Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1888-10-25
THE COLONEL. .
He Realizes His Duty as a Di.
rector and Does It.

He Realizes His Duty as a Di-
rector and Does It.
Durin' war times the gorillas he'd
torn up most Of the cypress ties an
used 'em for kindlin' an stove wood,
an the result wuz that when the war
wuz over there wuzn't any think left
NV the Han bull nd st. 10 but the roll
in stock nd the two streaks Nv rails
from one end NV the road to the other.
In the spring Nv '67 i had to go out
into Kansas, and taking the Han bul
md st. 10 at Palmyry Junction wuzn't
long in findin' out that the Han bul md
St 10 railroad wuz jist about the wust
cast of rollin' prairer ever struck.
There wuz one bunk left when l
boarded the sleepin' car and / he'd
presence NV mind huff to ketch on to
II. 1t wuz then just about dusk an the
niger that sort NV run things in the
car sez to me: "Boss," sez he, "rll
have to get you to please not to snore
tonight, but to be uncommon quiet !"
"What forP" sez l. "Hain't paid
my $2 an hain't entitled to all the
luxuries NV the OUTFIT"
Then the Niger leant over an told
me that Colonel Elijah Gates, one NV
the directors Nv the road an the
the richest man in Marion County,
wuz aboard, an it wuz one of the rules
NV the company not to do any think to
bother him or get him to sell his
stock.
The niger pointed out Colonel
Gates md took look at him as he
sot readin' the Palmyry Spectator.
He wuz one of our kind NV people
long, raw-boned nd husky. He
looked to be about sixty-may be not
quite on to sixty. He wuzn't both
cred with much hair onto his head.
nd his beard was shaved, all except
two rims or fringes NV it that ran
down the sides NV his face nd met
underneath his chin. This fringe
filed up his neck so thet he didn't
hev to wear no collar, md he hadn't
no jewelry about him excep' big
carnelian bosom pin that he'd the
picture NV woman's head on it in
white. His specs sot well down on
his nose md | could see his blue eyes
over 'em, small eyes, but kind III
good-natured. Between his readin'
NV his paper nd his eatin' plug ter.
hacker he KEEP toler'ble busy till
come bedtime. The rest on us KEEP
as quiet as we could, for we knew
it wuz an honor to ride in the same
sleepin' car with the richest man in
Marion County nd director NV the
Han bul md st. 10, to boot.
Along about eight o'clock the
Colonel reckoned he'd tumble into bed
when he'd drawed his boots md hung
up his coat nd laid in fresh hunk
NV nat'ral leaf he crawled into the best
bunk nd presently we heerd hin
sleepin'. There wuz nuthin' else TO,
the rest NV us to do but to foller suit
md we did.
1t must have been about az hou.
later-say along about Prairie City
that a woman came aboard. with {
baby. There wern't no bunk for her
but the niger allowed that she NIGH
sit back near the stove, for the bab,
'peared to be kind ov sick like nd the
woman looked like she had been cryin'
Whether 1t was the jouncin' ov tb,
car or whether the young one wuz
hungry or he'd collie into it / dom
know, but any how the train hadn'
pulled out Nv Prairie City afore tn,
baby began to take on. The niggel
run back as fast as he could nd tol,
the young woman that she'd have tC
keep the baby quiet because Colone
Lily Gates, one Nv the directors NV tn,
road, wuz in the car md wunt be dis
turbed. The young woman caught vi
the baby scart-like md taxed soothin
TO it md covered its little face witt
her shawl md done all them thing
thet women do to make babies 60 L
sleep. '
But the baby sUOuld cry, and, i
spite of all the young woman nd tn
niger could do, Colonel Elijah Gate
heard the baby cryin', md so h
walked up. First his two blue var
socks come through the curtain N
then his long legs md long body m
long face hove into sight. He com
down the car to the young woman n
looked at her over his specs. Didn'
seem to be the least bit mad; jes
solemn md bizness like
MY dear madam" sez he to tn
young woman, ''you must do sumpir
10 keep that child quiet. These pee
ple have all paid for their hunks n
thev are entitled to a good night
sleep. OF course | know how tbs wit
Young children-,ciH cry sometimes
have raised 'leven NV EN- myself, n
know all about 'em. But as directo
nv the Han bul nd st. Jo Eve got I
persect the rights of these other folk
So jist keep the Uaby quiet as yo
kim"
Now, there warn't nOthin' cross