Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-10-24
MIR. CUTTERS SURPRISE.
BY ". (. ALDEN.

had ste Oily
mounted ever since. At four o'clock in
the afternoon there was not a breath of
air stirring, and the sky had the tint of
a greasy copper saucepan. My room in
the Jericho hotel was like an oven, and
my nerves were as thoroughly unstrung
AS if had undergone three days of q
Sicilian sirocco. Knowing that my
friend, the station-master,w with his two
hundred and fifty pounds of flesh, must
suffer from the heat even more severely
than myself, 1 hoped to derive some
consolation from his misery, and SO
strolled up to the railway station to
meet him.
] found him sitting in a chair on the
platform of the station, moist, but
cheerful.
"This is what you might call right
smart of a hot day." he remarked. You
Englishmen, living in your everlasting
fog, don't know much about our Mon
tana weather. tell you, when we start
out TO manufacture weather we can just
beat all creation"
''Is this sort of thing usual in this
part of the country?" asked.
''Well, MOI" he replied, 81 can't exactly
say as it is. I've seen the thermometer
considerable higher than it is to-day but
I never saw sky like that before, and
I never wilted under the heat as I've
been whiting since morning. Come
along inside. I'll telegraph up to
Athensville and ask where No. AZ is,
then We'll sit down and have a cigar"
The stationmaster went into the tel
-cgraph office and sat down at the desk
Suddenly / heard a sharp, cracking
noise, and my friend ran out of the Of
flee with a startled expression of face.
"There's an electric storm in the air, !"
he exclaimed, land I don't want to
be too near that instrument if / can
help it. Besides, there's no use in try
ing to telegraph. The wires won't
work, and now I think of it haven't
heard message go through the Office
for the last two hours. Mighty curious
weather this. can't account for it no
how
He dropped into a chair; and almost
at The same moment his dog, big col
lie, came whining into the room, and
cooled himself up in the extreme cor
her, trembling and moaning as if in
pain.
THAT there animal knows that some
things wrong" said the stationmaster,
-''but he amt going to tell what it is.
Well! this weather can't last much long
err. and we'll probably have thunder
storm by sunset"
Tell me something to pass away the
time," said 1. MY nerves are all up
set, and want to forget myself for
awhile if can"
Lets see," said the stationmaster re-
f1ectively; ibid 1 ever tell you about
Jim Cutter, and the way he was
surprised? 1t amt so very much of a
STORY, but perhaps it'll do all the better
for that reason. A story that has got
much to it is mighty thirsty sort of
thing, and there amt anything to drink
here just now except warm water. Well!
here's the story, such as it is, and if
you get tired of listening, just say so,
and I'll put on the brakes.
"Jim Cutter was the conductor of a
freight train on the West Huron rail-
road, and he was one of those chaps
who think that they know it all, and
you can't surprise 'em do what you
will. One night, about ten years ago,
We had one of the most TREMENDOUS
storms that ever blew in the lake re-
gion, and the West Huron track, which
runs for thirty miles or SO alongside of
the lake, was six or ten feet underwa
The day after the storm let up, Jim
started out with his train, and went
feeling his way along the line, looking
out for washouts, and drift wood, and
such, and finding rather more of them
than he wanted. just hold on minute
till / light the lamp. It's grown as
Ozark as winter evening, and it's only
five o'clock. This weather clean beats
net
A sudden darkness had fallen over
Jericho, and while the stationmaster
was lighting his lamp went out on the
platform for look at the sky. The
and vast cloud of inky black had over
spread nearly the whole heavens.
Jim was nearly all day running from
c hicago to Ithaca Center; and just a
little after shutdown, as he came
.xround a curve, he saw a big schooner
lying directly across the track. He
stopped his train and walked up to the
schooner and hailed her. There was
zman on the quarterback a-leaning over
the rail, and says Jim to him:
Who are your
I'm the schooner Matilda G. Smith,
Says the man. Who might you be-?
"I'm the express freight replies
Jim, and I'd like to know what you're
=a-doing on my track
Looks as If I was anchored here,
don't it?' says the man. The schooner
dragged her anchor last night, and
came ashore here where there was
about six feet of water at the time. If
you'll give look around you'll see that
my anchors down, and that I've got
aiding light in my forerigging. all reg
nlar and shipshape. I'm the anchor
watch just at present, my men having
allowed that they'd had enough fun
Hast night to last them for some time,
and having gone on to the next town
In hopes of finding something to drink.
I've got a little old Jamaica in my cabin,
and if you'll come aboard well sample
it.
IT don't want none of your Jamaica
nor yet none of your lip says Jim, put
ting on more or less airs, as was his
general style. what want is to know
when you cal'late to get on my track
and let me take my train up the road
".I did tell one Of the men, replied