The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1896-10-02
A BRAKEMAN'S STORY

| the long frpiSnt tram would come Ia
a Standstill with IN abrupt, awkward
| jerk we could almost hear the biz.
| drifting flakes as they fell. Not Il
| breath of air was stirring and :hc big,
| round moon filtered down through The
| snowStOrm with Il white, SGftcnuu light
that revealed nearby objects in 4
| strange, ghoStly sort OF 4 way. The
| Soft-coal fire that Spluttcrcd ntfu(ly i'll
| the oldfaShioncd cast iron upright
stove lacked cheer enough to break
the spell of the outside air. Without
| knowing precisely why. we sat mostly
| in silence or mutjcrcd an occasional
monosyllabic observation as 10 how
soon We might reach Jersey City. We
| were four hours behind time and some
| whore back of us we knew was the
West Shore express, likewise behind
| time and cndcavoring to make up
| something Of its lost run.
Sitting in the little rcd CabooSc in
the rear of the big freight train. rum
bling along through 4 blind fog OF
| snow with flying express IL our heels
gave IN uncanHy sensation that |. for
one. did not relish in the least. The
drummer who had boarded the train
at NcwburE sat moroScly on Il pile
of grips. which afforded him Il softer
seat than the hard. wooden bnnchr.
strung along the sides of the car. \
couple of shippers anXiously discussed
the prospects for getting their stock
TO market without having them half
frozen TO death.
At the entrance Of Joe, the brake
man. however, the Elum little party
seemed to tl!aw at once. He swung
down off the roof of the las; box car
and in through the door in Il CHEEKY
wholesome sort of fashion that warm
ed us at once.
Joe" said one of the shippers, ''bc
we going to reach Jersey City aforc
ChristmaS:"
isn't this good enough for YOU to
live in? How'd YOU like to be out
brakinc to-night;"
""raint no snap, that's fact" the
shipper asscntcd.
NO. YOU bet it amt" said Joe. de-
clsircly. "But this amt Il patching to
what il is sometimes"
Something in the manner in which
Joe carefully hllcd his cob pipe. took
! Il BIT nf stick from til" floor. puird it
into the fire and lit his pipe slowly
and thouGhlfil!y, Indicated that Il story
was coming.
strange" said Joe 3t last. with Il
ruminant look into the fire and long.
steady pull ut his pipe, somehow to-
night reminds me Of the day aforc
Christmas two years ago. That was
hnn Ir,r,,ht J,h JI.,;,
Guess YOU must Il known Johnny" lie
| added, turning to the shipper.
"Nopc. Heard Of him. Go on. Joe
What was the story"
Not much of one" Joe replied de-
| prccatingly. Just Il brakcman'S warm.
J only its little out OF the common
run. The first day | ever saw Iohnny
lIaincs | though; he was about th"
handSomcSt lad | ever srt eyes on.
He came up on No. q on her first "trip.
| We used Ia meet often Ilp and down
| the road ana got - know each other
pretty we'll. He was one Of these lads
with fresh. pink and white COM
! plcXion ana 4 jolly laugh that made
you warm u? To him at once. lie was
! straight and strong. and when he used
to stand iluntily on top OF the car. tho
| train S"inc forty miles an hour ana
he not seeming to think il WAS moving
| mt all. thor" wasn't girl along Tie
! road that hadn't Il .smii" for him rs ne
went Ay. Til" lad Was> anxious to stick
| and worked hard. ana. as hr kept his
! mouth shut pretty close. /. wa# Il lra.:
! time before "" fruni uUt arYih,n,,
! ahnut who he was H.. hal little wa,.,
| ahnu' him tha' made us think one" in
! Il Wh;Ir ;hn, hr hadn't hcrn brought
! UP - work. ana his hands ~ first wur"
! aS SOFT and whit" aS Il girls. one
/ of III" fellows told lis Il story Of how
Johnny belonged - Il god family, but
! got kicked uut for some reason 0,'
| other. but W" always Thought he made
| ii up. and. in fact. we never did lind
out his story until jhat night. | mean
the night we took him home"
Joe stopped, pulled vigorously Il. his
! pipe for Il few minutes. hlink"d rather
suspiriollSly several times. and finally
! The rather husky voice went on:
'It seems that III. lads name wasn't
IIain"S N all. II look tha, 80 con
/ crl' his own. !;ts i.:',' namr really
/ wl>, .ipA1H.. "a. i-'3. "n'!. Is thai
, gas WuI, c!rryhpiy called him, IN,
last didn't Sr"ln - max" - Eurh diff
ference. When Er first came on III,
road he was, n Ii,rlr past 20. ana hi,
G3cn. boyi~h ways rAiIr som, Of til,
fellows guy him ana want ." play
tricks on him "l first. Eut il didn't
TAX" them long - linl o@: TN 4tn@haC
u! my al mritir \ gang of lis Wrr,