The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-07-12

NV OF L ned to go out into Kansas; and,
takln the HANDFUL nd st. 10 at Pal
myry Junction, l wuznt long in findin'
out that the HANDFUL nd st. 10 railroad
Wuz jist the wust case of rollin prairer
l ever struck.
There wuz one bunk left when
boarded the sleepin' car and / he'd
presence NV mind huff to ketch on to
it. 1t wuz then Just about dusk, an
the niger that sort Nv run things in
the car seq to me: Boss sez he,
III have to get you to please not to
snore tonight, but to be uncommon
quiet"
What for?" SEE l. 'Hain't / paid
my 81. an hain't 1 entitled to all the
luxuries NV the outfit?"
Then the niger leant over an told me
that Colonel Elijah Gates, one Nv the
directors NV the road. an the richest
man in Marion county wuz aboard,
an 1t wuz one of the rules of the COM
pany not to do anythink to bother him
or get him to sell HIS stock.
The niger pointed out Colonel Gates,
nd took a look at him as he sot read
in the Palmyry Spectator. He wuz
one of our kind Nv people-long, raw
boned nd husky. He looked to be
about 60-maybe not quite onto 60. He
his he'd, nd his beard wuz shaved, all
except two rims or fringes NV it that
ran down the sides NV his face md met
underneath his chin. This fringe filled
up his neck so tibet he didn't hev to
wear no collar, nd he hadn't no Jew
elry about him excep' a big carnelian
bosom pin tibet had the picture NV a
woman's head on it in white. His specs
sot well down on his nose, md l could
see his blue eyes over 'em-small eyes,
but kinder good natured. Between his
readin' Nv his paper nd his eatin' plug
terbacker he KEEP toler'ble busy till
come bedtime. The rest on us KEEP as
quiet as we could, for we knew it wuz
an honor to ride in the same sleepin'
car with the richest man in Marion
county nd director Nv the HANDFUL nd
st. 10 to boot.
Along bout O'Clock the colonel reck-
oned he'd tumble into bed. When he'd
drawed his boots md hung up his coat
nd laid in a fresh hunk Wv natral leaf
he crawled into the best bunk, nd pres
emily we heerd him sleepin. There wuz
nothin else for the rest NV us to do
but to follor suit, nd we did.
1t must have been about an hour
later-say along about Prairer City
that a woman came aboard with a
/ L I.
but the niger allowed that she might
set back near the stove, for the baby
'peared to be kind NV sick like, nd the
woman looked like she had been cryin'.
Whether it wuz the jouncin' Nv the car,
or whether the young one wuz hungry
or he'd a collie into it, I don't know; but
anyhow the train hadn't pulled out NV
Prairer City afore the baby begun to
take on. The niger ran back as fast as
he could, nd told the young woman
that she'd have to keep that ba by
quiet, because Colonel Lily Gates, one
Nv the directors NV the road, wuz in
the car md wusn't to be disturbed The
young woman caught up the baby scarf
like, nd talked soothin' to it nd COW
cred its little face with her shawl, md
done all them things tibet women do to
make ba bies go to sleep.
But the baby would cry, and in
spite of. al 1.-The young woman nd the
niger could do, Colonel Elijah Gates
heard the baby cryin, and so he
walked up. First his two blue yarn
socks came through the curtains, nd
then his long legs nd long body md
long face hove in sight. He come down
the car to the young woman, nd look
ed at her over his specs. Didn't seem
to be the least bit mad; jest solemn
no DlzneSS like.
My dear madam SEE he to the
young woman, you must do sumpin'
to keep that child quiet. These peo-
pie have all paid for their hunks, md
they are entitled to a good nights
sleep. OF course, l know how tbs with
young children-will cry sometimes
have raised 'leven NV EN- myself, nd
know all about 'em. But as a director
NV the HANDFUL nd st. 10 I've got
to perfect the rights of these folks.
So jist keep the baby quiet as you
can
Now, there warn't nothin' cross in
the colonel's tone; the colonel wuz as
kind nd consid'rit as could be eX-
pected Nv a man who he'd so much
responsibility a-restin' on him. But
the young woman wuZ kind Nv ner-
vous, nd after the colonel went back
nd got into his bunk, the young wo-
man SMILED and Worried and seemed
like she had lost her wits, nd the baby
KEEP cryin' jist as hard as ever.
Wall, there wuzn't much sleepin' to
be done in that car. for what with the
baby cryin' nd the young woman
a-sayin', "Oh, dear!' AN "Oh, my,'' nd
the niger a-prancin' round like Wild
der bewitched-with all this going on,
sleep wuz out Nv the question. Folks
began to wake up nd put their heads
outern their hunks to see what wuz
the doggone matter. This made things
pleasanter for the young woman. The
colonel stood it as long as he could, and
then he got up second time nd come
down the car nd looked at the young
woman over his specs.
Now, as I wuz tellin' you afore, .
seq he, Il hadn't maxim TO complaint
Nv myself, for I've raised a family of
'leven children an l know all about
'em. But these other folks here in the
car have paid for a good nights sleep,
nd it's my duty as director of the
HANDFUL nd st. Jo to see that they
get it. Seems to me like you ought to
be able to keep that child quiet-you
can't make me believe that there's
any use for child to be carryin' on
so. Sumpins hurtin' i'll know sum-
pins hurin' it by the way it cries.
Now you look nd see if there amt a
pin stickin' into it somewhere; I've
raised leven children, nd that's jist
the way they used tn cry when there
wuz a pin stickin' them"
He reckoned he'd find things all right
this time, nd he went back to his
bunk feelin' tolerble satisfied with
himself. But the young woman couldn't
find no pin stickin' the baby, nd no
matter how much she stewed and wor-
rited. the baby KEEP right on cryln',
jest the same. Holy smokei but how
that baby did cry.
Now, l reckoned that the colonel
would be gettin almighty mad if this
thing KEEP UP much longer. A man
may raise 'leven children as easy as
rollin' off'n a log, md yet the twelfth
one, that isn't his at all, may break
him. There is ginerally A last straw,
even when it comes to the matter NV
children.
So when the colonel riz feet foremost
for the third time outen his bunk that
night-or, should say, mornin' now