The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1893-04-05
CONDUCTORS R'S'Sl'ORY
MONEY COULDN'T STOP THE TRAIN,
BUT IT WAS STOPPED.

y "
the Long Range of white Capped Noun
tains over which the Trains Of the Great
Northern Crawl.
never road or hear Of the mountains
that do not recall Il story told bya con-
1uctor of train on the Great Northern
road. We We're going to Butte. The
train had just crossed the river mt Great
Falls. From that point the road begins
its eastern ascent of the range whose
tops are whitened with the snow all the
year round \ wide plain spreads out
between the line of the road aud the
range As the train was getting ~ fresh
hold on the rails. as one of the party
expressed it. the conductor stood on the
rear platform of the coach and looked
steadfastly at one spot until it was lost.
Got claim anywhere around there
asked traveller who had noticed the
conductors longing look
"A kinder of a claim. he replied. "but
not the kind you're thinkin of"
How he came to tell us makes no diff
ference now. Here is what he told:
Bout YEAR ago. | think it was,
young man was put on my train by the
conductor who had brought him to
where | takcit. He had been east His
folks lived down there. believe. He
had been west good many years. was
cowboy, then a deputy marshal, then
boss of ranch and then he got to spec
ulatin in Anaconda. He had lived the
sort of life ont here that man was OK
pected to live in them days. He was
hard citizen and then good one. Blest
il ! know just where he quit off, but he
did He finally got to lovin girl. and
Just when he was havin it the wust way
she ups and mar1ics good for nothin
dude that came ont here and got to
clerlin in a raghouse Then the young
man that am talkin about he goes east
to wear ont his feelin's. reckon. And
he was gone all summer They said he
was at the seaside. thought when |
heard that as how he would not last long.
When man quits this climate to go to
the seaside, there must be- something
mighty bad about his case. If man
can get cured here. he needn't 20 any
where else
We'll. when he was put in my care
him. They had heerd he was comm
back, and they met him away down this
side Of st. Paul And they nursed him
all the way and fed him jest as if he had
been sick girl He was lookin out OF
the winder of the car all the time, day
and night. but wasn't sayin nothin.
When we got to Great Falls, he looked
out of the car winder and smiled. Ii
was the first time that the boys had see
him do that since they met him, and they
thought he was gettin we'll. He asked
'em to set him up in his berth so he could
see.
And he looked mt the mountain tops
out there covered with the whiteness of
God, and the foot of the mountains that
il washed by the purest water this side
OF the divide. The train was Just get
ting "A good holt on the rails when the
poor fellow sank back, and the next
thing | see the boys was takin the piller
ont from under his head. Then |
knowed 1t was all over. Then one of the
boys come to me and asked me if | would
take $1,000 TO stop the train. told 'em
] lcouldnt do anything of thet sort. They
said money was no object. Then ! asked
'em what was up. and one of 'em told
ME that he, meanin the dead man. had
made a last request that he be taken
from the train and buried in sight of the
mountain that had the snow on it. the
one that caught his eyes first after we
had come over the river. They said they
had promised him they would. | asked
'em where they would get box, and
they said man as good as he was didn't
need no box: that the angels would take
care of him as soon as he was laid away.
Il asked 'em what they would do if
the train wasn't stopped They held
short parley and said in most respect
fnl way, which understood. that they
had To carry out the wishes of the de-
ceased at all hazards; that they could
stop the train if | didn't. | understood
'em. pulled the cord and went for'ard,
and while the engineer was mendin the
locomotive, which got out Of sorts jest
then, the funeral procession moved out,
and the dead was buried out there in
full sight. 1t so happened that we got
the locomotive fixed just as the funeral
was over, and we took the pallbearers
into Butte that night.
And | never pass that spot that |
don't look ont there where they laid him.
1 ain never seen any of the pallbearers
since, and don't know the name of the
young man that they buried. Do YOU
know. gents that his grave is green all
the year round! once thought of put
tin mp n gravestone at the head, but,
thinks |, it's none Of my business, and,
besides, the boys said the angels was goin
to to take care of his body, so thought
l wouldn't be intrudin on any angels
business. 1t was the only time, though,
that my locomotive ever got anything
the matter with it. Chicago Tribune.
Criticism of "CymbeIine."