Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1902-11-20

| OF the disappearing train. The wet
rails cleaned in the yellow light
streaming from the station window
The express agent-a muffled, indie
scribable figure trundled his truck
around distant corner of the building,
and was lost to view. The young man
was indeed alone.
Il feel so though had just bid good
bye to civilization and dropped upon
an uninhabited Shore" he murmured-
catch in his voice.
Then suddenly becoming aware that
the rain was fast soaking his outer gar
mentS, he set down his travelling bag,
raised his umbrella, and looked about
him. door of the station stood open,
revealing a dimly lighted interior
Ralph quickly sought shelter within
The room was long and narrow, with
rough wooden bench running along
one side of it. An upright stove near
the center of the floor and smoky oil
lamp suspended from the ceiling, com
pleted the furnishings. In the middle
of the yellow wall opposite the long
j bench, was small square opening with
a meager shelf or ledge at the bottom
To MarlOWe'S vivid imagination, the
whole resembled the blank face, open
mouth, and projecting lips of a saffron
tinted ogre. Above the window, in blue
and-gilt letters, were the words: '"Tick-
ct Office passengers will please pro-
cure tickets before boarding the train"
Ralph heard the clicking of a tele-
graphic instrument in the other room,
and advancing to the opening, peeped
through. A ow-countenanced, brown
mustached young man, with a green
visored cap pulled low over his spec
tacles, was bending over the table on
which the Morse instrument rested
writing industriously. A student lamp
with milk-white shade was at his ell
| bow.
Good evening"" Marlowe ventured.
| The operator nodded and moved his
| lips, but made no reply. Ralph waited
impatiently. After time the operator
| looked up and remarked questioningly:
Can you direct me to the best hotel
in the village?'
"There isn't any"
mo hotel?"-In surprise savoring of
incredulity and bordering on consterna-
| ton.
mo best hotel There's only one.
It's the worst board there"
"Will you kindly direct me to it?"
| Are you in much of a hurry?"
81 am tired and hungry"
That's fortunate-for you. Well, I
| you'll sit down and wait a few min
utes, I'll pilot you to it. Ill finish up
/ things and go along with you. I've
! done enough work for one day, anyway
for forty dollars a month and board
yourself. Drop down on the bench
there. I'll be through in a jiffy."
| Marlowe retired to the wooden seat,
and busted himself with his own
thoughts and a closer survey of the
barren and uninviting surroundings. He
heard the operator moving about in the
other room, putting things to rights.
Of a sudden the light in the Office went
out, a key turned in a lock-and the
| ticket window was a black square in
the yellow wall.
Presently the operator entered the
waiting room and remarked:
Cal ready. Give me your satchel-
you carry the umbrella over us. It's
! darker n a tunnel up the street-and
still raining like the deluge."
Then as they stood outside and he
turned to lock the door:
"You ought to have on overshoes;
you'll find it muddy enough up the
grade. But we're in for it. Come on"
The street was deserted and black,
but outlined by dim lights twinkling
here and there in stores and shops. In
silence the two young men began to
ascend the slope, sinking deep into the
soft wet sand at every step. 1t was
like traversing the length of an i'm
mense mortar bed tilted at an angle of
03 degrees. At last the operator painted:
''This is tough-on you, especially,
It'll try the patent on your enameled
shoes. I've been here three years! and
it's all mortar in winter and all sand
in summer-and not the sign of a street
lamp. I'm getting tired of it, too; and
l don't mean TO stay much longer. It's
too slow burg for yours truly
Ralph, reused from the reverie into
which he had fallen, said with show
of interest:
I t'This is not your home, them"
| t'No, indeed. 1 came from Parkers-
| burgh. There's a fly town for you.
| took this job because 1 couldn't get a
| better one at the time. But I'm get
ting tired of being agent, operator and
general rOustabout for $40 a month. I'm
going to quit as soon as something else
turns up-I am. A fellow of my make
up gets the blues here. A few more
years of it'd kill me-"
You do not consider the tranquility
/ of the place conducive to longevity"
Flows that?"
you think the village too quiet-too
s1ow?"
'S1ow? That's it-that's the word.
Slow! The people here are slower than
the wrath of the Almighty-slower N
promotion on the z. and o. r. There's
| no amusements, except an occasional
dance. That's where all the young
folks are tonight-down at Flat Bottom
to dance. That's the reason nobody
from the hotel was at the train. She
was two hours late. you know-and all
the help had gone to that shindig