The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1904-07-14

2
gineer, made up his mind that he'd not
GO on a siding for any old freight. (
About that timeSTom Burns n ade up
his mind to pass. Billy on the same
track and he did A little later the
general manager made up his mind"
did any one get kilIea?" asked.
The station agent smiled scornFully,
and weht to tag baby carriage bound
for the metropolis Of Shingleyille. The
freight came first and got OH the ca
boose and we were soon tearing along
the track.
The freight conductor ripped off 46
miles from my mileage book and
seemed rather disa ppointed that | was
not cash fare. "a good cigar, howey-
er, somewhat modified him, and he in
yited me to a seat with him in the sky
light. Did you ever ride in a caboose's
skylight? Talk about your automobiles.
Huh, they are not in it! A caboose is
noiser, but not 50 dangerous. True,
the ride was spoiled for me, on account
of cinders which would get in my eyes,
and the jolting when we stopped at, or
started from milk platform was terrif-
lie. One particularly rafting jolt caused
me to lose my hat, but as it was brok-
Ell anyway, didn't care much. When
we went into siding to load some
corn, the passenger overlook us. l
said to the conductor: "Now l wish
I'd waited for the passenger"
"Why?" he asked.
"Look where she is | replied.
"That's nothing, leok where she will
be when we get to Shingleville," he
answered.
Well, sir, in those 46 miles we caught
that passenger and was caught by her
four times. In the. .last eight miles the
passenger was ahead, and how we did
bump and jolt along to force her into
a siding. Just as we began to see the
nouses of Shingleville our engineer
whistled warning to the passenger,
which made siding just in time to
prevent telescoping, and we won out
J by six minutes.
Iwaited at the depot to see how the
passenger crew took their defeat.
"Well," said the passenger engineer,
"we'd have beat you only we had to
stop to get the hat one of you fellows
lost"
stepped forward and thanked him.
That bum hat cost me eleven cigars to
regain, and all the time 1 thought it
was lost for good. Even the candy
butcher came I'M for cigar, claiming to
be one of the passenger crew. l took
good care that he got "Lady Bird
brand tho. Yes, indeed.
Business was better in Shingleville
and sold quite bunch. ] wasn't
nervous any more. In fact, was rap.
: idly accumulating gall The next day
l took the passenger for Upton. The
same crew were in charge. The candy
butcher was very friendly and loqua
cious withal. Said he: "You were
lucky that we didn't run over your hat
yesterday"
"Ran over it! Why were you run
ming yesterday ?" asked.
He grinned and said: "We often &c
faster than we did yesterday, but VIZ
: will go slower today"
"That's encouraging" said I.
eyes" he continued, 1--WE have to &c
, slower here on account of the curves.
Q He left me to get a supply of stocl
Q and after worrying everybody on tn.
q train into buying something, he came
to my seat, and when he had sold M
the same cigar gave him the day be
9 fore, he sat down to eElighten me 70
a | garding travel. EAs a shining light h
o was grand success. After telling m,
of his travels all over the globe, h
. gave me chance to ask: "What trail
! is that, going 10 the opposite direc
tionp"
e "Mhy," he explained, sthat's thi
It train"
% For once the butcher told the truth
d And yet people hrag Of the Horse
k shoe curvel Why, the curves we wen
is over that day were corkscrews com
o pared to the famous Horseshoe. Tn
n butcher said the engineer often spit ol
3 the rear platform of the last car. Th
d butcher might have been prevaricatol
10 but as business manipulation he wa
l. par excellence. When he couldn't in