Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-18
Storm OF :

bling along through blind fog OF snow
with Il flying express at our heels gave
on uncanny sensation. The drummer
who had boarded the train at Dubuque
sat mOrosely Or 4 pile OF grips \ couple
of shippers anXiously discussed the pros
poets for getting their stock to market. a.
the entrance of Joe. the brakeman, how
ever. the glum little party seemed to
ihaw. He swung down off the roof in
CHEEKY sort Of fashion.
joe said one of the shippers. ''bs
we going to reach Chicago in time for q
New Years dinner"
Isn't this good enough FOR you 30 live
IN: How'd you like 10 be out braking
tonight
faint no snap, that's fact"
NO, YOU bet it amt" said Joe. decis-
lively. But this amt a patching to what
it is sometimes. Somehow tonight re-
minds me of the night afore New Years
| two years ago. That was when we brought
Johnny tIaines home. Guess you must
n known Johnny" he added turning to
| the shipper
Nope. Heard of him. Go on, Joe.
What was the story"
Not much Of one" Joe replied dep
recatingly. Just n brakcman's yarn.
The first day ever saw Johnny U1ines
l thought he was about the handsomest
| lad | ever set eyes on. lie came up on
| No. on her first trip, and there wasn't a
| girl along the road that hadn't Il smile for
him he went by. One of the follows
told us Johnny belonged to a good family,
but got kicked out for some reason or
/ other"
Joe stopped pulled vigorously at his
| pipe for few minutes, and finally the
rather husky voice went on:
| Up the road not very far from here
there is 4 pretty little farm AMI right at
the corner of it was water tank. It
| happened that on this farm there was a
dark-cyed little girl who was the idol OF
all the boys along the road. To WOO was
TO win with Johnny, and regular rs the
| train passed the farm Jenny was always
there TO meet him. Things ran along
| through the summer and fall, and We
| found out that Johnny had been promised
4 raise. and along about the holidays ne
| was going TO get married. | used to no.
tlcc. though that every once in while
his brow would cloud UP. as if he was
| thinking of something that hurt him.
I'VE had big sain that New Years
| Eve, and with the snow and sleet and
| the cold it gave rs 10 end of trouble. She
parted three or four times, and it was
dangerous work setting brakes or get
ting down to make couplings. Several
times we thought we were stalled in
drifts. We wanted to get through to Chi
| cagO, for the next day was New Years,
| and all hands had a day off Johnny
and L fought like beavers against the
cold. / was more anxious about him than
myself. and was warning him how a sud-
den fling might send Il man flying down
under the wheels, when the whistle sound
| ed down brakes. Johnny ran ahead, the
car tops being slippery as glass L looked
up, and through the snow and the dark |
recognized the water tank. Just at that
moment the train gave frightful jerk,
and | saw the engine go rearing in the
air, lantern swing wildly and go down.
L went fiat on the car and hung there
for dear life. We stopped in ten or TWEEN
~ yards and L swung off the car like
mad.
Something made me feel that Johnny
had gone under the wheels, and when I
crawled ahead few cars there | found
him, lying all white and still. We picked
him up and started To carry him TO the
house-where Jenny lived | saw that
the wheels had gone over both legs 4
white little face came to the door and
looked at Us moment, but Jenny didn'c
faint or cry. We just carried him i'm and
put him on the bed and she took charge
of him. One of the boys rode over to get
doctor. Johnny lay very quiet. until
the doctors examination was finished,
and then pulling Jenny'S hand weakly. he
said in a husky voice, Little girl. want
TO go home And that he insisted on all
the rest of the night. We decided to put