New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-09-29
THE ENGINEERS STORY.
BY SUSAN COOLIDGE.

s"This is, about it," said John Scott,
Che engineer, as the train slowly crest
ed q long, gradual grade. "You're
atop of the Rocky Mountains now,
INA aa1."
Emily Vaughn looked to RIGHT and
go lett, and was conscious OF a feeling
eaof disappointment. She had pictured
r1he top OF the Rocky Mountains as
something quite different from this.
Here were no frowning heights or sud-
.Ien CULTS, only a vide rolling plateau,
some distant peaks which did not
'fook very high, and far ahead a glimpse
of lower levels running down into the
*plains- 1t seemed hardly worth while
sto COMIC SO far for SO little.
t:Easaenlly!" she said But where are
themountains? They don't look near
ly so high as they did yesterday!'
1'Naturally, ma am, y responded the
engineer, things don't appear so high
when you're SO high as they are. We're
atop you know"
.AIsut there's no look off no wonder
Tul distance, as from the topof Mount
Washington. | confess | am disap-
pointed.'
OTIS kind ofqueer," said John Scott,
with 81 dry chuckle, chow folks from
flhe east keep abiding to that ere
Egittbe BALL as if 1T were the standard of
>xneasursn,ent. We don't think so
rr.uch OF it this way Why ma am,
you're about 1000 feet higher this
rni.aate than'K you was at the top of
chat little shuck OF a Mount Washing
s,,on shatlt they all think SO much OF.
Miss Vaughn smiled, but she expert
snced shock, nevertheless. The New
England mind does not easily accus-
: tom itself to hearing it's sacred mount
ain thus lightly spoken against.
@'Have you ever seen Mount Wash
Ington?' she asked.
4'Oh, bless you, yes!" replied John
ssfS.Scott, cheerfully. Il was raised over
30 Fryeburg, and grew up alongside
esof it. l thought it was a pretty big
vconcern when was a boy, but now"
He slosed the sentence with short,
expressive laugh.
Miss Vaughn changed the subject.
sShe was not offended. She had grown
40 like this rough, goodnatured engi-
sneer in the course of three days jour
m1ey, during which, favored as a rea-
tive OF the directors OF the road, she
chad several times been privileged to
.rlde, as now, in the engineers cab, for
"a better view of the country.
t'Have you been long on this road?"
.sshe asked
run the third through train that
come out from Chicago, and | haven't
been off the line since, Winter or
sSusmu1er, except for three months,
when was laid up with a broken
leg"
1'This must look very differently in
Winter" said Miss Vaughn, noting
the treeless distances, and the SHOWS
,sti'l glinting on the higher peaks to
tshe lett
''sYou may believe it does! That
airst year, when the sno w-sheds wasn't
built, it was terrible [ was running
shat train that stuck in the snow
seven days-perhaps you'll remember
about it, twas in all the papers ]
sshan' tever forget that, not if 1 live
a5o De as old as my grandfather, and
She didn't die till he was, ninety odd.'
-s'Tell me about 1T, said Miss Vaughn,
gpersnasively, seating herself on the
5high side bench OF the cab, with that
air of attention which is so enticing
TO the story teller; amusements are
sssSew and far between in the long mo.
lnebony OF the overland journey to Cal.
Hsfornia; besides which, Miss Vaughn
dearly loved story.
There amt much to tell said
John Scott, with something of the
feelinE which prompts the young vo
acaiist to complain Of hoarseness g
zain't any hand at telling such things