The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1892-02-11
THE MAN WITH A. FAILING


His Efforts 70 Relieve the Intense An1f-
ETY. Were Not Apprecissed.s
It was 1880 o'clock ct night, and the
rain and wind and darkness made it b
wild one, when tho train suddenly came
to q halt Some one had swung q lam
tern on the track about q quarter of Q
mile, from the bridge spanning Shady
creek. Those Of Us who turned out to
learn what was mp saw farIner-looking
man come back to the smoking car with
the conductor, and when in out Of the
storm the latter asked: aesy .ssssE5ssS
'tNow, then, you say there's trouble
ahead. What Is it, Talk fast, for 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 q piece of candle about
three inches long. >.2 n:& vs =
"Look a-here, gineral," he replied to
the conductor in nervous way, Ego
sorter slow on me or I can't tel yo' the
story"
"What do you meanr -,
Twelve got q failin. II yo' git mo
excited I'll stutstut-stutter till yo' can't
understand word say" uf.r a-.
every well; you stopped usS'
eyes; felt called to do it. Hold on,
nowI Don't push mer' ,'~s..r..,
"Pn give you time. You live near
here, don't your .-s' - .a @T
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
uss'
"Idid. It's been rainin purity steady
fur about q week" ~.s..
eyes" -~ p" --s.. 49,. ...}
"The branch has jest been a-humpin
Of herself fur the last two days"
eyes, the water has been rising"
"Hold ON, ginerali Don't chip In too
fast. I'm s-holdin Of myself as hard as
! kin, but I feel my. tongue wobblin
around. This noon seen the water
risin mighty fast and felt it my duty
to watch it. Invent up agin about dark
and then agin an hour ago. knowed
when you was due here, and"-
Sand you stopped us. Good heavens,
mani but the bridge is goneI'
"Hold on, ginerall You are goin too
fast! It-ttold you II you g-g-got me
ex-ex"- ..0..'-. . =
'Take it easy" replied the conductor.
"Just think what you want to say and
then speak very slow. Great landsl but
what an escapep'
"Gineral, I reckoned yo'd worry about
the bridge"
eyes, I've been very anxious about it."
"Yo mowed the water was Tisin way
up"
eyes" ELK
~ 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-
telI"- =.
"Take it easy, man, there's no hurry.
You got your lantern and stopped the
train to tell Us that the bridge had been
loated off by the freshet. / understand
and I can promise yon"-...
"Ginerali"
eyes" ~ .,1--
"The bridge is all right Ireckoned
yo'd worry over it, and so I 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
i I 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 tho
train moved ON he was banging the old
tin lantern around and calling:
"G-G- Gineral, I'll be h-h.hanged il !
don't see this old r-r-road in T-TTexas
before ever do it another fa-fa-fayort"
New York World.