The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1892-01-22
AN OLD RAILRoADER's STORY.

Deeds, Come Home to Roost.
81 don't believe a good action goes
dnrewarded," said an old railroad man
the other day to the writer.
about twenty years ago | was show
cling black diamonds TO boil the water
in n locomotive on the Wabash railway
between Lafayette, Ind, and Danville,
III. Near Attica, Ind, there was an
overhead wagon bridge across the track
that had killed no less than five brake
men in five years, and one dark,
stormy night, in coming down the hill,
j happened to remember that we
had a green brakeman ahead,
who was unacquainted with the road.
] spoke To the engineer about il,
but he said: oh, let him go; he's all
right But didn't feel like letting a
fellow mortal take any such chances,
and started back over the train crawl
ing from car to car in the Egyptian
darkness, and came near being blown
off several times, as it was blowing great
guns, and old No. 80 was tanning that
train fifty miles per hour down the sum-
NIT. Back twelve cars from the engine
! found 'Brakesy,' who was as tall,
handsome man as you could find in
thousand, and he was twisting up the
slack of those brake chains with neat
ness and dispatch, while the wheels
made a regular torchlight procession
along the rails He was badly scared
when he first discovered me by the light
of his old lantern, crawling along the
running board, with my face as black
as the ace of spades from the dusty dia-
mOnds.
a" sit down! Sit DOWN. I cried, so
loud that | almost imagined the whistle
was sounding for Attica; and down he
sat, so hard and quick that he bit his
tongue, and the next moment we few
under the bridge, while his lamp seemed
TO burn brighter as it disclosed those
heavy timbers over our heads that had
killed many poor brakemen. He came
near fainting when he clasped my hand
and we sat for several moments on the
wet deck of the car, and neither of us
spoke n single word, but we were as
white around the eyes as the ghost of
Hamlets father.
six years afterward was in Fort
Wayne, Ind, at the Wabash depot, one
morning, the most disconsolate man on
Gods earth had been hurt on the
road several years before, was unable to
work, and was trying to get back home
to old Lafayette, Ind, as | thought to
die. ! was hungry and tired, and didn't
have a cent in the world, and to see the
people step up to the lunch counter and
call for hot coffee that was smelling to
Heaven was enough to set poor, flat
broke invalid crazy. l had begun TO
think that all my friends had been con-
veniently translated bodily from earth
TO Heaven, when tall, handsome con-
ductor, with q silver lamp and gold
banded cap, approached me and in
quired:
3 Didn't you fire an engine about five
years ago on the western division of the
Wabash?'
"Yes,"I replied. and it was n sorry
day that l ever went to railroading.'
"Do you recognize me?'
"No, SIR And yet thought his face
began to assume the angelic.
"'Well, l will refresh your memory.
DO you recollect of rislIing your life
one dark, stormy night in crawling
over freight train to warn green
brakeman about a dangerous overhead
bridge below Attica%
O"'You bet do! But you're not Billy
the brakeman?'
"'No; sirl No more Billy in mine;
it's Will-sweet Will-conductor on the
through passenger and he broke into
a musical laugh that nearly ratified the
dishes on the lunch counter.
"The tears came to my eyes in spite
of me, for l was weak, weary and
heartsick He noticed them, and.
clasping my hand, said in the sweetest
words that ever fell on mortal ears;
"'Come, come! Shut her off and oil
the valves, and he led me to a stool at
the lunch counter and said:
"'Now, you sit here and fill up. Let
few biscuits hit the chair and you will
be all right again
HE stepped into the dispatcher's Of
fee to get his orders, while poured
down coffee that would discount the
nectar of the gods, lie appeared in
about ten minutes and said: 'All aboard
for Lafayette!" took me by the arm and
back TO the platform and waved his
moss agate at the engineer l curled
up in the seat when the train started 70
hide the tears that kept yelling up in
my eyes, and for the first time in twenty
long years could have cried like baby.
] believe in special providence since
that terrible night and the morning /
YVES heartbrolSen. And Bill is still pull
ing bell-cord in the vanished cars on
the old Wabash. Argentine Republic
Tho Agent Lied.