The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-03-24
HELD UP.

. 1AILIlO UIs
This Is not my story, and I have really
no business to write it. IL belongs to the
railway manager. He ought 10 tell it.
but he won't. A railway manager will
not admit in print that trains are ever
'Fheld mp ON his road, whatever may
happen on the opposition line. Thus it
comes that / have to set down the story,
who should not. Besides I cannot write
IL down in such q way as to indicate the
snap and 60 of the narrative told as by
the railway manager, for he was drunk
at the time, and no sober man, with a
pen In his hand, can emulate the elo-
quence of a railway manager when the
champagne flows.
OF course o sober railway manager
would not tell an incident that might
brighten traffic away from his road, SO
you have to learn these thingsfr from them
when they are half seas over. The story
Ii strictly true, because / related it to
the manager next day Che was suffering
from q headache), and he admitted its
accuracy and said with a groan:
II had no idea I drank so much as
that"
He implored me not to tell the story,
and I will not. I merely writes it. Hang
o man who won't keep his pledged word
with ever a railway managerl
The railway runs through q wild part
of North Carolina, and Tompkins had
been manager of it for some years. 1t is
q picturesque line and gets itself tangled
up among the mountains i'm the most be-
wildering way. The train puffs and
staggers up awful grades, winds and
twists and doubles on itself in the most
confusing fashion, goes round and round
cuplike depressions and seems in general
not to know where it Ia going. But,
like the person In the song, it ssgets there
just the same" The road passes through
some pretty rough settlements, but there
is civilization and wealth at each end of
the line, and this enables the railway to
pay a good salary to the manager, al
though ] never heard that it so Ear forgot
itself as to pay any dividends to theshare-
holders.
Well, n day there was d lot az ma
hobs going east, and as tho manager was
also travelling in that direction he or
dered his private ar hitched to The noon
express, and away they went.
A private car, the manager tells me,
differs from IN ordinary coach and is
superior in some respects even to the
aristocratic Pullman. A good deal OF
course depends on the manager. If the
manageris prohibition man-but. then.
what is the use of discussing the improE
able? Tompkins knows them all, an6he
says q railway manager is content IL the
engine drivers and trainmen are Aeto-
talers, without carrying the temperance
fad to extremes. BY extremes Tomp-
kins a the real end Of the train,
where the managers private a u con
pied. Anyhow I ann given to Under
stand that the interior decorations Of q
managers car are very fine and expen-
sive, including artistic effects In Bur-
gundy, dry champagne, fine delicate
brands of old Kentucky, cigars from
Havana and things Of that sort.
The time of this memorable tripwas 4
few days before Christmas, and people
were going east to Zee their folks, many
OF the travellers having considerable
amounts of money on them. Besides
this, there were 100000 i'm the safe of
the express car going through to New
York. This fact made the manager q
trifie anxious, and it was one OF the
causes that was bringing him east. How
ever, the train would beout of the noun
tains while it was still daylight, 30 the
manager felt no real anxiety.
All the nabobs who amounted to any
thing were in his private car, and they
were enjoying themselves as people
should during that festive season, but
not, IL I understand Tompkins aright,
entirely by admiring the scenery. al
though doubtless that added to their
pleasure.
just as they were In the roughest part
Of the mountains there was q wild shrek
of the whistle, q sudden clamp at Che
airbrakes, and the train, with an ab-
ruptness that was just short Of an acct.
dent, stopped.
What's np?s' cried everybody.
II don't know" said the manager, get
ting q little pale around the gills. You
all stay here, and I'll 60 out and see.
It need hardly be said that none az ths
passengers knew Of the money in the ~
press car.
The manager stepped down from hi
private coach at the rear, and the mo