The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-22
STRANGE INCIDENT OF TRAVEL
Train Lost and Caught Again-Situa-
ton Was Very TIcklish.

IN the keeping of a gentleman with whom
l have Travelled many a mile-James Wi
| ley, who was always my advance man,
having to erect the chimes and have all
ready for my arrival. He was always very
kind to me, procuring my tickets. handling
! my baggage and any other acts of kind
ness. On March 10 we started for Balt-
more, my friend making complete arrange
| meuts for the journey We had a tiresome
! ride to Cincinnati, which we reached on
| the following morning in time 10 get the
| next train for Pittsburg. My friends, de-
| sirous of a good nights rest procured
| tickets for a sleeper. l am not fond OF
| being closed up in a close car but on THIS
occasion l submitted to the arrangement
| of my friend. We were allotted our re-
| spective berths, 1 No and my friend
| No. 8. l will never forget the numbers,
! and | have been rather shy of odd num-
| bers ever since. We turned in early, my
| friend going TO sleep as soon as his head
| touched the pillow. 1 rolled and pitched
| with every lurch of the train. 1t must
| have been an express train, for l remem-
| Der that we made but few stops; but che
| of them / will remember as long as live.
! 1t was rather longer, 1 thought, than nee
] essary, and l finally put my head outside
| of the curtains to ask the porter where
we were. He answered politely, Col1m-
| bus, sir. What time is it?' / next inquir-
| ed. Twelve o'clock. sir, was the answer.
| l then decided that l would go out to the
next car and have a good smoke. The
| car was very close and warm, so l simply
| put on my linen buster, smoking jacket
and slippers. / got into the next car with
out being perceived by the porter, lit my
| pipe and had a good smoke. OF course.
| there was the usual noise of humping ana
| banging that always accompanies the ar
| rangement of cars about railway sta
| ton, which gave me no concern. Suddenly
| l felt a heavy bump, then smart pun
and off we went at a brisk rate, as l inn
| agned, to make up for lost time.
| Tickets, gentlemen said the conduc-
tor as he advanced toward me- He looked
| at me in a strange sort of way when L
told him that my travelling companion in
| No. of the sleeping car would give MN
my ticket. He asked, in drawing man.
ner: Were you a passenger in the sleep
ing car from CINCINNATI? / responded that
l was, when he blurted out TO my conster-
nation: Sir, you have been left Your
sleeper pulled out ten minutes ahead of
| this train.
Can you imagine my sensations? An
| unutterable woe was written on every line
| of my face, and l half-believe that my
heart stopped beating.
1.-THE conductor, seeing my dilemma, said
! to me very kindly: Old gentleman, l will
talk with you after l collect my fares
Imagine my fix; sitting in a train, ten
minutes behind one l had paid my fare on;
| my warmer clothing becoming more and
more necessary every moment as we sped
| northward; with the prospect of finally
making my way through the city to my
home clad in slippers and a linen buster.
| hours after my ownerless grip, overcoat
| and possessions generally, had reached
| their destination Not only this. but i'm
| agined my companion getting up in the
| morning as he would at Pittsburg, 70 peep
into No. Z, and not finding me there. Then
he would imagine that had gone to the
Mushroom, and I thought of his conster-
nation as he found that l was not there,
| either.
ITO his inquiries the porter would know
nothing. beyond that he had spoken to me
at midnight as we reached Columbus.
| Then 1 imagined that he would suspect
that l had fallen from the platform in
| the night or, my heart stood still at the
| thought would he suspect me of com
| hitting suicide? My reveries were get
| ting anything but pleasant and l was re-
| lieved when the door opened and the con-
ductor entered He sat down beside me,
| saving, We'll, old gentleman, let's talk
| business I told him of my coming to the
| smoker to enjoy a pipe load of tobacco,
| and of the predicament l was in. Well
said he, you are in an ugly fix, and l will
do everything in my power to straighten
things OUT
Your train started ten minutes ahead
of us, as 1 told you, and that means as
many miles. Now, / viii get the engineer
to try to gain little on her at every sta
ton, and we may catch the runaway yet
Then began the most exciting series
| of episodes that ever happened to me i'm
my long and adventurous life and though
ludicrous enough now, on that night the
most miserable man in the world was
James Mellon, the chimer of st. Vincent's
| Some time elapsed before the conductor
returned When he did, 1t was with
hurried call of This way, old man. 1
| jumped like youth, and made my way to
the platform. There she is yelled the
conductor who, by this time, was as OK
| cited as myself We came to a stop 100
| wards behind the train. and / jumped from
| the engine and started at a dead run for
my train, which stood 500 yards up the
| track, while my friend, the conductor,
frantically waved his light in an effort to
hold the train until l could get aboard.
! The signals miscarred, alas, and l arriv-
ed GREATNESS and footsore on the spot
where the train had been. only to see its
rear lights disappearing around bend
! in the road Slowly | returned, stumbling
in the dark over sleepers and jagged rocks,
until my poor feet with only thin-soled
| slippers to protect them, were painfully
cut and scratched. We reached our train
as the engineer finished taking water, and
| started again on our long chase.
"A half hour later l was again sum-
moned to the front platform; again the
| train stopped and again I plunged into
| the darkness 10 overtake my truant train.
| Again | returned footsore and weary, for
! the train had pulled majestcally away
! within 800 feet of me.
| "As we again returned to our train the
| conductor discussed for a minute the
| chances of our overtaking that runaway
| sleeper. Tom said he to the engineer,
| do YOU think you can catch up to her at
| the next station?' I'm almost sure of it,
he replied to my infinite satisfaction. She
! has a hot box, so I'm sure to catch her
| NV heart leaped at that word hot box
| for it meant delay for the train ahead.
THE race then became intensely absorb
| ing and my heart throbbed with every
! half stroke Of the engine. ! could have
| taken hold of that lever and risked my life
! in throwing the throttle wide open. Any
| thing to catch that train. Suddenly l was
| called to the platform by the conductor
CRYING 'Now's your chance, old man;
wen catch her sure lie raised his Ian
| tern, gave some sort Of signal, when-joy
| ioy,-it was returned from the platform of
| nv train ahead. He sees us. you're all
| rioht said he 10 me- empha sizing his ut