The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-10-29
WHY HE QUIT.
AN Engineer Gives His Reason for
Not Swearing.

"Strikes me you select your adiec-
tives with uncommon neatness," said
the commercial traveller, cycling the
stalwart engineer who stood regard
/ ing his locomotive with lover-like at
! tention.
Several men stood near. but physic-
ally the finest specimen of them 81
was the powerful fellow who was cast
ing shrewd glances 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 man 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"
'.O6, yes" said the traveller, an
alert, quick-spoken man; Il only
notice an absence of language more
emphatic than choice, that men of your
calling are usually master hands at en-
ploying."
Il used to swear roundly enough
once, but l quitr' said the engineer;
and suddenly thrusting his firm chin
into the air, and folding his arms, he
drew up his eyes and gazed with a 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 a fine locomotive you have
charge of. suppose you feel some
| thing akin to affection for it..
"Finen' said the engineer, coming
out of his trance. "Well, there she
stands and speaks for herself Take a
look at her. l 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? l tell you
she's perfect way through. There
amt a spring nor valve, rod nor
shaft nor nut, there amt q bolt, pipe
or slide, or box or any kind o. gear as
could be kept in better order than is
hersp'
Love herP Well. should say so,
It's been my hand as has held the
lever o'er her throttle valve for nigh
onto fifteen years, my own right hand.
And she's done my biddin' like q will
III C1l1lu3 aye, dAu OliC6 SnG SCTYeQ
me well, and drove for herself when
it 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
to move, and could only cry out in be-
wildered pain.
The group of men in 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
adipctives, you call them in my
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 t
much believe l ever shall before that
time.
"You see''-he thrust his chin out
again and drew up his fine eyes Us
if to look inward rather than outward,
though this time he fixed his gaze on
the travellers face-'FYou see, never
had but one child, but that was enough
considering the kind; just as fine lit
tie chap as ever drew the breath o. life.
" ACA AAS " 90 AARD j EehAS OAA anu DCE0AA
his schoolin', he shot ahead o. the other
children in way that surprised even
his mother and me. My wife kept
tellin' me all those days that oughter
quit swearin'. l never was one to
drink strong drink, but know that
when it come to Tollin' out strong
oaths, there wasn't man on the road |
could beat me. And the worst of it |
was I 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 /
/ saw that dear child listenin' to my /
rough words, and one mornin' wife /
says in a 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 I 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 a couple
o days after wife said what she did,
the little fellow come with me to see
the Race Queen start off as he often
did. Well, that mornin' / had her in
splendid runnin' order, as usual, and
was all ready to start when the time
come, when got into discussion with
another engiceer, provoking, drink
ing fellow, who declared that his loco
motive could outrun the Race Queen
any time. ] was foolish enough 70 let
the man drive me into a furious pas
sion, and my language need only be
limited at; that darlin' child standin'
by and listenin', tool
after the man had moved on ]
heard a sweet, quiet voice say: On
papa, what makes you talk so? 1t
makes me feel 'fraid'
oh. you run home. frankie, says
/, for / was scared on the instant 70
think Of the 'adjeetives' the child had
heard me use. It was time TO start,
but just then one of the railroad hos
ses' come up and told me IL had been
decided instead Of my goin my usual
route, 10 send me with the Race Queen
some ten miles mp the road to pilot an
excursion train that was to take the
nrHeidenf and eou8a q fha dfrcetoY-u IN,