The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1896-01-09

don't like the line. / don't like to
travel on a road that has no terminus.
DO you know, sir, | asked a division
superintendent where that road run
to, and he said he hoped to die if he
knew. | asked him if the general SUI
perintendent could tell me, and he
said he didn't believe they had gem
eral superintendent, and if they had,
he didn't know anything more about
the road than the passengers. l asked
him who he reported to, and he said
nobody ] asked a conductor who he
got his orders from, and he said he
didn't take orders from any living
man or dead ghost And when
asked the engineer who he got orders
from, he said, he'd like to see ANYBODY
give him orders; he'd run that train to
suit himself, or he'd run her in the
ditch Now, you see, sir, I'm a rail-
road man, and don't care to run on a
road that has no time, or makes no
connections, runs nowhere, and has no
superintendent. 1t may be all right
but I've railroaded too long to under
stand it,"
Maybe you went to the Congrega-
tioual church," / said.
popular road" said the brakeman
"an old road, too; one Of the very old
est in this country. Good rOad-bed
and comfortable cars. Well managed
road, too; directors don't interfere with
division superintendent and train
orders. Roads mighty popular, but it's
pretty independent, too. Yes, didn'l
one Of the division superintendent:
down East discontinue one of the old.
est stations on this line two or three
years ago? But it's mighty pleas
ant road to travel on. Always has
such splendid class of passengers"
Did you try the Methodist?"I said
Nov you're shouting," he said witt
some enthusiasm. mice road, eh:
| Fast time and plenty of passengers
Engines carry power or steam, ant
and don't you forget it; steam gauge
shows a hundred and enough all til,
time. Lively road when the conductor
| shouts all aboard you can hear hin
to the next station. Every train-ligh,
| shines like headlight. Stop-oyel
checks are given on all through tickets
/ passengers can drop off the train "a of.
! ten as he likes, do the station two o.
three times and hop on the next re
yival train that comes LAUNDERING
along. Good whole-souled, compan
ionable conductors; amt road in tn,
country where the passengers fee
more at home. No passes; every pas
senger pays full traffic rates for hi
ticket. Wesleyan air-brakes on al
trains, too; pretty safe road; but
didn't ride over it yesterday"
"Perhaps you tried the Baptist?"
guessed once more.
"Ah, an" said the breakman, "she'
daisy, amt she? River road, beauti
full curves, sweeps around anything t
keep close to the river, but it
all steel rail and rock BALL. st
single track all the way and not sid,
track from the roundhOuse to the tern
MUS. 1t takes heap of water to rul
it through; double tanks at every sta
ton, and there isn't an engine in tn
shops that can pull pound or run
mile with less than two guages. Blu
it runs through lovely country; thes
river roads always do; river on on
side and hills on the other, and it's
steady climb up the grade all the wa
till the run ends where the fountain
head of the river begins. Yes, sir. Il
take the river road every time for
lovely trip, sure connections and goo
time, and no prairie dust blowing j
at the windows. And yesterday, whe
conductor came around for the ticke,
} with little basket punch,I didn't as
J him to pass me; but paid my fare Xix
a little man; twenty-five cents for a
hours run and little concert by tn
passengers assembled. 1 tell you, pil
grim, you take the river, and when 20
want"
But just here the loud whistle froI
the engine announced a station, an
the brakeman hurried to the doc
shouting:
: "ZiOnsville! This train makes n
stops between here and Indianapolis
. Robert j. Burdette.