The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-16
A PALACE CAR WAIF.

Tho Pacific overland, west bound, pulled
out of tho station ut Medicine Bow and
Strengthened for tho run across tho Lara
mic plains to Rawlins. Down through
tho gap where tho North Plato breaks tho
barrier of the Rockies tho north wind
cnmo sweeping, bearing before it great
drifts of snow that oddicd and swirled
about the cabs of tho two locomotives but
with no sign as yet of banking up on tho
track
The engines, pulling and blowing made
bravo way against tho blizzard, and from
tho cab Of the foremost tho engineer looked
out, kcon eyed, against tho blast, though
tho bits of leo in tho wind stung his face
like tho flicks of whip. Tho fromen.
swnrt wi coal dust and stripped to their
undersh !, even In that temperature,
steadily pit their fires going, and now
and again bent low to tho furnace doors
to melt from their hair tho iciclos formed
Of tho pcrspiration which ran from their
open pores and frozo us it ran.
In tho smoking room of tho last sleeper
Of tho train lttlo Dickoy Culver dozed as
the night fell, arousing himself now and
again to look out with great WEAKNESS
upon tho white waste. Little Dickcy
Culver had arrived ut tho dignity Of va
cation and had taken 1t in q trip to Chi
cago.
Its devilish queer tasto, Mt this time of
year." Fessenden had said to tho boys at
the club after n night of seeing Dickey off,
'but man must take his vacation when
1t comes, and suppose wo all feel long
ing to get back into tho world once in
awhile. know 1 look forward to rein
carnation myself some day."
Dickey had his vacation, ut nil events,
In no ruI,i to,
kind Of way-and now no was on his way
back to San Francisco, finding tho road
almost interminablc in tho wintry weather
You see, there is always so much to look
forward,to for Californian who comes
back.
Night comes down fnst upon tho Lar
amiO plains when it comes bearing q bliz-
zard, and as the darkness closed In tho
wind arose, moaning and shrieking tho
chorus of the lost. 1t dashed leo particles
against the double windows of tho cor,
and there was n shiyery feeling in it's mil
lion voices, though no touch of it came
into tho snug smoking compartment of the
sleeper
The porter cnmo in presently, touched
button and lighted the incandescont lights
That shut out tho sight of tho sweeping
drifts of the blizzard, but could not shut
out the moaning of tho wind nor tho beat
ing of tho ice PARTICLES against tho win
dows
cts n beastly night, porter" Dickoy
said in sheer desperation for somebody to
talk to.
Oats right, boss. Hits the wust run
Two had this fall. -
Ho went out feeling tho samo human
raving for company in tho storm that
Dickey did, but finding 1t moro to his lil,
ing in the porter of tho next car forward
Then Dickey dozed again.
Ho was the only passenger in tho chr, rs
1t chanced md winter travel over the Pa
cifo railroads is droary business, oven
when thcro is plenty of company. Present
" he shook himself together and lighted II
cignr. Then he looked out into the dark
ness. There was a curve in tho track just
there, and no saw tho two brave engines
beating their way into the teeth of tho
wind, fighting il down, and tho long train,
like great serpent of fire, defllod before
him. Then tho engines vanished into q
cloud of steam, lurid with their own pass
ing fires, and the lights were gono into the
darkness.
Tho axles creaked and strained tho
wailing of tho storms voices WAS unceas-
ing, but the engines beat their way for
ward steadily. They seemed almost to
bound into tho darkness, to advance by a
succession of leaps, and In tho train be-
hind them the passengers were propasing
for bod as naturally as though they had