The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1892-02-18
The. NAN With A. FAILING.
His Efforts to Relieve the Inten-e Anxi-
ETY. Were Not Appreciated.

HIS LhOIiS w III
ETY. Were Not Appreciated.
1t was 1920 o'clock at night, and the
rain and wind end 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 tbs bridge spanning Shady
creek. Those Of us who turned out to
learn what was up saw a farmer-looking
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 | am
now twelve minutes behind time"
The mar 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"
"What dc you mean?
Twelve got a failin. If yO' git me
excited I'll stut-stut-stutter till yO cant
understand q word | say"
VERY well; you stopped u.s."
Eyes; | felt called to do it. Hold on.
now! Don't push met
I'll give you time. You live near
here, don't YOU
Right mp 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?'
Il did. It's been rainin purity steady
fur about a week"
Yes
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. | knOwea
when you was due here, and"-
and You stopped us. Good heavens.
man! but the bridge is gone!"
"HOld on, gineral! You are galn too
fast! t-t-tOld you if You g-g-gOt Inc
ex-ex'-
"Take it easy" replied the conductor.
Just think what you want to say and
then speak very slow. Great lands! but
what al escape!' .
"Gineral, | reckoned yo'd worry about
the bridge"
Eyes, I've been very anxious about it,"
"Yo' knowed the water was riSin way
up"
Yes"
Il 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'-
Take it easy, man, there's no hurry.
You got your lantern and stopped the
train to tell US that the bridge had been
floated off by the freshet. | understand
and / can promise you
"Gineral!"
eyes"
1.-THE bridge is all right, reckoned
yod 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 IA ha'r!'
l don't remember all the conductor
said when he got at the facts, noG 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, I'll be h-h-hanged if |
don't see this old r-r-road in T-T-Texas
before l ever do it another fa-fa favor"
New York World.