Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-01-25
] TOOK OFF NY PLUG HAT.

Going up the road the other day, with
The broad and decollette bosom Of Lake
Pepin glistening in the crisp air and pull
sating beneath the bright, declining sun,
and swiftly darting by the historic Maiden
Rock from which the beautiful but plainly
educated Indian girl leapt to her death,
! thought of those dear old days when
Minnehaha had not been embalmed in song
Minneapolis could be bought for string
Of glass beads, even as William Penn
purchased the state of Pennsylvania.
1t was in Pennsylvania only short time
ago that we met, running out of Altoona,
the justly celebrated conductor who can
extend his cars, like a ajack-in-the-box, at
will. do not recall his name, but 1 do
remember that after I had asked him
something about whether we were late or
not several times, he held his head down
TO my lips and shot his ear out at me like
the warm, dank nose of a baby elephant.
He has a national reputation that way, it
seems, but did not know it. Others WHO
knew both of us enjoyed the meeting very
much. Since that l have been less inquisi-
tive about trains. One can hardly realize
bow strange the sensation is when he is
greeted in that way by one to whom he
has no letter of introduction.
also took a ride out of Philadelphia in
the cab OF locomotive engine later on.
1t was the Henry +. Shaw OF the Baltimore
& Ohio, and had to get up at o'clock
having been to the Union League club to
see some friends the evening before, who
had detained me, 1t did not matter. Secur-
Ing pound of cotton waste-I do not
mean this in the society sense, for that
kind of cotton waist has little to do with
this letter-I went down to the b. & o
depot, and, looking once more at my little
volume Of mechanical terms, so that
could talk intelligibly with the engineer,
] clambered up the front stoop of the cab.
We rode out to Chester and back. That
is all know about it. l heard a roar, a
hiss, snort, whistle, ring, the quick
rumble of the pilot, the gasp of the mud
valve, the low vibration of the crown
sheet, the surging of the cut off, the sigh
Of the monkey wrench, and we were of.
" Is not the life of the engineer one of
extreme peril?" asked Harry S. Burial,
our handsome engineer. He did not hear
me, for it was suburban train, and as We
were quite busy stopping and starting he
VOTED not what said.
+" And, as we say in England, do you not
enter with hearty zest, after awhile, upon
this jolly life as you gayly tool your trap
down the wold and out across the mere,
like perdition beating tan bark ?"
At that moment the ruddy fireman, Mr..
j. II. MetzgarSswung wide tho fire door,
opening X. U. Il. ran poker into the
hot tmaw of the engine, letting out flame
which reached for my 1.-the and gazelle
like limbs gently scorching the embroidery
at the base of my DIR. Jigger underwear,
roared at the top of its lungs and drowned
nAnd do you not at times have to throw
her over and run for the woodbox or jerk
the poor child of some unknown Pennsyl-
vania duke from the track, handing hei
back TO her parents unscathed and receiving
$3.50 therefor, at the same time getting laid
off for thirty days for not keeping out:of the
way ofthe regular through express, besides
having to pay for Pullman car, which is
worth far more than child especially
where it was a poor child with several
brothers and sisters 4? And do you not
think, seriously, that a child or two, more
or less, especially among working people,
should have little to do with the running
time of trains?"
At this point was quite exhausted, and
so was the engine. So the engineer die
not hear me. took off my plug hat, put
out little fire that had started on the toI
and said:
% suppose you have loved ones who
recognize your whistle and at night put {
lamp in the window two times if well
three times for Group four times for worms
and five times to indicate buck whea
| cakes for breakfast. >"
| He pulled the handle of the under feeo
throttle and threw a large lump of btu
minous coal at dog who was not OF gentl'
| birth as we scooted into tunnel, ana al
conversation was drowned in the Turmoil
and spit and double shuttle as the eccentri'
chased the drawhead over the swift fyini
| cylinder escapement with doubiy echoed
statement like that of Wall street on
busy day. SO he lost that remark.
"But oh, sir, " exclaimed to the fire
man, who loves q beautiful girl name'
Annie, can you not tell me somethin;
brave and beautiful that you have done
something that can make dear littl
story of and print, something that WI
bring tears to eyes unused to weep, some
thing that can put in the holiday mum
ber of a nice paper with pictures in it
Did YOU never save any one?
"Yes, I" he said, as he mopped his broS
with firelnan's handkerchief 81 use
toknow "a gentle old cuss here on on
fully. He had a sweet little flaxen haire
child. Can you use that
"Yes,"
swell, he used to come down tow
evenings and we would meet at Th
Busy Bee, to visit and play a game
'Old Sledge' We never played for th
drinks, but we would often, when il wa
time to go home, offer to shake each otht
for the drinks. do not drink now, eve
beer. 4"
And what was this shaking for tn
drinks?"
"Why, nothing at all, only we shoe
poker dice for the beer, and the one WI
lost paid for it. See? A"
And how old was this fiossy haire
child you speak Off"
She was then IL years old. At the tin
of the accident, however, she was ABOUT
will notice that use good grammar ~
he m