Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-06-02
TO CATCH THE TRAIN.

TO CATCH THE TRAIN.
A Mighty Mean Experience, but There
Is No Help for 1t. ,
New York Herald: The man who has
to catch the early train to Somewhere
vile is to be pitied. He retires early,
the earlier the more sad his case.
Every passing sound from the street
falls upon his strained ears. He fails
at last along toward 10 o'clock into a
there is no rest for him, for he is to
catch the early train.
Along toward midnight he awakens
with 4 start, grasps out in the darkness
wildly, fumbles for a match, and knocks
his heels and favorite corns against
the spikes of the rocker. There are
always spikes Oh the rocker OF the
fellow who has to hunt a match in Or
der to look at he clock in order to see
the time in order not to oversleep in
order to catch the early train.
He blows out the match in disgust.
1t is only II o'clock. His train time is
4:40; so he turns in for another snooze.
The man who has to catch the early
train-what awful dreams he has!
Over his pillows dance all his grand
mothers since the flood, singing in a
wild, discordant way. He sees sights
and hears voices; he rolls uneasily, now
and then catching little cat WinkS, only
to be awakened again and again-to
find that it is too early to get up.
The man who has the train fever
is pitiful sight to behold. He signs
desperately in the darkness. He
thrashes around in bed. He hits his
evil luck. Why has he to catch a
train when all the rest Of the world is
asleep? Why must he be a slave?
Confound those awful early trains,
anyhow! Why cannot the world be
run on common sense ideas? If the
managers of the railroads of the land
only had grain of sense-just grain
what world this would be.
1t is in this fashion that the catch-a-
train man passes the earlier part of the
night. But the worst is yet to come.
| AS the night wears on, or off, his
fears grow more and more pronounced.
Now he is not only afraid that he will
not catch the train, but he fears that he
will actually so to sleep. In the first
part of the night he tried to sleep and
could not succeed; now he could sue
ceed, but he dare not try. All his
efforts are thus directed toward keep
ing awake-a hopeless task!
The catch-a-train man rolls uneasily
in his bed He drops into 4 CHASTITY
nightmare of Il sleep. This is what he
sees:
Horrible visions of railroad wrecks.
The figures 4:4O in blood, written by
a destroying angel on the side Of an
open grave.
Four-forty, four-forty. four-forty!
Now he sleeps Il moment, and now
he has left the toiling millions in the
big city and is rolling away, far across
the wide land. when Diff, bang-there
is a grand railroad wreck, and he
wakes I'D or rather starts up, to strike
his thirteenth match to look at his
watch to see what time it is, so that nc
will get that train.
After tossing. rolling, pitching, heav
ing, groaning. moaning and all the fes'
for the better part of the last terrible
hour. he finally sinks into soft
droamless rest. such as the beloved
noet loves to figure as blessing the
sleep of the innocent child or the Mo
chy-ldee" of the Rowery stage reclta
ZIONIST. All. that sleep. Blessed be the
man who invened it! Enough that the
Door. weary, catch-a-train tiend cal
sleep at all. even if it be but moment
And sleep he does He is snoring ava.
like sawmi1.
Then a white-robed figure, bearing
large lamp. suddenly appears like al
apparition in the intense lndll-lnl
gloom. 1t is his wife. Dear, patient
loving soul. faithful to the last, ha
G, mellow. in a way known only to
woman. managed to keep awake, OF
rather. to sleep until the proper time
and now she is here. and is saying, a
she shakes him in lively fashion:
"Jim, Jim! jim, Wake up: it is tim
for the train.'
.Train? Wazzer train-what is il
| anyway? Go way. now! Yes, I'm com
ing. CON-
sYou bet you are!' gasps the woman
taking him by the hair and tuggin
; away viciously-and then he awaken
With q start to hear her say: "YO
5 have Just ten minutes to catch tn
7 4:4O. Now. hurry. dress and com
| down to the kitchen. where there is
not of hot coffee for YOU: have bee
ND half On hour and have everythn
in readiness"
And then the man rises and says:
3 Hump, Well. there is no need c
all this fuss. I was Just on the poiT
;. of rising as YOU came into the room an
made ell this internal racket! Where
| nv socks, anyway"