St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-01
RACING FOR A BRIDE.
A Southern Belle Makes a
Neat Escape From a
Dilemma.
Her Lovers Railway Conduct
ops--No Choice Between
Them.
The Two Lotharios Make
Three Heats With Their
Trains.
Won by the Beau Whose Cau-
ton Was as Great as His
Love.

Along the line of the Santee railway
no trainmen were better known than
Billy Parkins and Jack Smith, the only
passenger conductors the road found it
necessary, to employ says the New;Y ork
World. Every man aud 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
when he passed in the opposite direc-
ton. In the evening, when the trains
returned, the genial ticket-punchers
again received oyatlons at each stop
ping place. Even the passengers were
apparently all acquainted with the con-
ductors, for as they went their rounds
each traveller would have some remark
to make or some sly inquiry to about
Bob Yocum's Sallie which would bring
color to the cheeks of the officials. To
Northern stranger it sounded ludi-
crous to hear the uniformed youths
(neither was more than twenty-three)
+. addressed as Capt. Billy or Capt. Jack,
even though accustomed to the uni
versal Southern habit of adding that
tit lie 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 Santee road
was a 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 a 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 lis
journey at snaiPs pace, a t1agman run
ming in front.
In the morning the trains passed at
lonely siding in the woods, but in the
afternoon 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 old style engines, and, unless there
was something unusual 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 romping with Sallie, the
planters daughter. Now it was this
same Sallie who caused so much dis
turbance in the breasts of Billy and
Jack. Each strove to cut favorable
figure in her sight, and she was the
lodestone 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 the man at
the lever to ''let her CO." he did let her
90 until some faint-hearted passenger
protested at being bumped into jelly.
Only 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 occa-
siOnallv reached in sudden bursts.
Forty miles an hour over old-Style ~"
rails, laid on rotten ties five feet apart
and jointed with fiSh-plates, is equal to
sixty miles an hour on smooth track,
so far as sensation goes. TO the OBJ
server 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 preparatory grading. Up
hill. down hill, fitting to the right, tilt
ing 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 endeavOr-
ing to retain his seat. The engines
burned wood, and when running at
night resembled volcanoes in active
eruption. If the reader has ever trav-
eled behind one of these fiery machines
he will remember how the sparks and
pieces of wood flew when the engine got
into good working order. He will also
have a very vivid recollection 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 YOcum's, and the trains in the afte1
noon were required to get supply of
fuel before reaching the passing sid
ing.
The conductors pressed their suit
with the tair Sallie for many day. but,
while each felt that the other had no adj
vantage, neither could make any head
way. At last the two friends decided
to put matters to a test, and together
they sought Yocum, and, explaining
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 Southern
erS, 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
other to be the winner. The PROPOSE
ton was eagerly grasped by the con-
ductorS and acceded to by Sallie. All
agreed upon secrecy, except that the
conductors should make cOnfidantS OF
their engineers.
AnXiously the father and daughter
awaited the coming of the trains the
next afternoon. Fully twenty minutes
before schedule time the familiar
whistle rang out, and Billy's engine
came to standstill just as Jacks train
came around the bend. Billy was eX
ultingly happy. The next day, however
Jack was sitting upon the porch talking
sereneIy to the prize when Billy's en-
CINE came into view.
The following day would decide it,
| and the morrow found four eager hearts