Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-12-20
DISSY.

west a more absolutely lonely SPOT
than that on which stood the Cram
berry Creek telegraph cabin of the
Buffalo and Mississippi River Rail-
road. 1t was located right in the
heart of the dense forests of Putnam
county. Ohio, and is, even to-day,
miles removed from a habita.ion of
any kind, to say nothing about towns
and villages.
A good many freight trains pass the
cabin each day but they usually rattle
bv Cranberry Creek without stopping,
though once in a great while it is
found necessary to hold the "local."
or a section of freight train for
orders. The cabin itself was an old
box car set at the side of the track
and painted bright red. so that the
engineers might see it a long distance
off. 1t was partitioned into two COM
partments. one end being the office
and the other end the boudoir' of
Joe Dcnman the operator.
Some eight or nine years ago, on
a Sunday afternoon, in the summer
time. Joe took his armchair out and
planted it between the cabin and the
track. Then he planted himself in
the chair, tilted it back against the
red wall of his cabin, and commenced
TO read the weekly paper which Ben
Bolton, the conductor of the " local."
always left at Cranberry Creek on
each recurring Saturday evening.
For Il man who could not cross his
legs doe only had one, having lost the
ether when he was a brakeman) our
friend made himself as comfortable as
circumstances would permit F; and, as it
was a pleasant enough day, Joe Den
man was fairly well contcnted and
happy. Inside the cabin could be
heard the ceaselesS "cllck-cllcketty-
click' of the little hammer on the tcle-
graph table, as messages flew over the
circuit of Wire that included Cranberry
Creek.
But Joe was such an Old timer, with
the tirker) that ne could read ana
even whistle and talk when there was
any one l" Ialk to, ana still answer
very promptly when he was called by
the tram dlSpatcher or by some
operator hundred miles away. AS
re untolded his neWspapecr Joe
glanced up ana down the track.
lie could see nothing but the de-
serted railroad. cut like deep, narrow
>Wath lhr"ugh the thick forest. 10
the east ana to the west nothIng was
NlSlhlc nll the TWO llheS OF Slittcflhg
steel lallS stretching away until track
5na l"res' I,'u SKY eIenoeu III MN, Une naay ID
us, t "m.r ~ EeVn.nnu 80 iulletIll'o Ii;aU
Joe was r'd,N S'alelul 10 .he Mi'lle
posi- d lew !Irus away on y Mnlcn n + ne
Sd" III p'"'H ',IdI az Ocfs, y. ~ % loI
nc was reI''IIutu lhGl' 'lidU olllcaSo aU
itasu WIS OILY TWO huhureu anu hlIS-
liEG h'''eS ~ "'S'"n'' ,
zoe leau on lor more thah ah hour'
ailo WAS so e'lSrosseo IN Il ciever edi-
19rlai tiiaC ne S'trieo almost out OF ms
cl'aIr NliGll ne lgll the SleeNe ol ms
o'I so;d oti po,nlUu prl "'i'io u o''oS 'oi'o
''t' mIInII, y; 0N'"7"
NV .. ,,
ne ope'a'9i uroPpg9 MS paper 10
i IaMe upon d ilto'e cnlio, d SdarIl-peN
naps lout or Il!9 years oiu. ohe was
ro5S pGsV onG T,,l SI,' p1"'p oheehs ,s
an" n'ti tna >, ",,I w 'h t'' I''a' MhS more
,rhn hl'J i;t,Ia t,l o'uon ~ was SU tIlS iHll
Of nonr neonc % o for her % t,nv dress Ie .1aH was
of cotton hcr Sizes 50 yc,y dustv
were Of thn cbCamnSt kind and "a har
large straw hat was untrimmed.
IIello-, she said aoain with =
sweet b2hv smile and With as mnch
cnuf;dpncn as if sho had known tbn
onerator MI bor short life
"yVby bInss my, Soul y, S,id leo
who W., mono .urnr;soJ tb,n Lo III
loon WHOM ho foiI ,,nda,. ', ~ ~ 'Il l'.'t oI
years bnfora Rnt loo o1d az honhoIdn mhoIin
and hermit aS bn was Iovad I;+tIa
Children and wos >, I,;nd -boortod fol
low '''> ''N''' ~" ie'
uU-h,, li++Io ,,,n .hono d;a ,,,
l1o f!,, i;;'l u; ho I'od u th III" ~,
',nr,tl,. s'a4 bon on H. noo n,d u" |,itI ~
LiI rod h,ndano bandl,nrcb iof u.;noI m,oi
,ho ,ho tbioI, dmnt nff tha Et+In lh ".peu
''lt =, MY N y, l''' 'noN''
nav way, S'e dnsWereu " olliptiy,
P"in'i'S ''V' 'n"o"S i'scrS w lhe
VS., DI. loo ,, ,,u1oa H. ,
.1 nu' o"' "as ~, p''1n;tu .;tL; ~ flo hHIM 1N
!ieIp vi? J;; ,'o p"oNo "i''''h lour iliiies
Ill .n"1 ,V, uI'c'tlon'
" haU Is the oaGS name =! asked
Joe
DlSSS.
Sissy ~ repeated Joe, imagining
that ne c0uld interpret baby language
very nicely.
Els, 'um," said the child, shaking
her head" DlsSy."
And in all the years that followed
Joe Denman never learned the history
Of the baby girl nor where she came
from on that summer Sunday after
noon. He had to remain satisfied that
her name was DisSy, and the only
reasonable or probable explanation of
the strange name came once from a