The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1900-11-30
ARP TAKES A TRIP.
Goes Over First Railroad He Ever
Saw or Travelled Over.
His Father Helped to Build It-Old
Scenes Call Up the Memories OF
the Old Uays-A Little
stock Deal.

old Georgia railroad from Atlanta to
Augusta. 1t was the first railroad
ever saw and travelled on. My good
old father was one of the original stock
holders. He subscribed $4,000 and paid
it as it was called for. In those days
roads were not built on bonds or ques-
tionable, mysterious schemes. There
was no preferred stock or income bonds
or first and second mortgages, but ev-
erything was simple, plain and honest.
/ have great reverence for that road.
l lived in Lawrenceville while it was
being built. Stone Mountain was our
nearest depot, and it was there l first
ventured to board a train as journeyed
to Athens to enter college. How
solemn, how inspiring was that ride. l
remember that it seemed to me that
the trees and fences and farms and hab-
itations were all moving swiftly back
wards, while the train seemed to be
still and quivering on its track. had
the same feeling the first time I ever
went up in an elevator. 1t was at the
Gilsey house, in New York, and 1 was
not conscious of going up, but thought
the hotel was rapidly descending into
some subterranean cavity. Young peo-
pie nowadays have no such experience.
They do not remember the time when
there We're no railroads or telegraphs.
nor sewing machines or cooking stoves,
or matches or steel pens, and therefore
they cannot appreciate or be grateful
for. the blessings they enjoy.
AS we neared Stone Mountain and
looked upon its bald, majestic sum-
init | was carried back in memory to
the delightful days of my youth, when
nearly 60 years ago that mountain was
our trysting place, and boys and
girls journeyed there 16 miles from
Lawrenceyille and spent happy day
and while there and on the way we
reveled in loves young dream and eyes
looked love to eyes that spoke again.
l remember when there was a tower
on that mountains top-a tower 100
feet high whose slender top did some
times touch the clouds, and it was built
by Aaron Cloud, whose very name made
him fitting architect. 1t was the first
skyscraper ever built in Georgia. I re-
member the delightful day when bru-
nette lassie with hazel eyes and Indian
hair assembled those winding stairs with
me, and as we sat together on its dizzy
pinnacle thought | was little nearer
heaven than l had ever been before
Under pretense of shielding her from
harm l half inclosed her with my arm
and the palpitating lace upon her
bosom told me how fast her heart was
beating, and there almost in the clouds
we plighted our troth. l remember
when one winter night the storm came
and the rain descended and the winds
blew, and that tower fell, and great
was the fall of it. l remember when
there was a fine hotel at the base of
that mountain, and one night there
was ball in the spacious dining-room
and bright the lights shone DER fair
women and brave men," and for the
first time | saw that queenly girl
whom the boys called Becky Lattimer,
and whose dashing beauty drew them
to her as molasses draws flies. Her
father lived not far away, a substantial
farmer, and few years later tour
Becky" became Mrs. Rebecca FELTON,,
the wife of the learned and eloquent
doctor of Gainesville. l remember
when that great solid mountain of
granite seemed larger yes, much
larger-than it looks to be now, for
was young then and nature had not be-
gun to shrink with me. Everything is
smaller now and every year gets
smaller still. As Pope says of the dying
Christian: The world rec sdes-it dis
appears" and so it will to those who
die of old age. Tom Hood expressed it
beautifully and patheticaily when he
said:
81 remember. I remember the fir trees
dark and high,
/ used to think their slender tops were
close against the sky.
But now I'm growing older and find II
little joy
To know I'm farther off from Heaven
than when l was a boy"
i remember that historical town
called Madison, where many of my
college mates lived. They are all
gone now: not one is left to comfort |
me in my declining years. 1t was here
saw this railroad when / was boy
of IA. and it was completed to Madi- |
son. What a sensation of wonder and |
alarm as / looked at the huge levia-
than that came putting down the
track with train behind it. Ny ia
Their had to hold my hand, for trem-
bled lee: i should jump the track |
and kill us all.
My father was proud of that road |
because he helped to build it.