The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-06-15
JIM CHURCHILL.
Tie Life, Love and Death of a
Brave Man.

It 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 il 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 grooming paSsen-
gers, and the greater the throng of 60
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 a man
dressed like a farmer and two little
glrls-the elder less than six years old
and the younger her Junior a year or
so-with fresh, smiling, dimpled faces
even the rumble of the train, the
sticky dust, the FLASHING rain, the
smoke, the heat and the crowded load
OF lll-tempered passengers could not
cloud or silence. They came into the
ear where | sat. The farmer and the
younger child found vacant seat in
front OF me. / moved nearer the aisle |
10 let the other climb over the parcels |
py 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
fattered, had it had sense enough to
feel anything.
81 dess love to ride on the cars,
|
had resumed its tiresomc Journey.
Sometimes, L replied.
81 do all the time. NY papa is an
engineer"
''Then you ride good deal?" ven-
tured.
mot very much" she answered
with little sigh of discomfort; mot as
much as / 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
nv papa?" she remarked with such
confidence in my knowledge that | was
almost ashamed to say that | didn't.
Don't bother the gentleman, inter
rupted the farmer as he turned half
around in his seat and faced me. ''She
is big talker."
s.She doesn't bother me in the least"
/ made haste to. say. So, treasured,
the little maiden turned her face again
to the window, and in moment was
too much absorbed in the fleeing piano.
rama to remember anything but the
passing pleasure. -
Her father was an engineer On this !
road-Jim Churchill. Ever heard of |
him?" continued the farmer after a
short pause mo. Well, / amt sur
prised. Yet he deserved TO be known |
more'n lots of men that gets their |
names before the public. Jim and
was schoOlboys together up the country |
near Palmyra. We was both raised in
the same township, and we used TO |
think when we was men we'd be part !
ners, and so we was-almest. Jim was
bigger 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't stand nothing
of that sort. He was as brave as
giant and he never allowed any one to
be 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 would
make up for half million such fell
lows as me and the ordinary run OF
folkS-
when we was about sixteen years
We had our first trouble. She was the