The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1899-11-28

5z1EFIIT&sSS4 be Just little
@ " 91V w ~ country village
boys Of ten years OF age and of twenty
years ago.
It was 4 Saturday afternoon half
holiday that Ell came over to my
house, long before I had finished nv
stint Of pilins mp wood. and an
nounced, between glsps, "Oh, come
on; les 90 down 20 the Central Rail
road. They g0in 20 sell hull rail
road down there az auction. Just think
Of il, hull railroad.
L looked in dismay ct the IMPLIED
wood and wished that I'll worked IN
the morning and finished NJ. but Ed
turned 20, ike I good fellow. and by
the time We were through and had
proceeded with tho unagulled speed
ot barefooted small boys down street.
the corridors and porrhes ot tn, little
country village hotel were alive with
handsomely dres aed and prosperous
looking strangers, who were gathered
N groups, talking earnestly together
or paced IN couples up and down the
vernndas IN quiet consultation.
The right of wlv aut assets Of the
partly graded but still tracliIess. i'll
fated Pennsylvania Il Sodus Bay Rail
road were TO be sold, ut three o'clock.
TO the highest bidder, 10 wind up the
affairs OF the unfortunate original
company, and the reason that the Inn
pOrtant transaction was To take place
IN the Little country village was be
cause the place CHANGED ~ be about
midway of tbs proposed line, or. per
haps, because two OF three OF the
leading promoters Of the company re-
sided there
[ never have understood exactly
what vital interest Ed and could have
had IN that occasion, but crowds and
small boys can usually be found IN the
same neIghborhCod, and, as I remen
Der 1t, We felt Is excited over the affair
as the most deeply involved stock
holder, or the shrewiest railroad ma
nate present.
We lodged here and there amonr
the men and listened, open -mourhed.
to the technical talk of the railroad
people. While tue sale vas still some
distance OF. Ell told me. with abs0-
lutte certainty, how much the short.
plump man With the white side whisx-
ers had instructed the tall. slim young
man to bid the limit of what the w0r-
rIed looking man with the high hat on
the back of his head would pav. and
what the Southern Central man had
told the Northern Central man he
would agree to IN case they could come
to an understanding and bid together
No one ever pays any attention to boys
any way. They may hear. but Of
course they dou't understand.
The assemblaga was to be called 70
order IN ten minutes, and Ed and I
were standing on the edge of the hotel
steps, when a very modest turnout
drove slowly up IN front Of the hotel
and stopped
The horse was one Of those round.
fat lazy old family animals who can 2
and won't 90 over about go fast under
any circumstances, and be was Li-chst
TO IN old-fashI0ned, -wJ-sea5ed demo
cra5 wagon, IN which were crowded
party Of three gentlemen and two
ladies'. We did not pay much lt5eu-
ton b. the new arrival, not IN any wa7
connecting the party with the auction
Of the railroad.
They liigh-ed from the wagon and
stood IN a little group while the gen
tlemsn had some Conversation with
the Iandlgrd.
CAVITY find somebody to drive
him bacI?' 7 heard the Oldest of the
men ask.
The landlord turned AMI rrlncaE
about the crowded uilzzas Nv own
help Is all busy, be said. "lnf T can e.
4unra 1rvrr9v F -rTfa-r " r "a, ..r. , .. g.