Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1889-04-17
kissed the forehead OF the slo,ping

kissed the forehead of the slo,ping
baby.
"Woll," began the long brakeman,
sI-" ~rt
He did not finish the sentence. The
progress of the old caboose was sud-
denly checked. It gave a lurch, con-
vulsive sort of a jerk, and then went
dumping and pounding along ON the
ties, to come to a sudden stop.
Bates and Steers were tumbled in g.
confused heap and the brakeman was
thrown ON top of them. The silent
man was rolled off from the seat and
fell with force that drove his pipe
down his throat. The shock did not
arouse the sleeping baby, although it
shook up the sallow-faced man and
popped his head against the end of the
car.
The brakeman took his feet out of
Bates abdomen and grinned malicious
~ at the fate that had overtaken the
conductor.
That worthy had been thrown half
way out OF his revolving chair, and his
head struck the window sill in front
with sounding crack. Not to tran
scribe his subsequent remarks too lit
orally, let me say that then and there,
and without the slightest ambiguity,
the conductor consigned the luck to
everlasting and torrid oblivion.
The basket that had reposed on the
desk and containing the lunch which
he had refused to share with the
hungry but improvident brakeman,
was thrown into the open water butt.
The conductors lurid remarks were
drowned by a roar that eclipsed any
previous effort on the part of the baby.
The silent man examined his pipe
anxiously, and, finding that it was I'M
injured, looked vastly relieved. Bates
and Speers untangled themselves.
The brakeman fshed the dinner
basket out of the waterbutt
and chuckled at it's soaked con-
tents. Again the conductor spoke
disparagingly of the luck. He dragged
several great jack-screws out of the
cuddy of the caboose while the brake
man chuckled maliciously at the
growls of his chief Then Bates, who
had jumped from the car to reconnoi-
ter returned with the information that
the caboose had left the track for rea-
sons to him unknown. and all hands
but the apologetic man with the twin
babies adjourned to the ground.
The brakeman threw himself fat on
the grass and volunteered the Informal
ton that they were stuck for half
day. The engineer and fireman were
probably of the same opinion. for they
had already severed the engine from
the rest of the train and were pulling
away. presumably to replenish the sup
ply of water in the tender-tank, which
was not sufficient for so long a wait.
mo need to stay quarter of that
time if you fellows will all take hold
and help with these jack-screws.
Come, JIM" said the conductor.
Not much!' answered the brake
man. mo jack for Jim just now, 1
thank you. Do as you like, but 1 am
going to skirmish for dinner House
over there by the mound"
Bates expressed a determination to
join him. Speers requested them to
count him in. Silent relit his pipe and
said nothing.
Then the conductor lifted up his
voice and his hands in a maledictory
roar, for the substance of which the
literary-inclined reader is referred to
the third chapter of Job. AS he rolled
over on the grass the brakeman con-
fided to Bates that his position in the
employ Of the company was in no dam
ger, as the superintendent was his
cousin. While the conductor worked
single-handed at the jackscrews with
wrathful energy the loungers on the
grass INDUCED in insulting comments,
and the baby within the car roared, if
possible, louder than ever.
''Wal," continued the narrator at
this juncture, II don't reckon I ever
heered that conductors equal Lam
guage! An I've heered Sam Bass an
Shorty Lawhead, too. He pulled an
hauled till I lowed the next jerk would
unkink his spine, an we laid there an
grinned, an the baby kept on a.
yellin'.
"'Wal,' said I, I don't keer how
long we stay yere, SOS that baby's
cried himself plumb out by the time we
start again. 'Druther stay a year than
to ride with him an his voice"
''Me, too," said Bates and Jim.
''Silent didn't open his head. The
conductor had given up exhausted, an
settled back a-puffin'.
"'Wal, said he, low an stern, I'm
not going to ride with him! You can
just bet on that!'
"'Going to waikiki asked Bates.
"'NO, I'm not. But that cursed
baby, or rather his father is. When
the train starts again he's got to stay
behind. Well take the quiet baby to
the next station if his father wants,
but the man has got to get there with
tho ho1u1or ouv 1ro " bo nm bo,:l...:l