to feel
anything.
81 dess love to ride on the cars, don't
gou3" she asked after the train had re-
sumed its tiresome journey.
Sometimes" replied.
~ do all the time, My papa is an en-
gineer."
"Then you ride good deal?" 1 ven
tured.
"Not very much," she answered with
a little sigh of discomfort; ''not as much
as l want to. Since Mamma went away,
Papa won't let me and Grandma Away:
cries when l go on the cars"
"Ah?"
'Didn't you know that2 You know
my Papa9" she remarked with such con-
fidence in my knowledge that was al.
most ashamed to say that didn't:
Don't bother the gentleman" inter
rupted the farmer as he turned hall
around in his seat and faced me. ''Sht
is big talker.
"She doesn't bother me in the least"
made haste to say. &c. treasured, th'
little maiden turned her face to the win
dow, and in moment was too much alb
sorbed in the flceting panorama to re
member anything but the passing pleas
ure.
"Her father was an engineer on thi
road-Jim Churchill. Ever heard o
} him?" continued the farmer after shor
, pause. "No. Well, l amt surprised
Yet he deserved to be known more'n lot
of men that gets their names before tn
! public. Jim and l was sehoolboys to
gether up country near Palmyra. W
, was both raised in the same township
and we used to think when we was mel
: we'd be partners, and so we was-almost
I Jim was biggern me, stronger and yea
| or so older. l was always runt amon
S the boys, and if it hadn't been for Jir
I'd probably been licked every day in m
| life. But Jim wouldn' stand nothing 0
{ that sort He was as brave as q gian
l and he never allowed anyone to be i'm
!. posed upon while he could prevent il
. and when the boys learned that he mean
/, what he said they let me alone. So W
C grew up together like two brothers. Ii
c loved me because was weaker then b
c was, just as father loves baby, and
: just worshipped him. I'd a died fc
o him. stranger, just as easy-if he'd onl
e said the word. You ought to have know
II ed Jim Churchill. One Jim church,
J. would make up for half million sue
le fellows as me and the ordinary run I
,e folks.
II "When We were about sixteen yea
N wc had our first trouble. She was ii
d prettiest girl in the county, and she W;
to Just as sweet and good as she was prett,
/ She was the dominie's daughter, an
,e when she came to school Jim and bot
Of yet our caps for her at the same tint
ce Funny, stranger, how a pretty girl wi
he come between old friends. Two me
ran live like twins whole lifetime, b,