The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1893-11-08
BREAD ON THE WATERS.
THE STORY TOLD 7v AN
OLD RAILRoADER.
Kindly Acts. like Chickens aad EVIL
Deeds, Come Home TO Boost
And This One Came Back
In the Nick OF Time.

unrewarded. ?" said an old railroad
man the other day to the writer in
St Louis Republic.
About twenty years ago was shov-
cling black diamonds tob oil the water
| in locomotive on the Wabash rail-
way between Lafayette. Ind, and Dan
VILE. Ill Near Attica. Ind. there
was an overhead wagon bridge across
the track that had killed no less than
| five brakemen in five years. and one
dark, stormy night in coming down
the hill | happened to remember
that we had green brakeman ahead.
who was unacquainted with the road
l spoke to the engineer about it, but he
said: Oh let him go; he's ali right
But l didn't feel like letting a fell
low mortal taking any such chances.
and started back over the train. crawl
ing from car to car in the Egyptian
darkness. and came near being blown
of several times as it was blowing
great guns. and old No. 53 was fan
ming that train fifty miles an hour
down the summit Back twelve cars
from the engine l found .Brakesy.'
who was as tall. handsome a man as
you could find in a thousand and he
was twisting up the slack of those
brake-c chains with neatness and dis
patch. while the wheels made a regu-
lar torch-light procession along the
rails. He was badly scared when he
first discovered me by the light of his
old lantern. crawling along the rum
ming board, with my face as black as
the ace of spades from the dusty dia-
,monds.
Sit down! Sit down. I cried, so
loud that | almost imagined the
whistle was sounding for Attica; and
down he sat so hard aud quick that
he bit his tongue, and the next mo-
ment we few under the bridge, while
his lamp seemed to burn brighter as
il disclosed those heavy timbers over
our heads that had killed many poor
br kemen. He came near fainting
when he clasped my hand and we sat
i for several moments on the wet deck
of the car. and neither of us spoke
single word. but we were as white
around the eyes as the ghost of Ham
let's father.
Six years afterward was in Fort
Wayne, Ind. at the Wabash depot one
morning. the most disconsolate man
on God s earth. l had been hurt ON
the road several years before was un-
able to work and was trying to get
back to old Lafayette. Ind. as l
thought, to die. | was hungry and
tired and didn't have 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 conven-
ientiy translated bodily from earth to
heaven. when a tall handsome con-
dUctor, with a silver lamp and gold
banded cap, approached me and in
quired:
" Didn't you fire an engine about
OF the Wabash?
Yes, l replied. and it was a 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, | will refresh your memory.
Do you recollect of risking your life
one dark stormy night in crawling
over freight train to warn Il green
brakeman about Il dangerous over
head bridge below Attica9'
= You bet L do. But you're not
Billy. the brakeman
No sir. No more Billy in mine
it's Will-sweet Will-conductor on
the through passenger" and he broke
out into a musical laugh that nearly
ratified the dishes on the lunch coun-
ter.
The tears came to my eyes in
spite of me. for 1 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
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 despatcher's
office to get his orders, while | poured
down coffee that would discount the
nectar of the gods He appeared in
about ten minutes and said All aboard
for Lafayette!' took me by the arm and
led me to a coach and then stepped
back to the platform and waved his
moss-agate at the engineer. curled
up in the seat when the train started
to hide the tears that kept yelling up
in my eyes and for the first time in
! twenty long years. 1 could have cried
like baby. 1 believe in a special
providence since that terrible night
and the morning | was heart-broken.
And Bill is still pulling a bell-cord in
| the vanished cars on the Wabash.
Spectacles for Horses.
A well-known firm OF opticians in
London manufacture specially con-
structed spectacles to be worn by
| hnraas The object Is to nrOmOte