Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-08-18
SATURDAY SALAD.
ON THE RAIL TO SANTA FE.

ON THE RAIL TO SANTA FE.
La femme proposes and Providence
mas it the other way. The NEW MEXICAN
mad laid its tempting news on my table
and l saw where "Samanthy" was to ap-
pear in the flesh on that same evening in
the good city of Santa Fe. 1t was 1870
in the Albuquerque morning sunshine
and the trains over the staunch old santa |
Fe" ran with such blessed obligingness
for an outing, and to go eighty-five miles
in New Mexico to "see show" would be
a novelty.
A Nellie BLY, wardrobe was packed when
the wires flashed the news of wreck and
train indefinitely postponed. Samanthy
the inimitable was denied me, but there
was compensation in the ride through
the cool night air. The fertile valley
fields lying between the Queen City and
Bernalillo were mantled in black shadows
with here and there the wan CLEAN of
new fallen water, and from the pretty
plaza nesting in giant cottonwoods to
Los Cerrillos it was water, water every
where, which in this thirsty land where
eyery drop is held in Its heart to event.
ually spring up in plant life, means
granaries filled to bursting, sleek, con-
tented cattle and juicy mutton. 1t was a
glorious night with the moon riding high
on dark blue sea over which tioated the
cloud ships of fairy land.
The busy man who is always anxious to
be real sociable had spoken to about
everybody in the coach and had at last
found his mission in turning sundry seats
topsy turvy and placing therein quar-
tette of long-legged, jolly country boys,
had found a doughnut in the lunch basket
and was quietly munching it; the neat,
little old lady who was "goin' back to
Mississippi to live with her children" had
tied up her head and tucked 1T in the re-
cesses of feather pillow, and the young
man and maiden who knew all about rail
roads were chatting merrily away, while
behind them stalwart, handsome
preacher read his Bible and made notes
on it's margin, when the conductor ran
hurriedly through pulling the warning
bell rope and looking serious. The maiden
knew that all that meant something, and
said 80 and scared the other passengers;
while the young man went forward ITO
find out" The train stopped In the midst
of the waste and all outside was silent as
the grave, save the click, click of steel
somewhere in the misty underworld of the
brake-beams and wheels. Young man
came back and confidentially told the
pretty girl that it was nothing only "a
draw bar"-or some other of the myster-
ious phrases indigenous to railroads and
railroaders.
When the conductor came in was dying
to ask all about it, but he was one of the
noli me tangere kind of officers. Two
men l hold in wholesome awe on rail-
road train, the engineer and the conduc-
tor. One exception l make, and that Is
Conductor Drury, of the branch line from
Lamy to Santa Fe. Drury sheds sort
of home radiance in the car and people
feel at once that it is good to be there and
will be better farther on when the capital
is reached. At Lamy there was delight
full snarl in baggage and the air grew
vislbly blue about the dumping ground.
When finally we steamed out and the
locomotive began that agonizing putting
and believing that signifies tough pull
up steep grade, we ran through pyro.
technic display which even Fireworks
Paine could not excel. With every hoarse
roar from out the black funnel the train
would be wrapped in glory OF fiery
splendor. Stars, arrows, long lines OF
glittering flame and a rain of diamond
sparks. As they fell their colors changed
till the air was full of rubies, amethystE
and sapphires. For miles we ran through
the wondrously beautiful, unearthly night
till we slowed up to the familiar vocifera
tions of the cab-men and hotel-criers.
And here my lovely dream ride had .
sudden and violent termination. had thu
extreme modification of making an un
welcome third in close carriage and thu
way was talked at, talked over and snubb
ed by the two ladies-I knew they wer'
ladies because they wore good clothes ant
, diamonds-was caution. Whether the,
thought / was a Jap, Navajo or lido
they certainly either thought I couldn
understand English rthey Guppyized mi
and considered me of emo consequence"
, don't profess to be of very much, outsia
the buzzum of my family, but though
, while they were making it exceedingly
, uncomfortable for me that if I was
: stranger in a strange land would thinl
it cold welcome. And made solemn
vow that if ever again was sandwiches
in between two cross, sleepy, crank,
r women would either get out and ride OF
|, top with the jolly driver, or walk. An
then the soft lights of the Palace hote
beamed out and faithful John-who is a
much part of the Palace as it's sunshin
and pure air-came out and led me up tn
broad stairway down crimson carpetet
hall to south chamber where everything
was so daintiy clean and clearly swee
that Struggled under the sheets and for
got that there we're top-loftical women il
! the world.
Then in the morning there was tn
, kindly welcome of the Palace landlord
Mr.. Herman Claussen, and the warm hand
shake of his gentle, hospitable little wife
and there was, besides generous slice o
Albuquerque all around. Mr.. and Mrs
Summers Burkhart, w. B. Childers, H. B
G Ferguson, Harry Owen, Frank Clanc
and heaps more, are up here all busy an
all loyal to the Rio Grande queen, an
each and all of them ready to take thei
J. "Alfred David" that there is no malari
in the Rio Grande valley.
***
WITH sAMANTHY ALLEN.
~