The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-03-31
THE MAN WITT. "A FAILING
His Efforts to Relieve the Intense Anx
ety Were Not ADpreciatad

! H !. y : & & 55z +
His Efforts to Relieve the Intense Anxi-
ETY. Were Not Appreciated.
It was 1890 O'clock at night, and the
rain and wind and darkness made it a
wild one, when the train suddenly came
to a halt. Some one had swung a Ian
tern on the track about a quarter of a
mile from the bridge spanning Shady
creek. Those OF us who turned out to
learn what was up saw a farmer-loolSinp
man come back to the smoking car with
the conductor, and when in out Of the
storm the latter asked:
"Now, then, you say there's trouble
ahead. What is it? Talk fast, for I am
now twelve minutes behind time"
The man was about forty years old
dressed in coarse clothing and was wet
to the skin. The lantern was an old
fashioned one, made of tin, and the light
was furnished by a piece of candle about
three inches long.
''Look a-here, gineral," he replied to
the conductor in a nervous way, "go
sOrter slow on me or can't tell yo the
story"
w LOU az you uedI!
Twelve got a failin. If yo' git me
excited I'll stut-stut-stutter till yo' can't
understand word say"
every well; you stopped us?"
Eyes; felt called to do it. Hold on,
now! Don't push mer'
"I'll give you time. You live near
here, don't your -.
Fright up by the branch thar. Lived
thar goin on twenty years. Keep cool,
gineral and don't git me narvous. I'm
a-doin all right so fur" ."
"Well, you felt called upon to stop
us?'
II did. It's been rainin purity steady
fur about a week."
EYES," s.-.
1.-The branch has jest been a-humpin
of herself fur the last two days"
Eyes, the water has been rising"
"Hold on, gineral! Don't chip in too
fast. I'm a-holdin of myself as hard as
| kin, but | feel my tongue wobblin
around. This noon seen the water
risin mighty fast and felt it my duty
to watch it. went up agin about dark
and then agin an hour ago. knowed
when you was due here, and"-
"And you stopped us. Good heavens,
man! but the bridge is goney'
''Hold on, gineral! You are goin too
fast! t-t-told you if you g-g-got me
eX-eX"-
"Take it easy" replied the conductor.
''Just think what you want to say and
then speak very slow. Great lands! but
what an escapev
"Gineral, | reckoned yo'd worry about
the bridge"
eyes, I've been very anxious about it. F."
'sYo' knowed the water was risin Wav
up"
eyes"
81 told the old woman you'd worry
about it, and that I'd best git the lantern
and stop the. t-t-train a-a-and t-t-tell-
tell''-
flake it easy, man, there's no hurry.
You got your lantern and stopped the
train to tell us that the bridge had been
doated off by the freshet. l understand
and can promise you'--
'G1neiall'' ".....
Eyes"
1.-THE bridge is all right! I reckoned
yo'd worry over it, and so got the Ian
tern and stopped the train to tell you
that the water had gone down four feet
and the bridge hadn't suffered harp
l don't remember all the conductor
said when he got at the facts, nor how
many passengers helped throw the man
down among the bushes, but when the
train moved on he was banging the old
tin lantern around and calling:
"G-G-Gineral, III be h-h-hanged if l
don't see this old r-r-road in T-T-Texas
before ever do it another fa-fa-favorv'
New York World.