The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-06-24
YEARLY JUMBO PICNIC
Biggest Picnic of the Year of Santa
F'e Shops Employees.
A TRIP OYER TO LEAVENWORTH.
How Saturday Was spent at the
Soldiers H me-Fifteen Hundred
People Have a Good Time.

HOW saturday was spent AT Gho
Soldiers H me-Fifteen Hundred
People Have a Good Time.
When Teddy Mcdonald awoke Satur-
day morning he awoke with a start. At
first he couldn't understand it and won
dering what on earth made him wake up
so early prepared to find a cooler spot
and 60 to sleep again when it flashed
across his mind that this was the day of
the excursion. In less than two seconds
Teddy was on his feet in the middle of
his upstairs room with his eyes wide
open. He had been waiting for this
day for three months and he didn't
propose to lose a minute of it. 1t was
not time by twelve hours for his weekly
constitutional but this was an occasion
of moment and suspending the rules for
once he turned the pitcher upside down
and apparently wrong side out above his
head of auburn locks, regardless of the
ceiling below and rubbed himself thor
Oughly with a large coarse towel.
He was ready then for his checked
shirt his plaid four in hand, his speck-
led vest, his light trousers and his blue
sack coat Having laced the shoes he had
tan polished with banana peel the night
before he snatched his broad straw hat
off the peg in the closet, and was ready
to tear down stairs and kick because
breakfast wasn't ready and his lunch
put up.
Teddy is a mechanics apprentice in
good standing. His reason for waking
before daylight had hardly arrived, was
that he was going to Leavenworth on the
Santa Fe shopmen's excursion, and Ka-
tie Blossom, by odds the smoothest girl
in the Second ward, was to be his COM
pany.
There were to have been three sections
of the train but two of eleven coaches
each were enough and though the first
was not to leave till 6 o'clock, it was
hardly half past five before Katie was
being almost dragged along by the arm
by her affectionate but excited escort.
When she had reached the depot and
the train was not yet in sight it took a
full minute to get the left sleeve of her
pretty light lawn in anything like its
former shape, her broad white hat rear
ranged and after she had given parting
tug to the broad pink ribbon that did
duty as a sash, she felt dressed again.
Teddy had her in a seat before the
train had hardly stopped and suffered
from the most aggravated case of impa-
thence till it had started again.
The trip was uneventfuL Teddy was
in great spirits and Katie, who had sci.
OOA El0u6n On d EdllEOAQ DSIOr0 was Gu
rious.
What made the train run so slow
thereP" she wanted to know, and Teddy,
with an ungallant wink at the young man
behind him, told her it was because there
was weak spot in the ground, and Ka-
tie, whose faith in Teddy's wisdom often
led her into error, believed him.
1t was sometime before they ventured
around the curve at the Wilder Y and
Teddy explained with great gravity that
it was necessary to bend the track for
half a mile but he wouldn't let Katie go
out and see it done However, she was
allowed to get out and gather flowers at
Bonner while the second section caught
up and pinned a beautiful wild rose on
Teddy's coat, which he threw away at
the first opportunity and told her he had
lost it
When the trains with the 1900 people
reached the Soldiers home the excur-
sionists were delighted and happy, even
if their teeth were full of einders and
their eyes were full Of dirt.
They piled of the trains with their