Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-03-05
RACING FOR A BRIDE.
Three Lively Railroad Races for a
Farmers Daughter.

passenger conductors the road found it
necessary to employ. Every man and
boy along the route watched for the "a
miliar trains, and when the mail passed
cast in the morning each station lounger
was ready to shout Hello, Billy" while
they never missed greeting Jack in the
same manner an hour or two later, when
he passed in the opposite direction. In
the evening when the trains returned
the genial ticket-punchers again re-
ceived ovations at each stopping place.
Even the passengers were apparently
all acquainted with the conductors, for
as they went their rounds each traveller
would have some remark to make or
some sly inquiry about Bob Yocum's
Sallie, which would bring color to the
cheeks of the officials. TO Northern
stranger it sounded ludicrous to hear
the uniformed youths (neither was
more than twenty-three) addressed as
Captain Billy or Captain Jack, even
though accustomed to the universal
Southern habit of adding that title to
conductors names.
The total length of the Santee rail-
road was only forty miles, but the
natives regarded the conductors with
that awe and admiration which country
folk always feel for railroad men. Did
not Billy run every day to Carthage,
the junction of the main line, and
know all the prominent officials of the
great through route of which the San
tee road was branch?
No telegraph line ran along the
branch, and the trains were run in the
good old way upon the single track;
that is, sidings were placed few miles
apart, and when a train scheduled to
pass another at given point did not
find the other at the switch it simply
waited until the belated train did come,
or after an hour or two started on its
journey at a snail's pace, a fagman
running in front.
In the morning the trains passed at
lonely siding in the woods, but in the
afternoon the meeting point was direct
" in front Of Bob Yocum's plantation,
and as the farmhouse, with its shady
porch, stood near the railroad, the
trainmen had long ago struck up an ac-
quaintance with the owner and daily
resorted to the cool garden to while
away the time until the opposing train
arrived. Sometimes one train reached
the point first, sometimes the other
would be in ahead. The engineers had
no signals to hold them back, and very
often the farm would be reached half
an hour ahead of time. The schedule
was slow even for the old-style engines,
and unless there was something IN
usual to detain them or the wood was
very wet the crews could generally
manage to spend about twenty minutes
at Yocum's, TRANQUILITY smoking or romp-
ing with Sallie, the planters daughter.
Now it was this same Sallie who caused
so much disturbance in the breasts of
Billy and Jack. Each strove to cut a
favorable figure in her sight, and
she was the loadstone which drew them
daily to the garden. Luckily for them
each had an engineer as wild and reck-
less as the most ardent lover could de-
sire, and when the conductors told the
man at the lever to 'let her CO." he did
let her go until some faint-hearted pas
senger protested at icing bumped into
jelly.
Only a reckless man would dare to
ride one of the rattle-trap old engines
over the uneven road at the rate of
forty miles an hour, which speed was
occasionally reached in sudden bursts.
Forty miles an hour over old-style
''U" rails, laid on rotten ties five feet
apart and joined with fsh-plates is
equal to sixty miles an hour on a
smooth track, so far as sensation goes.
To the observer the Santee railroad
was hardly visible, high grass growing
between the rails, but where the track
could be seen it seemed to be laid
upon the ground without any prepare
tory grading. Up hill, down hill, tilt
ing to the right, fitting to the left, it
pursued its devious way, and the shak-
ing and creaking of trains and track
were enough TO alarm any one not
preoccupied in endeavoring to regain
his seat. The engines burned wood,
and when running at night resembled
volcanoes in active eruption If the
reader has ever travelled behind one of
these fiery machines he will remember
how the sparks and pieces of wood few
when the engine got into good work
ing order. He will also have q very
vivid recollection of the long and fire.
quent stoppages when all hands heaved
cordwood into the tender until it could
hold no more. These were the charac-
teristics of the line over which Billy
and Jack made daily trips There were
wood stations on each side of Yocum's,
and the trains in the afternoon were
required to get supply Of fuel before
reaching the passing siding.
The conductors pressed their suit
with the fair Sailie for'many day, but
while each felt that the other had no
advantage neither could make any
Roadway. At last the two friends de-
cided to put matters to test, and to-
gether they sought Bob Yocum, and ex-
planning their desires asked that he and
Sallie choose which, if either, should be
the favored sutton. Sallie with blushing
face declared she could not decide. al
though she felt she could be happy with
either. With that keen instinct for
gaming which characterizes SoutherHers
her father at once suggested that they
settle the question by racing their trains
for the next three days, the one getting
to the switch twice ahead of the osheT to :