Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1886-04-02
JIM CHURCHILL.

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JIM CHURCHILL.
It was dusty, hot and badly ventilated
indoors, although out of doors a cold rain
was beating chcerlcssly 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-
commodaiion 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 goers-out. Al
Palatine Bridge the train came to another
stop. On the uncovered platform Of the
railway station there were gathered few
shiyerigg would-bc-passengers, eager tc
barter one condition Of discomfort foi
another almost equally as disagrceablC
and impatient at the delay, for whoever
knew an accommodation train to be on
time? Among them were a man dressed
like farmer and two little girls-the cl-
der less than six years old and the young
er her junior year or so-with fresh
smiling, dimpled faces and sweet, prat
fling voices, which even the rumbling d
the train, the sticky dust, the plasfliap
rain, the smoke, the heat and the s,,.sas<.
ca load OF iIl-tempered passengers couIN
not cloud or silence. They came intd
the car where sat. The farmer and thd
younger child found a vacant seat id
front of me. Imoved nearer the aisle ID
let the other climb over the parcels bH
ny 9ANaO hCAt - INC WlHuOM, Oub "
which she gazcd into the rain and
through the binding clouds of smokd
which covered the soggy fields with au
intensity of delight that was so unatfect
ed that the train ought to have felt flat4
tered, had it had sense enough to fee
anything.
Il dcss love to ride on the cars dong
you3" she asked after the train had re
sumed its tiresome journey.
Sometimes, l replied.
81 do all the time. My papa is an en-
gineer."
Then you ride a good deal" I ven
tured.
'sNot very much," she answered with
a little sigh Of discomfort; mot as much
as l want to. Since Mamma went away,
Papa won't let me and Grandma always
cries when go on the cars.
"Ah?"
Didn't you know that? You know
my Papa" she remarked with such con-
fdence in my knowledge that was al
most ashamed to say that l didn't:
Don't bother the gentleman" inter
rupted the farmer as he turned half
around in his seat and faced me. "She|
is a big talker.
"Shc doesn't bother me in the least, 4
made haste to say So, rcassurod, the
little maiden turned her face to the win
dow, and in moment was too much abb
sorbed in the fleeting panorama to re-
member anything but the passing pleas
ure.
Her father was an engineer on this
road-Jim Churchill Ever heard Of
him2" continued the farmer after short
pause. NO. Well, | amt surprised
Yet he deserved to be known moren lots
OF men that gets their names before the
public. jim and l was schoolboys to-
gether up country near Palmyra. We
was both raised in the same township,
and we used to think when we was men
we'd be partners and so we was-almost.
jim was bigger'n me, stronger and year
or so older was always runt among
the boys and if it hadn't been for Jim
I'd probably been licked every day in my
life. But Jim wouldn' stand nothing oil
that sort. He was as brave as giant
and he never allowed anyone to be i'm
posed upon while he could prevent 1t,
and when the boys learned that he meant
what he said they let me alone. so We
grew up together like two brothers. Tic
loved me because l was weaker then nc
was, just as a father loves baby, and
just worshipped him. I'd a died ioI
him, stranger, just as easy-if he'd only
said the word. You ought to have know
ed Jim Churchill One jim Churchill
would make up for half million such
fellows as me and the ordinary run Of
folks.
"When we were about sixteen years
we had our first trouble She was the
prettiest girl in the county, and she was
just as sweet and good as she was pretty
She was the dominie's daughter, and
when she came to school Jim and | both
set our caps for her at the same time.
Funny, stranger, how pretty girl wlll
come between old friends. Two men
can live like twins whole lifetime. bul