The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-02-01
THE OPEN DRAW.

Joe w llIldmS.
Joe had only one fault-he drank.
The time | refer to was the morning of
the Fourth OF July. We were running
what was called the morning freight and
had to start every day by 4:30. On this
morning Joe was late. In a few minutes
we got started, picked up our load and
were fairly off. 1t was IA clear morning and
bid fair for a fine day. but about sunrise it
began to get misty, and we were soon en-
veloped in one of the heaviest fogs | ever
saw.
AT H, Eben Capron, another engi-
neer, who was off duty that day, got on
with us. He was going home to spend the
Fourth. and ours was the first conveyance
that came along. When he saw that it was
all that Joe could do to carry himself
straight, he offered to run the train for him
rs far as he went, but Joe declined.
"Thicker and thicker came the fog until
we could scarcely see the length of two
cars ahead. Joe went very carefully indeed
and did not run as fast As is usual. In fact,
he went so slowly that at last Eben com
menced to banter him on the prospect of
getting to the end of the route sooner than
could naturally be expected.
"'Well, just look here, said Joe. I'm
drunk, and you know it, and If | should go
fast and run the train off the track | reckon
you'd both of you swear it was the fault
of the drunken engineer
BY the time we got to C the fog had
partly lifted. Here we had a good deal Of
switching to do, and just as we were ready
to start the conductor came up and said:
"'Nothin for p: keep straight through
to F.. You have gone SO confoundcd
slow that you are almost an hodr behind
time. | should have hurried you up If
hadn't been for the fog. All right, Lo
ahead and he waved his hand and started
bach toward the rear car.
We'll. III go fast enough for you If
that's what you want. muttered Joe.
Faster and faster we went until the
conductor evidently began to be afraid, for
it was still 50 foggy that we could not see
over hal a mile ahead, and he signaled
slower
"'There,' said Eben. do you see that:
You'll have the conductor here pretty soon
well, the fact is'-and Joe slowly
winked one eye-there's a vessel at p
waiting to pass, and | var to get over the
bridge before it's opened
The river there was navigable and was
crossed by a drawbridge, and very often
we had to stop and wait on one side to let
a vessel pass. When it was open, there was
a red ball hoisted in the daytime and n red
light at night.
Then you are nearing it, continued
Eben, for there's the last post before you
reach the river, and-supposing the draw is
open. Joe, you had better slack up
What for? The signal isn't raised.
"'But you couldn't see it for the fog
"'Oh, pshaw! there isn't any fog now
Yes, there is a fog now. For Gods
sake, Joe, don't murder us! Here, let me
take your place until we get across
The sentence was never finished. He
was standing up, looking out ahead, when
all at once, as if he had been struck by a
cannon shot, he dropped into his seat, and
his face turned as white as a bleached sheet,
while the black streaks of SCOT and grease
stood out in horrible contrast. He had seen
the red signal! | whistled down brakes
and be grasped the lever and reversed the
engine.
THE conductor crafty signaled stop
after he had Heard the whistle and when
the train was running by it's own momen'
tum.
las to Joe, he saw that everything was
lone or being done, and he sat there like g
block of marble. His drunkenness was al
gone. His first words were (and be spoke
llhc al d ttlhIHS III ~ SlCSPJ'
well, boys, I'll never get drunk any
more as long as l live
mo, | s'pose not replied Eben, as he
gave the lever another jerk, for probably
you won't live more han a quarter of 4
minute
Jump, il you van to- Joe answered
I hope | shall die if the train gets smashed
But-that craft isn't moving; the end o.
the bridge is swinging toward US
"'That's so; they are shutting it. Goo
help us, we may be saved yet
"Sure enough, the bridge was rapidly
swinging into place. The tender had evi
IDENTIFY seen us coming and was trying K
close the draw against We came up, but i
was a doubtful case.
w had got so near now that we cOulC
see the man on the. bridge working as i
his own life, not ours, depended on his eff
forts. Eben was hugging the lever will
all his might, and Joe had cOnvulsivel,
, grasped one of the forward faucets as IL t.
steady himself, and for the last five sec
onds of that awful suspense I do not be
lieve there was a single heart beat on tn
engine.
? Three ticks more of the clock and w
d. should nave rolled over the abutment, blu
, with a thud the bridge swung to its place
, and we were on it and passing over safe an
: sound.
God bless you, SMITH shouted Joe t
), the bridge tender as we ran past, and b
;, waved his cap with wild JOY.
. I'VE afterward learned that the bridg
was open to let a small vessel pass, but tn
bridge tender heard the train and knew b
J., the sound that it was coming at an unusus
k ate of speed. Suspecting something WI
II wrong, he signaled the vessel to stop an
closed the bridge as quick as he could, an
d as it proved just in time to save us all frol
destruction. "-Exchange.
- Essay on the Cricket.
The cricket don't need so much diskri
u ton rs the ephalent, cause he is so mue
- litter. He sings on the harth, but it is mo
~ like squeakin, and be can jump w
YOU cetch him. The teakittle and Il
IS cricket sings together, AMI their foxes
in stories is happy, but give 1he a fiddle. The
&c il a game called cricket, but isn't like ii
real cricket "a bit, cause it amt spry, III