The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-02-21
sLAPDAsH FOR A BRIDE.
Three Lively Races over a Rough
Stretch of Branch Railway.


From the Netv York World
Along the line of the Santee railroad no
trainmen were better known than Billy
Perkins and Jack Smith, the only passenger
conductors the road found it necessary to
employ. Every man and boy along the
route watched for the familiar trains, and
when the mail passed east 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 tlcket-punehers again
received 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 %, addressed as Cap'n Billy or
Cap'n Jack, even though accustomed to the
universal southern habit of adding that title
to conductors names
The total length of the Santee railroad
was only forty miles but the natives re-
garded 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 Santee
road was branchs No telegraph line ran
along the branch, and the trains were run
ia the good old way upon the single track;
that is. sidings were placed a few miles
apart, and when train scheduled to pass
another at a given point did not find the
other at the switch it simply waited until
the belsted train did come, or after an hour
or two started on its journey at snail's
pace, fagman running in front
BOB YoCUM's DAUGHTER.
In the morning the trains passed at
lonely siding in the woods, but in the after
noon the meeting point was directly 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 acquaintance 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
cid style engines, and unless there was
something unusual to dstain them or the
wood was very wet the crews could gener-
| ally manage to spend about twenty minutes
at Yocum's, TRANQUILITY smoking or romping
with Sallie, the planters daughter. Now it
| was this same Sellie 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 load
stone which drew them daily TO the garden.
Luckily for them each had an engineer as
wild and reckless as the most ardent lover
could desire, and when the conductors told
/ a - GGI-Ah l. IA
| let her go until some falnt-heartod passen-
ger protested at being 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 over rotten ties
five feet apart and jointsd with fish-plates,
! Is equal to sixty miles an hour on smooth
track, 80 far as sensation goes. To
the observer the Santee railroad
was hardly visible, high grass grow
ing between the rails. but, where
the track could be seen, it seemed
to be laid upon the ground without any
preparatory grading. Up bill, down hill,
fitting to the right, tldng to the left. it
pursued its devious way, and the shaking
and creaking of trains and track were
enough to alarm any one not preoccupied in
| endeavoring to retain his seat. The engines
| burned wood and when running at night re-
sembled volcanoes in active eruption. II
| the reader has eyer Travelled behind one of
these fiery machines he will remember how
the sparks and pieces of wood few
when the engine got into good working
| order. He will also have very vivid rec
| objection OF the long and frequent stoppages
when all hands heaved cordwood into the
tender until it could hold no more. These
were the characteristics of the line over
which Billy and Jack made daily trips.
There were wood stations on each side Of
| Yocums, and the trains in the afternoons
were required to get o supply OF fuel before
reaching the passing siding.
sALLIE's CHOICE.
The conductors pressed their suit with the
| fair Sallie for many day, but, while each
| felt that the other had no advantage, neither
could make any Roadway. At last the two
| friends decided to put matters to test, and
together 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 although she
felt she could be happy with either. With
| that keen instinct for gaming which charac-
terizes southerners her father at once sug-
gested that they settle the question by
racing their trains for the next three days,
the one getting to the switch twice ahead Of
/ UDo OCQer 10 De Lu6 W1uuoI- 4uo pIOpOSi-
tion was eagerly grasped by the conductors,
and acceded to by Snllie. All agreed upon
secrecy, except that the conductors should
make conf1dants of their engineers.
Anxiously the father aud daughter
awaited the coming of the trains the next
afternoon. Fully twenty minutes before
schedule time the familiar whistle rang out,
and Billys engine came to standstill just
as Jacks train came around the bend.
Billy was exuitantly happy. The next day,
| however, Jack was sitting upon the porch
talking serenely to the prize when Billy's
| engine came into view.
| The following day would decide it, and
the morrow found four eager hearts won
dering what the result would be. About 10
o'clock, however, a steady rain set in,
which apparently settled the question of
fast time being made that day. AS Billy
passed down the line and saw the soaking
| woodpiles he felt exceedingly blue, but
while bordering great thought came into
his brain and his countenance cleared in an
instant. When ne got to the end of the run
he took bis engineer aside and explained
something which caused a broad grin to
overspread the features of that worthy
| Billy was seen next in a provision store
and ere the train departed an odd
looking barrel marked "Sugar Cured"
was put aboard the engine. His train
made glorious time that afternoon, and
when the passengers asked how the engineer