The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-08

est is Nogo. No" Stick ventured 10 ada
that the most delightful postoffice is Kisse
Mills. No, which he considered the mills OF
the gods. Mr. Whittier was disguised With
fiis remarks and sent him TO the Missouri
car 70 face up papers.
our visitor listened as to something of
supreme Importance. Your story, he said'
tells me great things. The fringe OF peo-
pie on the eastern shore shall grow outward
to the western sea. The worlds most cour-
ageous races here shall blend into nation
strong enough to conquer the vast unmeas-
uTed wilderness"
When morning began 10 dawn, we were
hundreds of miles 10 the west, and our visi-
tor, instead of looking upon the haunts or
savages. saw the fertile farms Of Ohio,
blue and beautiful after the rain. The fiocks
were just beginning 10 stir. the birds sing
ing their earlist songs, the smell OF mint
rose beside the little streams. Wreaths OF
fog hung across the track, but our train
shot through them like a flash of
light. The stranger leaned out the
side doors enchanted by the scene.
His curly locks were carried backward, and
his yellow necktie fiuttered In the wind.
In wonder, he exclaimed, How is it that
we feel no emotion, nor perceive this
miracle Of science? The going of this
great conveyance, with scores of people
sleeping softly, and mail and merchandise
piled high, is marcelous. Never before have
l dreamed a dream like this 1 apprehend
the secret of your union. Constant inter-
change of thought and products binds your
hearts together. Ye cannot hate your dis
tant brethren because We eat their Injuries
81, In
cay. war is the game and business of d
king. But in your time, a man, to defeat
his enemy, need not have at him with
blunderbuss and sword, but will essay to
build a swifter iron horse than he, or ex-
coed him in barter or manufacture. Me-
thinks this vision is delightful and L grieve
to think We soon must vanish" TO the end
Of our journey his enthusiasm abated not
in the least degree. He measured the
product of the field and factory with his
eye. and it's worth in distant regions. At
great stations where, amidst multitude
of people many trains moved in and out,
ne looked upon their going as majestic and
beyond the pageantry of older lands. With
delight he watched the local clerk catch
the suspended sacks as we ran swiftly
through many towns. often we saw tears in
his eyes, and knew he was overwhelmed
by great thoughts. For with wondrous
power of intellect he saw a continent inter
laced by railway systems. Nothing remote
OF out of reach. All smoothly moving.
never ceasing, meeting and parting in
rhythmic harmony. And as a great SYM
phony sometimes affects strong men, so
he was moved. Before the end of our trip, a
lively race occurred. AS we came to the
great American bottoms near st. Louis, a
rival train sprang from behind a bluff and
by it's sudden hiding and reappearing among
the willows, we knew ii was coming like
the wind. Soon the tracks converged and
the two monster engines ran side by side
whirling their drivers with terrific violence.
The bushes swayed about as in a storm;
the section men stood far back, holding
| their hats. The track in front seemed to
/ rush toward us with marvellous speed. The
strip of ground between the two roads flew
/ backward like the belt of swift pulley.
/ We laughed and jeered at the mail clerks
on the other train. Our spirits rose or fell
| as we forged ahead or dropped back for a
moment. The sunshine of noon glistened on
| the two steeds of steel that sprang forward
at the rate of one hundred feet each Sec
/
the high signal which would soon tell which
train should have the crossing. The en-
| ginemen strove to increase the pressure
| and the exhaust clattered in the chimneys
! like the hoof-beats of wild troop OF
horsemen. Leaning out of the side doors
the air whistled around our heads as we
watched the signals far away. Then it be-
came like the homestretch of a race when
the horses strain every nerve to come un-
der the line. running low with their necks
| stretched forward, foaming and painting
The exhaust grew more furious, the biz
| wheels looked like rims without spokes
| The side rods appeared as a sheet Of steel
as the piston strokes became too rapid fol-
| the eye TO follow. After a moment thai
was intense and long, our signal dropped
and we gave a shout as the other trair
dropped back.
Soon after we were crossing the Missis.
sippi when it was observed that Burnside
had collapsed and fallen on a pile Of
! 'empties.' Boys" he said, I'VE are in
the worst predicament of our lives l an
sure our visitor is real, while I feel exactly
like a myth. He will soon awake from hi:
dream and be living in 1882 and we people
that he is dreaming about will have to wait
more than a hundred years TO be born
And who knows whether we will ever b,
born at all. There's many chance agains
1t. My t-great-grandparents may never
meet. Or if they do he might speak light,
of her bonnet or she might laugh about hi.
homemade shoes-just a slight differenc,
and the whole affair be off 1t is awful L
consider that upon such little things ou
chance to live depends. No doubt million:
of people have never been born becaus,
their ancestors fell out about something o.
happened to live in different parts of tn,
country. And now in minute we shall al
pass away a hundred years before we ar,
born"
AS the train backed swiftly into the sta
ton at St. Louis Burnside's lamentatiol
was drowned by the clang of bells and gen
eral confusion of sound. To all of us CAM
for an instant 2 sensation not TO be de
scribed as we went out of existence an,
back again. And so we returned from tn
seventeenth century, in which we had beel
produced before our time for the benefi
of Benjamin Franklin.
I
Strength in Gods Hands.