Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-08-19


way, but when 'Bill' said he was afraid
up to him and said quietly: You take
that back I never knew just how il
| was done, but BIZ made some SORT
| OF feint, and the next moment the
big. hulking lubber was lying on the
ground. BIZ didn't seem to know
| what hit him. But he went at Johnny
with such a savage look that a lad
without genuine pluck would have
| turned feather. But when Bill lay
spra wiling on the ground second time
we found out that Johnny WAS a sci.
| entific boxer. There was an ugly CLEAN
! in 'BilPs' eye when he got up, and al
he got close up to Johnny all Of sud
den he fiourished a big Jackknife he
always carried. How he got II out
| of his pocket I never could tell. He
/ made a lunge, but Johnny lodged clev-
| erly and the knife just gra1ed his face.
He was on 'BilP quicker than 1t takes
to tell it, choking the life out Of him.
We started to separate them. but when
we found that Johnny had Bill so
that he could not do any damage with
the knife we let them fight 1t out. 'Bilr
finally held up his hand for mercy and
then Johnny let him up. After We
got them cooled OF Johnny made 'Bilr
shake hands, and, though he didn't
show 1t then, 1 think afterward Bill
came TO think as much OF him as the
rest of us.
up the road not very far from AL.
bany there Is a pretty little farm that
runs down to the river. and right at
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 flirt with US, but she
used often to come down to the water
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 peachy,
with dark eyebrows and long lashes,
and under them the prettiest pair of
eyes l ever saw. There wasn't one Of
us who wouldn't have married her
quick II she'd had us. But she was
sort o. reserved and shy and none OF
Us had nerve enough to make love to
her. All except Johnny. All the girls
smiled on Johnny and he smiled oD
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 ali
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 tO
meet him. We used to chaff Johnny
a good deal over the matter, but we
couldn't get much out OF him. Some
how, through the engineer or some
body, though, we found out that John
ny was going to marry the girl II he
could get his father TO consent He
couldn't very well marry on the sal
airy he was getting as raw brake
man.
Things ran along through the sum
mer 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
out that Johnny had been promised q
raise, and that along about the holt
days he WaS 10 be made q passenger
brakeman, and then he was doing to
get married. There wasn't one OF us
that wasn't glad of 1t, or who envied
lin his good luck. The fall stretched
way into the winter, l remember. and
my. wasn't il beautiful wea thrr. 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
lots 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 lark, thinking how
he would marry and 20 UP to Albany
to live. l used to notice. though, thaI
every once in 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, II came with
a Squall The thermometer dropped
forty degrees. and 4 cold, driving rain
that had set in in the afternoon turned
toward night into drifting. binding
snow. We had a big train that night.
the cold it gave US no end Of trouble
She parted three or four times going
not more than twenty miles, and it 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 so 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 next day was a lay off, and two
days after that came Christmas
Johnny and l fought like beavers
against the cold, and, tell you, 1t was
ticklish work. felt more anxious
about Johnny than did about myself,
for | was old at the business and he
was new, and know how easy it was
for a sudden jerk to send a man 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
finEsrs. and l thought my ears were
frosted, too. You see the storm came
so sudden we didn't have time to get
on any muffiers, and the mittens were
pretty thin.
well, we climbed out. and Johnn,
ran on ahead, saying that he was al,
right and he'd take the front. The
cars on Top were as slippery as glass,
and We haI almost to creep along from
one car TO another TO keep from fall