The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-12-07
WHY HE QUIT.
An Engineer Gives His Reason foI
Not Swearing.

Strikes me you select your adjec
tiVcs with uncommon neatness," sale
the commercial traveller, cycling the
stalwart engineer who stood regard
ing his locomotive with loyer-like at
tention.
Several men stood near. but physic
ally the finest specimen of them al
was the powerful fellow who was cast
ing shrcwd chances along the different
parts of the huge machine at the same
time that he answered intelligently
numerous questions put TO him by the
commercial traveller. The mans speech
was crude. not entirely correct. but
utterly free from any thing like pro-
family. To the remark just quoted he
answered briefly:
Hope l make myself understood.
stranger"
''Oh, yes" said the traveller, ar
alert. quick-spoken man; 81 only
notice an absence of language moro
emphatic than choice, that men of your
calling are usually master hands at EN-.
plOying."
Il used to swear roundly enough
once, but / quitw said the engineer
and suddenly thrusting bis firm chin
into the air, and folding his arms, he
drew up his eyes and gazed with kind
of condensed look away off, but saw
nothing in particular.
The commercial traveller had dropped
his bantering tone the next time he
spoke.
That's fine locomotive YOU have
charge Of l suppose you feel some.
thing akin to affection for it"
''Fine!" said the engineer. coming
out of his trance. well, there she
stands and speaks for herself Take a
look a; her. / mind me there amt a
mass o machinery in the country kept
brighter than that. Doesn't the boiler
shine most fit to blind you? ! tell you
she's perfect way through. There
amt spring nor valve, rod nor
shaft nor nut, there aiTt bolt. pipe
or slide, or box or any kind o gear as
could be kept in better order than is
hersr'
Love her? Well. I should say so.
It's been my hand as has held the
lever DER her throttle valve for nigh
onto fifteen years, nv own right hand.
And she's done my biddin' like will
in child; aye. and once she served
me well, and drove for herself when
1T wasn't my hand as was DER the
throttle valve. 1t were stronger one
than mine that time, and she minded
my dumb wishes when / were helpless
20 move, and could only cry out in be-
wildered pain"
The group of men i'm various at
titudes, OF which they were for the
moment unconscious, listened with
absorbed interest to the fascinating
speech of the handsome giant, who
seemed merely addressing the COM
mercial traveller.
You notice an absence of violent
adjectives,' You call them in nv
language. Well. when l get crazy
and don't have any sort o control o er
my tongue, may take the solemn name
o God in vain again, but | don't
much believe | ever shall before that
time
You see"-he thrust his chin out
if 10 look inward rather than outward. |
though this time he fixed his gaze on |
the travellers face-''You see, | never |
had but one child, but that was enough |
considering the kind: just as fine lit !
tic chap "a ever drew the breath. % life. |
When he was five wears old and began |
his schoolin', he shot ahead o the other |
children in way that surprised even
his mother and me. Ny wife kept
teilin me all those days that | oughter
quit swearin'. / never was one ia
drink strong drink, but | know that
when it come TO rOllin' out strong
Oaths. there wasn't a man on the road
could beat me. And the worst of il
WAS | knew twas shameful wrong;
knew it from my mothers teachin's
when i were a boy.
well, wife she kept on worryin',
but | was kinder stubborn, even when
j saw that dear child listenin' to my
rough words, and one mornin' wife
SAYS in kind o discouraged way: I'm
'fraid God will take vengeance on YOU
some time or other. if YOU keep on
usin His name so free and defiant like:
and | couldn't a-told why to a-saved
my life. but ! kept thinking of wife's
remark, and wishin' she hadn't made /.
IT.
''Our boy was about seven years old
then, and one mornin' about couple
o days after wife said what she did.
the little fellow come with me TO see
fHP Race Queen start off AZ hp often