The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-10-24
a RAILROAD EPISODE.


How Dcspondcnt Man Was Left Alone
In This Gold aud Cruel World.
Michigan Central railroad train was
hustling along toward Chicago at tho
rate of forty miles an hour, when q
brassy-faced, middle-agod man suddenly
jumped to his feet in the reclining-chair
car and glanced hastily and defiantly
around as though daring any one to re-
strain him. Flinging off his overcoat, and
COMPRISING his lips with the air of
man whose mind is made up, he rushed
to tho door, jcrled it open, and scrccch-
cd out as he turned around and faced tho
other passengers:
Farewell, vain worldn'
Some OF the passengers glanced over
tho tops of their newspapers toward
him, others looked ut him with languid
interest, while the man nearest tho door
threw up his arms and yawncd fright
fully.
The man stepped out to tho car plat
form, thrust his head back into the car,
and again yelled out:
Farewell, vain world, 10 hence"
Nobody seemed to care whether he
went hence or to some other place and
look of bitter disappointment came
into the brassy face of the would-bc
suicide. lie again thrust his head into
the car and wildly shricltcd out:
'Good-byc, forever"
$50 long, my friend let us know when
you get there" replied the man who had
yawned, as he quietly closed tho car
door and sat down.
Tho desperate man on the platform
Hnttpnn1 hic
dow, and gazcd in modify at tho tran
quill passengers.
Waving them n final adieu he flung
OFF his coat. threw up his arms, and
sat down on the platform. Then no
crawlcd up to tho l1eyholc OF the door to
gaze through it on the horror and re-
morse stricken faces of tho men and
women who had deliberately permitted
human being to go to destruction.
But there wasn't 4 single horror
stricken passenger to look upon. Sew
cral of them wcro giggling immoderatc-
~, and the cold-bloodcd, yawning pas
scngcr was indicating by signs to tho
others that the ''fare-well-vain-w world"
man had not gone hence, but was still in
New York State
Finally he came snealzing back into
tho car with a combined look of sadness
and madness on his care-worn face,
which grew gloomicr when nobody
rushed forward to ask the cause Of his
desperation. Nobody passed the hat for
his relief nobody begged him to confdo
in them; no purse was made up; nothing
turned out as he had thought it would
Singing himself into the scat he had
Vncntn1 h0 81
wretch in front of him, who was swaying
to and fro with rudo and ill-concealed
laughter:
Laugh, now, hang yo! Oh, laugh,
why don't ye! If yc had single drop
of tho milk Of human kindness in your
breast yo wouldn't see any thing funny
i'll the suicide of fellow being. You'd
bid him pause and
''Tickets! Tickots!" cried tho con-
ductor, appearing suddenly, and min
ute later he was saying to the man who
had saved himself from the death of a
suicide
"Lookoc here, my friend, this is the
third time within a month that 1 have
caught you trying to dcad-hcad il over
this road. The last time you was try
ing to work tho boat-ticllot and pocket
book and dying-wife racket on the pas
sengcrs. and l know from your disap-
pointed look that you've been up to
something now that amt panncd out SO
well, SO off yc gop'
jerk of the bell, a sudden stopping
OF the train, Il quick appearance of a
brawny brakeman slight scufIlc near
the door, and the gloomy passenger had
indeed gone flying from tho platform,
and tho train had como on, leaving him
alone in this cold, vain and cruel world.
N. y. Tribune.