The Elk Mountain pilot., 1901-10-08

cne single person that | knew or that
knew me in the old days has ever seen
me or spoken to me since then until l
ran across you this morning. There
was no one dependent upon me. and no
one that cared. l guess. You know
that / was running pretty strong with
Mary Parr then for a tine. and al
though she is married now
whats that?'
We'll, | amt ashamed to say that
thought lot of her and II things had
gone differently may be | would have
had pa. jenger run by this time. One
evening Mary and | had little spat-
didn't amount to much. but We thought
Ii did-and that settled 1t. Then
heard that she was going with Henry
Weber. machinist at the shops. and
SO / kind of dropped out Left the road
and worked all over for a time. Then l
got to travelling about Bit and soon
| was on the bum. You don't know
how easily a fellow can drop into that.
especially fellow that knows rail-
roading as | do. | have travelled all
over these United States without a
cent. It's hard lines some times, but
| don't know hut 1t is as good as any
other IL a fellow don't care what be-
comes of him.
About my white head? Did you
ever hear that mans hair could turn
gray in night. | never took much
stock in that, but here before you is a
sample of what can be done by fear. 1t
was in this way. | had been wandering
down through the eastern states some
three years ago, and one night l land
ed at Lancaster, Pa. There was a
young fellow hanging around the
Pennsylvania roads water tank and we
decided to travel together. 1t was
warm even If it was late winter and
we began nosing around the cars The
young fellow found n car door unsealed
and called to me. We climbed in and
found ourselves in car loaded with
bananas. 1t was pleasant enough and
we found straw on top OF the crates
and made it a good place for sleeping
Before | went to sleep a brakeman
came along and heard him swearing
because the banana car had not peen
sealed before IL left Newa =, and then
! heard aim closing the door. 1t lid
not seem that I had been alseep very
long when | was awakened by my COM
panion. Said he:
There is something il this car
"tOf course there is.' said l, and
about to fall asleep again.
Its something crawling. Don't
you feel them?'
Il did feel something on my hand
and shook it off. Then l dug a match
out of my pocket and struck t. That's
where my hair began to turn white.
The place was swarming with gigantic
spiders. I thought. but as the matcn
flickered and flared | looked up at my
ana he hissed at me:
:" 'Tarantulas.'
Then | understood in an instant.
The horrible things had been brought
from some southern country in the
lunches of bananas. A bite from any
one of the ugly creatures meant death
| could hear my companions teeth
chaltering and | knew that he was in
an agony of fear.
What's to be done?' he gasped.
'' Sit perfectly STILL said l. Don't
move nor brush one OF them off. even If
it crawls on your face. Have you the
nerve to do it?'
No, no. My God, shall be insane
in few minutes
Il knew that he was telling the truth
and felt that | also had the same to
fear. Our warm bodies probably at
tracted the creatures. because they be-
gan to crawl over us, and to this day
l have only to close my eyes and |
can see and feel those hairy legs and