Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1900-12-05
ARP AT HOME AGAIN
But lie Encountered Some Trouble in
Getting There.
THE RAILROAD CAFES BLOCKED
Bill Takes Passage on Another Line
and Got Home an Hour Late-A Mar.
row Gauge.

Home again and happy. Children
and grandchildren met me ut the
depot and escorted me home, wnere Il
bountful supper was awaiting, and |
asked the same old blessing that |
have been asking for fifty years. only
1t was with unusual gratitude. for |
had been in perils of wind and water
and escaped them. | was weary with
long travel, and now | could rest.
left New Albany at midnight, reached
Birmingham at daylight, only five
minutes late and had five minutes
time to buy 4 ticket for Pell City. and
from there | was to board the East
and West for home. How happy
was. But alas, for human hopes. How
soon they can vanish into despair
There wero about Il hundred big.
black. greasy negro preachers ahead
or me at the ticket office. Their Ban
tist convention had been broken UP.
and they were going nome on the
Southbound train, and had an hour to
go on, but they would not let me ad-
vance an inch. | hurried back to the
gatekeeper and begged him to let mo
in, for my train was waiting. and |
pointed to the crowd of negroes and
told him it was impossible for mo 10
get a ticket. He said he was sorry,
but he had his orders. hurried back
to make one more effort. but big
square shoudered preacher. with
back as broad as barn door. had
dropped n dime on the floor and hal'
dozen were down hunting for it, |
hailed the ticket man. but he never
heard or needed me. Frantic. |
rushed back to the iron gates. and
saw my train slipping off like a snake
h.,
ton would not let me pass "'Gainst
orders, he said Blackstone says
there is a remedy for every wrong. but
there were no railroads in his day, or
he wouldn't have written those lines
had no remedy. and there is none.
What could l do? No train for Pell
city for twelve hours. and none from
Pell City for my home for twenty-fouI
hours. | was so tired and so diSaD-
pointed that | sat down to ruminate
on my valiSe. ] was weak and sad
and pitiful, for there is no diSappoint-
r;@nt SO distressing to me as being
'ert by train when going home. Just
tncn drummer. God bless him, came
up and spoke to me, and said. My
friend, / am pretty much in the came
fix You are, but we can 30 by Chat
tanoOga. for the Alabama Great
Southern is an hour late this morning.
It's schedule is to leave here thirty
minutes before we arrived. but it. has
not cOme yet. and we have half an
hour 10 get our tickets. Those preach
ers are nearly all out OF the way now"
rose TO my feet | saw how it was.
and that / would lose only one hour
in getting home. In my heart I re-
vived, and like David whispered,
Bless the Lord. o my soul"
We got our tickets. and in four
hours We're in Chattanooga. where |
telegraphed my wife, Hold the fort:
I'm coming" And so AIS we'll that
ends well" and no thanks TO those
who manage that iron-bound pen at
Birmingham.
But | found the cutest little narrow
gauge railroad in Mississippi that
have seen in many years | didn't
know there was one left. 1t is called
the Gulf and Chicago railroad. but
they began to build it in the middle
many years ago and built sixty miles
and quit You can ride all day on it
for $3.50. II DOESN'T seem to have any
schedule. and the folks along the line
just wait for ii and seem content
They say. well. it's our road: it s all
We've got. and they do the best they
can. The owners are clever men
and will wait on You half an hour if
you telephone .Iem. They are very
accommodating. especially going
south, for they have no connections TO
make. | boarded that train at Blue
Mountain at 4 y. m. for Pontotoc
where | was to lecture that nigh. at
80 o'clock 1t was only thirty
miles, but we didn't get there until
SIS o'clock, and my audience didn't
give up the ship. They said it was
their road-thcir only road-and they
knew its peculiar ways We stopped
when within three miles OF town. and
after half an hour or so | asked what
was the matter, and was told that the
stenm had given out Before that the
train stopped in the woods somewhere
and then began to back. | vcntured
to ask what was the matter and was
told that the brakeman had droDDed
his cob pipe and they had gone back
TO look for il. Bu- it was a railroad
and | had no right to complain. fol
| remember when there was not a rail
road in the United States. When
was seven years old came from Bos-
ton to Georgia overland in carriage
with nay father and mother 200
miles, ana we never crossed rail-
road, for there was not ono to cross
and now there are 10000 miles in
these United states. No, | am happy
on the way on any railroad. even ii it
is thirty miles short and four hours
Ions. 1t beats tho old stage coach
> long ways. ] tried buggy team
from Ripley to Blue Mount. only a
siX-mile drive, and like to have got