The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-10-11
Observation-Disclosures
: The Doctor Of The SuQnp
The Swamp Swallowed the Loco
= motive, and the Lake Swal-
= lowed the Swamp.
py MORLEY ROBERTS.
q COPYRIGHT

lIIIIIIIIlIulIIIIIIIInIlIlIlIIlIIIIIIlIlIlIllIp
rs was undoubtedly a swamp.

u L.,
cut sods from the moss with short
handled shovels.
North Of them stretched the mighty
prairies, not yet yielding corn, for half
thousand miles. Beyond the prairie
lay the muskeg, the barren lands Of
northern Canada, haunt of the red
eyed, matted musk OK, Of the moose
and caribou.
South was Lake Superior, silver
Green sea, quiet, unruffled and tremen-
l-dous. Upon its shores thousands OF
men we're working at the making of a
railroad, part Of Britain's steel girdlc
round the world.
But now it was on the anvil, and the
nature Of things was bucking against
the intention of man, and every now
and again Fate pipped card played
by the engineers, and this happened
sometimes just as the G. 2. R., man
was reaching out his hand to collar
the stakes.
"a swamp, it is true" said the sur
yeyor, .'but nothing serious. Let the
engineers look to it"
They shifted ahead and measured
the rotund earth and left the swamp
behind them. And a spell Of dry wealth
er took the engineers in. 1t even took
Archer in, who was not truly an en-:
gineer, but a man who. understood
things generally and often was hard
est driving when he was as invisible
as steam in the cylinder.
"Get on, get on" said Archer, who
was a real chunk Of milestone grit, orig
inally from Yorkshire and American
lied till he bit like a file into any op-
position.
81 just mean having it DONE" was
Archer.s motto, and it was forever in
his mouth.
ssHe meant iaving it done" should
be his epitaph and perhaps will be by
and by when 1t gets done finally.
So when the swamp spread out he
Jumped on it and declared decisively
that it wasn't a swamp at all, or, if it
was, It wasn't much Of one. And If
it was much Of one he didn't care.
s1The railroad goes over. it," said
Archer, for he wanted that section
through, and in his mind was the no
ton Of the driving Of the last spike,
which represents heavenly attainment
and paradise to railroad men.
And the railroad did so over it. and
then Archer said:
81 told you so. Hurry up, now; hur-
~ up.p
AS everybody had been hurrying up
till the horizon danced the men grunt-
ed a little. And Archer slid east on q
train ON business and wasn't back for
three days. AS be returned it rained
in gentle, insinuating way. good for
crops and soothing to the farmers
mind as it was long time from har-
vest. But it did not soothe Archer, who
wanted nice, dry, warmish weather, as
he knew men, if they worked at all,
never worked as we'll in rain, for when
q man is thinking about himself 1t
takes his mind away from his shovel,
and he who would shift Is cubic yards
Of "dirt'' in ten hours will come down
to shifting only y or less.
He got out at Nepijon.
"It's bit damp, Mr.. Archer" said
man loafng there on the platform.
'IIumphw said Archer.
..4And they do say there amt no rail-
road on that swampy patch" said the
'Nepijon man.
'What?"
&! '.No railroad on that swamp piece,
said" returned Nepijon. splitting
"Gone through
/ "The deucew cried Archer, and, go
ing to bis Office, he found q few tele-
grams, reading:
! /. "Swamp looks very shaky."
8 2. Swamp too soft Can hardly rur
the gravel train over it."
3. "Road gone in. Locomotive gone
with it. Wire instructions"
Archer went outside and shook his
fist at Nature and swore little very
softly and O. little not loud and, get
ting on the locomotive with the engi
neer, went like the wind on visit OF
inspection.
81 own it freely" said the man, with
his hand on the lever as the engine
fed west like a squattering duck. 81
own it freely, Mr.. Archer, but never
had no confidence in that swamp"
''Nor me-" said the fireman.
The engineer shut his left side sub
ordinate up with frown Ct surprise
which was like blow with clinkel
rake.
"You didn't, eh?" said Archer. "Ant
why not?"
"Waal, Mr.. Archer, it's this way,
returned the engineer: II felt that she
didn't trust it. And when n mans en-
CINE don't trust the road, but gets on
a nervous formulation, like a horse OF
a plank bridge that's bendy, a man
hasn't the proper confidence neither"
''Humph!" growled Archer.
'eThat's So" said the engineer rs he
peered ahead through the rain, which
was now coming down "kersplosh.'
The lake was lost under q black
suuall, but here and there it showed
a thunderous green, like live swamp
green and mucky, in hard dried fen
The roads bitches were full of water