Huntsville gazette., 1886-04-03
JIM CHURCHILL.
The Life. Love and Death Of q
Brave Man.

0A CIV . AxACtAAs
1t was dusty, hot and badly venti-
lated indoors, although out of doors a
cold rain was beating cheerlessly
against the car windows, and the
damp, raw wind was as fresh as the
brown hills and ice covered marshes it
blew over. 1t was an accommodation
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 matter how
cold the weather or wet, it is always
hot and dusty on an accommodation
train. The colder and wetter it is out
side, 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 passen-
gers, and the greater the throng of 90
ers-out. At Palatine Bridge the train
came to another stop. On the uncov-
cred platform of the railway station
there were gathered a few shivering
would-be passengers, eager to barter
one condition of discomfort for an
other almost equally as disagreeable
and impatient at the delay, for who
ever knew an accommodation train to
be on time? Among them were man
dressed like farmer and two little
girls-the elder less than six years old
md tho hn,. .rnsnv.
so-with fresh, smiling, dimpled faces
and sweet, prattling voices, which
even the rumble of the train, the
sticky dust, the FLASHING rain, the
smoke, the heat and the crowded load
of ill-tempered passengers could not
cloud or silence. They came into the
car where / 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 unaf-
fected that the train ought to have felt
flattered, had it had sense enough to
feel anything.
II dess love to ride on the cars,
don't youP" she asked after the train
had resumed its tiresome journey.
''Sometimes," replied.
II do all the time. My papa is an
engineer.
Then you ride good deal?" l ven
tured.
s'Not very much" she answered
with little sigh of discomfort; mot as
much as 1 want to. Since mamma
went away, papa won't let me, and
grandma always cries when 60 on the
cars"
"Ahr'
didn't you know that? You know
my papa?" she remarked with such
confidence in my knowledge that l was
almost 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. "She
is big talker."
''She doesn' t bother me in the least, >
I made haste 20 say. So, reassured
the little maiden turned her face agair
to the window, and in a moment wa:
too much absorbed in the fleeting pano
rama to remember anything but the
passing pleasure.
''Her father was an engineer on this
road-Jim Churchill. Ever heard ot
him?' continued the farmer after a
short pause "No. Well, / amt sur
prised. Yet he deserved to be known
more'n lots of men that gets thei1
names before the public. Jim and
was schoolboys together up the country
near Palmyra. We was both raised il
the same township, and we used tt
think when we was men we'd be part
ners, and so we was-almost. Jim was
bigger'n me, stronger and year or Sc
older. I was always runt among the
boys, and if it hadn't been for Jim I'o
probably been licked every day in my
life. But Jim wouldn't stand nothing
Of that sort. He was as brave as {
giant and he never allowed any one tt
6e imposed upon while he could pre-
vent it, and when the boys learned
that he meant what he said they let me
alone So we grew up together like
two brothers. He loved me because
was weaker than he was, just as {
father loves a baby, and / just wor
shipped him. I'd died for him, stran
ger, just as easy-if he'd only said the
word. You ought to have knowed jim
Churchill. One Jim Churchill wonlo
make up for half a million such fel.
lcws as me and the ordinary run o.
eolks. @+ i~
when we was about sixteen years
we had our first trouble. She was the
pretiest girl in the county. and she
was Just as sweet and good as she was
pretty, She was the dominica daugh'