Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-04-15

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pass through the corridors. and down
the stair-cases. into the office, where
we await the coming of the car which
connects the town with the station a
mile distant. Here We are surrounded
By friendly fellow-guests. and here the
faal good-byes are given In few
minutes our car comes trolleyiog along;
we take our seats therein, attended by
couple of friends who will see Us
aboard the train; the bell sounds and
we start; last adieus are waved across
the widening distance-and our late
abiding-place has vanished
At $50. duly il possession of the
section of the sleeper to which our
ticket gave US entrance, the train pull
ed out. and We were fairly started on
the homeward journey. The Southern
Railway has excellent service. and its
roadbed is perfect. TIE passage
through the mountain gorges is as
smooth and pleasant as over the older
roads traversing the prairies of the
Middle West. One is unconscious of
the high rate of speed as he sits in his
luxurious coach. and it seems ineredi-
bic that he is being hurled through a
mile of space each minute-86 feet
every second! Il comes mighty Eigh
to flying!
At Knoxville. about Z o'clock, the
train halted twenty minutes for sup
per-" [ had taken a lunch on the buff
fet, and so the inviting sound OF the
hotel gong had no charms for me; but
to relieve the tedium of the wait We left
the car and walked the platform while
the hungry passengers were being fed
After they had passed into the dining
room another train pulled in between
Us and them. pulling out just as the
supper was concluded. Our prone
made ending shortly after. we returned
to the sleeper, and I sought the smok-
ing-room. AS l passed the toilet
room, saw a gentleman of about my
size and age at the lavatory endeaTor-
ing to staunch the fow of blood from
his wounded nose. He was consider
ably excited and bare-headed. He had
gone with the crowd into the dining
room, satisfied his inner man, and just
as be came out the door saw what he
presumed to be his train moving out.
He held in his hand a satchel and um-
brella, which he had taken with him
for safe-keepirg, but managed to grab
the platform guard and climb aboard.
As he was about to enter the car an
employe, after question or two, in
formed him that he was on the wrong
train. Then our friend Of the grip
and umbrella jumped and-landed on
his nose, breaking that appendage to
his face. as well as the umbrella.
while the aforesaid grip, with his hat
went flying into the gloomy space OF
night. He recovered the grip, but his
hat had gone beyond his vision. He
was an undertaken from Battle Creek,
Mich, and was conveying a corpse
| from Asheville to the said town. Hence
the necessity of his getting of the
wrong train, even at the hazard of
making two corpses where there had
before been but one. We hope his
friends at home. when they view his
battered and swollen proboscis will
give full credit to his true explanation
of the mfshap which befel him.
The Southern joins the Queen and
Crescent at Hartman Junction, and,
owing to peculiar conditions not at
taching to the ordinary traveller, had
to leave the car at the latter station
ilong enough to procure transportation
to Cincinnati. Now. with the untoward
example of the undertaken so close at
hand, I didn't want any mishap; and,
knowing the proueness OF trains TO
make their stops long or short in per-
feet disregard to the demands OF pas
sengers, l was rot a little troubled in
nv mind. 1 must have the tickets,
lbut what would avail a pocket-full OF
them if the train should slylv slide out
while was inside transacting my
1 business with the agent2 I had been
told, before leaving Asheville, that a
stop of ten minutes would be made at
4 the Junction; but the agent said FIVE
minutes: and now the porter said
..'bout a minnet." The night was dark,
saud one who wears spectacles IS very
i uu-catlike in his powers of vision.
There might be half-a-dozen trains
pushing, putting, filing and backing
lin front of the station, and how was a
fellow who left one of them and enter
ed the office, to know when he came
lout the particular one to which
lhe belonged? For time there was
trouble on the old mans mind" but
i when l told the conductor about 1t. he
scattered it TO the four winds of East
Tennessee. ssTbat'I be all right, 81
I said he; 81 register there. and / will
take care not to get through my buss-
/ ness before you have your tickets: and
Il