The Penn's Grove record., 1896-08-14

way, but when Bill said he was afraii
Johnny turned and walked SQUARED
up 10 him and said quietly: You tai
that back j never knew just how
was done, but BIZ made sone so
Of II feint, and the next moment I'll
big, hulking lubber was lying on til
ground. BIZ didn't seem to kno'
what hit him. Eut he went at Johnn
with such a savage look that a la
without genuine pluck would hay
turned feather. But when Bill la
spra wiling on the ground a second tim
we found out that Johnny was a SC
entifc boxer. There vas an ugly CLEAR
in 'Bill's' eye when he got up, and a
he got close up to Johnny all Of a sud
den he fiourished a big jackknife h
always carried. How he got. 1t GU
OF his pocket l never could tell. H
, made n Iunge, but Johnny lodged clev
erly and the knife just grazed his face
He was on Bill quicker than 1t take
to tell 1t, choking the life out Of him
We started to separate them, but whei
we found that Johnny had 'BilP 8,
that he could not do any damage Will
the knife we let them fight 1t put Bill
finally held up his hand for mercy ant
thon Johnny let him up. After w
got them cooled of Johnny made Bill
shake hands, and, though he didn't
show 1t then, l think afterward Bill
came to think as much of him as tbs
rest of us.
Up the road not very far from AL
bauy there Ia a pretty little farm thai
runs down to the river, and right al
the corner Of 1t was n water tank. II
happened that on this farm there was
a dark eyed little girl who was the
idol OF all the boys along the road.
She wouldn't 6irt with US. but she
used often to come down to the watel
tank and get little packages which
the engineer, who was a friend Of the
family, used to bring down from AL
bany, She was plump and peaehy,
with dark eyebrows and long lashes,
and under them the prettlest pair Of
eyes | ever saw. There wasn't one OF
us who wouldn't have married her
quick If shed had US. But she was
sort o reserved and shysand none OF
us had nerve enough to make love to
her. All except Johnny. All the girls
smiled on Johnny and he smiled on
them. He didn't have to see the lass
twice before he was head over heels
In love with her and 1t wasn't very
long before he made her know all
about it. To WOO was to win with
Johnny, and regular AS his train pass.
ed the farm Jenny-that was the little
danes name-waS always there tC
meet him. We used to chat Johnny
a good deal owe the matter, but we
couldn't get much out of him. Some.
how, through the engineer OF some
body, though, We found out that John
ny was going to marry the girl If he
could get his father to consent. He
couldn't very well marry on the sal
AIRY he vas getting as a raw brake
man.
Things ran along through the sum
mcr and into the fall, and we noticed
that Johnny had got very quiet and
reserved like, and was evidently brood
ing over something. At last we found
u that Johnny had been promised a
raise, and that along about the holi
days he was to be made a passenger
brakeman. and then he was doing to
get married. There wasn't one Of us
that wasn't glad of it, or who envied
him his good luck. The fall stretched
way into the winter, | remember. and
my, wasn't it beautiful weather! You'd
stand up on top of a car, and as the
train wound along the river shore mile
after mile, just drinking IN the air
and view. Braking is a hard life, with
lois OF danger and pretty slim pay.
But those days we'd forget all about
the hardShips and everything else.
Johnny was on the same train with
me and happy as a lark, thinking how
he would marry and, go up to Albany
TO live. l used to notice, though, that
every one in a while his brow would
cloud up, as if he was thinking OF
something that hurt him.
such weather couldn't last, though,
and when the end came, 1t came with
a squat. The thermometer dropped
forty degrees, and a cold, driving rain
that had set in in the afternoon turned
toward night into a drifting, binding
Snow. We had a big train that night,
and with the snow and the sleet and
the cold 1t ave us no end Of trouble.
She parted three or four times going
not more than twenty miles, and 1t was
cold, dangerous work slipping along
the top setting brakes or getting down
to make couplings. The wind howled
and whistled and the snow cut your
face like going through a hedge. 1t
was dark and the lanterns didn't show
plain through the snow, and every
thing seemed to go wrong. Several
times We thought we were stalled in
the drifts, but we'd uncouple and send
the engine and two or three cars
through the drift, and then back up
and take the rest Of the train through.
We wanted to get through to Albany,
for the nex day was a lay off, and two
days after that came Christmas.
johnny and | fought like beavers
against the cold, and, l tell you, 1t was
ticklish work. l felt more anxious
about Johnny than l did about myself,
for l was old at the business and he
was new, and know how easy 1t was
for a sudden jerk 10 send a nan flying
down between the wheels. But John
ny wouldn't listen. He said he wasn't
afraid, and just then the whistle sound
ed down brakes We were sitting in
the caboose, shivering around a dirty
little fire. l had frozen three of my
AngeTs, and l thought my ears were
frosted, too. You see the storm came
so sudden we didn't have time to get
on any mufiers, and the mittens were
pretty thin,
We'll, we climbed out, and Johnny
ran on ahead, saying that he was all
right and he'd take the front. The
cars OF top were as slippery as glass,
and we hal slmost to creep along from
Ii car to another to keep from fall
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