Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-15
THE TOPICAL TALKER.
The Terrible Result of Three Hours in Mar
tinsburg-An Idyl of the Pavement.

ttnsDurg-An ldyI OF the faVements
Two Pittsburgers were forced to spend three
hours or so in Martinsburg. W. Va. not long
ago. They had TO wait there because the Cum
berland Valley train from which they alighted
did not make close connection with the west
bound train over the Baltimore and Ohio.
This explanation is due to the Pittsburgers in
question. for none of them would have know
ingly and voluntarily sought Martinsburg. The
place thrust itself upon them.
What shall we do ~ said A..
Lets go up and see the town." said B.
"They sell cocktails here for 10 cents, Pm told"
There were no objections offered, and they
strolled into the town. The. first thing they
saw which interested them was sign above a
saloon, stating that pool and billiards could be
played within.
I'VE can xiii time playing pool" said A.
and the hint seemed SO good that both turned
into the place without more ado They played
pool for while on very bad table, with elipti-
cal balls and twisted billiard cues" as the
lNtkado puts it. When they paid for the use of
the table the man behind the bar handed them
checks exchangeable for drinks.
''That was what made US think of trying their
whisky" said A afterward
@x&
ANYHOW, they called for two whiskies and
drank them down. There was nothing in the
whisky to induce them to repeat the dose.
B. asked A, with alarm and curiosity
battling in his face, if he had any skin left in
his mouth and throat A responded that
the draught reminded him of the time when
he carelessly took drink of carbolic acid un-
der the impression that it was sherry.
But they both reached the Baltimore and
Ohio depot without mishap.
Arrived there A at once fell asleep on
bench in the waiting room. b did not go to
sleep. The whisky affected him differently.
There was Observation-Disclosures machine In
the room, which offered $500 insurance policy
for cents. B. saw this, and the greatness
of the bargain impressed him at once. He in
serted a nickel and received an insurance
ticket He was charmed and put another
nickel in at once for the benefit of A. This
exhausted his supply of nickels. Nothing
daunted, he sought the station agent and pro-
cured a dollars worth of nickels. He was
drawing his twenty-second ticket, representing
Sll, 900 worth of Insurance. when A awOke
and the train arrived. This put an end to re-
markable speculation in insurance, but both
A-and B had superb headaches when
they reached P1ttsburg and the latter has the
tickets still to remind him of the effects of one
small drink of new corn whisky in Martinsburg.
80
IT is not unusual to hear baby cry and the
slght OF one hoWllng In Womans arms Is
equally familiar. but when the baby is arrayed
in rags and is decidedly dirty as TO its poor
little face and hands, you would hardly ex-
pect to see it clasped close TO the bosom of
fashionably dressed woman on public thor
oughfare
Yet that was precisely the sight which saw
on Smithfeld street on Wednesday afternoon.
There was the woman dressed in delightfully."-
tasteful street dress, with close-ftting jacket
of some light-colored expensive fabric. and in
her arms was poor little babe crying with all
its might and main. The child, toddler of
three or less, was fresh from the mud of Virgin
alley, at the corner of which the woman who
held her stood. 1t was curious sight enough
to provoke inquiry, and it was easily dis
coverable that the child had lost herself, for it
was a girl think. She did not know her name,
or where she came from, and all she would do;
heartily was to scream with indefinite but con-,
centrated force that 3year-old infant can
command.
"a.
SOMETHING directed my attention for few.
moments from the little drama of the lost
child, but pursuing my way came across the
strangely assorted pair again at the corner of