The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-03-02
A LIVE WIRE NOT T A
One Occasion at Least When It Served O
Useful Purpose.

wv 70 a SSAWS$ IN
Useful Purpose.
A reporter was coming down the
street a day or two ago with a man
who lives in a western city, when he
carefully stepped around the end of q
wire lying On the sidewalk, the other
end reaching Up toward the pole that
usually goes with a wire of that de-
scription.
II don't like to take any risks" he
said in explanation.
Il understand" responded his com
panion, land / know that a live wire
is not to be fooled with; but you know,
| have rather a kindly feeling for that
much dreaded occupant of our streets. "
lone killed some fellow to whom
you owe q bill9" inquired the reporter.
mo. One saved the lives of my
wife ard three children, not to mention
the nurse and a dog"
TIE reporter looked i~ncredulous.
1T doesn't seem reasonable" said
the man, but I'll tell you how it was.
/ happened at that time to own a horse
and barouche, and one day my wife
drove down to my Office with the three
children, the nurse and the pug. You
see, our town isn't so big that @ lady
can't drive down town. We had a
good time together. my family and
myself, and after q pleasant call of 10
or Is minutes the mother and bids
went back TO the carriage, and as I
had some work to do I let them go
alone, as they nearly always did. Two
or thrG minutes later I heard a shout
and a scream, and jumping to the
window I saw my rig, with all that I
held dearest, going down the street
full tilt.
Something had frightened the
horse, one that I had hired to take the
place of my own, which was sick, and
he had bolted Just after the party had
got out into the street. For an instant,
as I looked at the wildly c~areering
vehicle, I was completely paraly Fed,
and then, with a yell, I went down
stairs and down the street. There Yves
a drawbridge, open at this hour, with
only a light gate across, five or six
blocks down the street, and I knew
nothing On earth would stop that horse
except the water, 40 feet below the
street, and that meant death to all.
Everybody on the street seemed to un-
derstan6 the situation as well as I did,
but there was 80 little time to act and
the distance was so short that every
effort was unavaIling.
The street was clear, and I could
see the horse and carriage and beyond
it the draw. The next thing / knew
tie horse went down in the street, and,
supposing that all had gone into the
river, l collapsed and fell over in a
faint. When / recovered conscious
ness my wife was standing by my side
with the children around her, and the
sight Of them had such a good ef. ct
Chat I got up at once and Rugged them
in the most emphatic manner.
1t was readily enough explained, ="
concluded the husband and father.
There was a live wire right across the
horses track, not 100 feet from the
draw, dropped by Providence, pre-
sume, and when the horse touched it
he went down and didn't get up any
more. IT was a narrow escape, and
since that time, as l before remarked,
l DO not look upon the live wire of our
streets as entirely without it's redeem
ing traits"
And the reporter, being q bachelor,
wondered if he could afford to cure his
adherence of live wires at such a
nnInn Nnrh1rnNnn SAnm