Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-05-30
CLUB LIFE.
m Engineers Story.
BY EDWIN ROBINSON.

BY EDWIN ROBINSON
I am an engineer. Ever since c.
Road was laid. I've travelled over ii
every day, OF nearly every day, OF my
Life.
For a good while I have had the same
engine in charge-the San Francisco
the prettiest engine on the road, and as
we'll managed, if l say ii, as the best.
1t was a southern road, running, we
say, from A to 4. At "A good
old mother lived; at I'll had the
sweetest little wife under the sun, and a
baby, and l always had a dollar or two
put by for a rainy day. l was an odd
kind of a man. Being shut up in the en-
gane, watching with all your ewes, and
heart, and soul, inside and out, don't
make man talkatiye.
My wlfes name was Josephine, and /
called her Joe. Some people called me
unsociable, and couldn't understand
now a man could be friendly without
saying ten words an hour. SO, though
L bad a few old friends-dear ones. too
L did not have so many a~cquaintances
as most people, and did not care to
have. The house that held my wife
and baby was the dearest place on earth
to me, except the old house which held
nay mother up in A.
never belonged to a club, or mixed
myself up with strangers in any such
way, and should if it had not
been for CRANKY, who wa one of the
silareholders-a handsome, snowy fel-
low. [ liked to talk with him, and we
We're good friends. He often rode from
I-to A and back again. and
ONO he said:
1ou ought to belong to the Scientific
Club, Gueldon."
Never heard of it," said 1.
Il am a member" said he. "We meet
once in a fortnight, and have a iolly
good time. We want thinking men like
YOU We want some among us now.
III propose you, if you like"
l. was fond of such things, and I had
1deas that l fancied might be worth
something. But then an engineer don't
have days aud nights to himself. and
the club would have one evening in a
fortnight from Joe. 1 said:
TN ask her. If she likes it. YES"
Ask whom?" said he.
My wife, said l.
eff every man had asked his wife,
every mans wife would have said.
Can't spare you, my DEAR and we
should have no club at ALL" said
CRANKY.
But 1 made no answer. At home !
told Joe. She said:
Then, if CRANKY belongs to it, they
must be superior men,"
No doubt" said T..
1T isn't everybody who could be made
a member" said Joe. why, of course.
you must say yes"
SO l said yes, and CRANKY proposed
me- Thursday night 1 went With him
to the room. There were some men
there with brains and some without.
Ihe real business of the evening was
the supper, and so it was every even
i1lg.
I'd always been a temperate man. I
actually did not know what effect wine
would have upon me; but, coming to
stflnis more of it than | ever had, at the
{ "s-table, I found it put the steam on.
-A:ter so many glasses, l wanted to talk
after SO many more, j did. | seemed
ai-e somebody else. the words were so
@ea1v. My little ideas came out. and
Nee ii-te2ed to; 1 made sharp hits; |
'aNt8'ged in repartee; / told stories; l
'tsHpR came to puns; l heard some one
ssA.S to CRANKY:
Ny George, that's q man worth
knowing. | thought him dull at first"
a~t | knew it WITS quiet Ned Guel-
~ n. with his ten words al hour, than
E5!e Wlne-made wit | was. | was sure of
Ii, wien. three hours after. | stumbled
T' STAIRS. to find Joe waiting for NE.
"i'il ev bale N her breast.
you've been decaiviug me- she said.
= Z II ected ii, bus I wasn't sure. a
=, - tin cub c5uldn'tsmell like q bar
/ 49,"
"tslieh means ] do" said I, waving
a. We middle Of the room like a lag at
Il %'AS:on. aIa seeing two Jces.
And look lie ole," said Joe: and
- went and locked herself and the
'''''!y nnl" q s! arc bedroom together.
Ned. said size, do YOU think moth
= - much ike a bottled-up and
u . p~cd.dnwn demon as steam is. is fit
w. t*tt IN Tie hands OF q drunken man?
~, Il sonae DAY, mark my words. the time
" cone Wien not only Thursday
.!'14ht, but all ,be days of the week viii
ne the same. I've often heard you won
dc what the feelings Of an engineer
who has about the same as murdered q
tram full Of leoplc must be, and you
WIZ know, il you don't stop where you
are. a sturdy hand and a clear head
s'nNe been Your blessings all these
years. Don't threw them away, Ned.
Al .v"' don't care for my love, don't ruin
1vuu..oif."