Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-08-14
HE WENT BY FREIGHT.
And Discovered the Direfui Uncer-
tainty OF this Mode Of Travel, even
with True Love at the Helm.

Kiner tells the following amusing little
yarn in this weeks issue of his Geneseo
News:
The eminent gentleman who wrote
1.-The course of true love never did run
smooth" was not talking through his hat
He was level.hesded man. whose hat
was square on his head. not hung on his
right oar. where he could talk through it.
For young man who will bear US out in
these statements, we refer to Mr.. Gregg,
formerly Of the Normal. For one year
he edited the Normal Worker, being as
sisted in the work by two other gentle>
men studente.
There is young lady in Geneseo who
is all in all TO Mr.. Gregg, who now lives
in Rock Island. Last Saturday evening
he expected to visit her. He went to the
depot at Rock Island to take the accom-
mediation freight, only 20 find that it now
starts at 2:l5 p. m, instead of at 4, as
formerly. The train had been gone near
ly two hours when he arrived, enveioped
in linen buster and Precipitation
He auxiously inquired when the next
train carrying passengers would leave
He found that it would not leave Rock
Island till 10 O'Clock. 1t would reach
Geneseo at II. This would not do. He
wandered out on the platform. and mop
ped his Draw. A freight train was about
ready to pull out. An observing brake
man noticed the young ex-editor's dis
tress.
Want to go east2' asked the brakes
man.
Il want to go to Geneseo, said Gregg.
L.ff- h
spring up beyond despair. like water
melon patch beyond d-esry desert of
sand.
Gimme half dollar and crawl into
tbs car" said the brakeman. indicating
an empty stock car.
The half dollar changed hands at once.
Gregg had idst time to run in and tele
graph his girl coming on next freight"
when the train started. He flew back
and got in the stock car, and blest his
lucky star that he could get to Geneseo
even in that manner.
Now, since the double track has been
completed between Geneseo and Sheffield,
good many through freishts do no; stop
here. They get water at Sheffield and
Colona. 10 consequence the train con-
veying the anxious Gregg. when it struck
the long down grade west of town. hit g
gait of 40 miles an hour. Gregg. with
his head s9Gei zGd between the caJ door
and the jam. could see his best girl on the
depot platform, waving her handker-
chief, He had just time to note her look
of dumb establishment as the train dashed
By. and get his head hauled inside the car
again, when he was iu Atkinson. The
.rsin didn't stop till it reached Sheffield.
II was not very late in the evening vet,
ard Gregg rushed into tue depot to ind
when the next passenger train left for
Geneseo.
he found that il wouldn't leave till be-
tween and 10. That would make his
arrival too late for call on his beloved.
A brakeman stood near freight that was
about to leave. The half-dollsr prelimi-
nary was again gone through. Gregg
almost missed the train; but he did Just
have time to telegraph his girl, back on
first train from the east
The dear girl was again at the depot.
handkerchief and all. The engineer
turned on sll steam up east of the stock.
yards. Gregg says he knows that the
train went through Gepeseo at 81 miles
an hour. He could Just see the despair
on his girls face. and two pesrly tears
rolling down her cheeks IN the electric
lights on the depot platform. He had
just time to observe these, and to spend
few moments in meditation and prayer,
when the train halted at Colons.
He got off at Colons and inquired when
the next passenger went east. He was
told that it would not leave till between
IL and o'clock, but that freight train
was about to start. The station agent
was absolutely frightened when Gregg
brought his fist down so hard that the
rocky little depot rocked worse than ever.
| and declared that he never would get on
a freight train again IN all his born days.
Gregg waited for the next passenger
train, and fetched up in Geneseo at a.
M, and went to the Geneseo house, after
looking all around the depot in hopes
that his girl might vet be there. But she
was gone. 1t took him all day Sunday
to explain and repair matters.