Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-03-16
THE ROWING PHILOSOPHER
TALE OF A STOLEN RIDE.
A Night in an Open Coal Car With
the Rain Failing In Torrents and
Soaking an Afternoon
Dress Suit

tnat was a pretty fierce thing TO buck
mp against" said the Rowing Phil
osopher as he meditatively fondled
fat cigar. 1T was a case of beating
a transportation company out OF its
legitimate dues in railroad fare for
two, but it was pretty dingy sort OF
luck that furnished me my ride. Of
all that rye ever had IL was one or
the worst of those in which | couldn't
see a CLINT OF humor until years after
II was over.
I'D been out trouping vita a
bunch of actors of halt and lame abil-
ity, and, as was natural with such an
aggregation OF decrepit genius, it
wasn't many weeks before we hit the
reefs OF unpaid hotel bills and inabil-
ity to hypnotize the printers. We
saw rift of light for him at Coum-
bus, 100 miles away, where former
manager was engaged in doing stunts
WITH the lumber business, and reput-
ed TO be prosperous. | didn't want
To write to MIN for any coin. but |
concluded TO make Columbus some
how. and get job doing something
around his lumber yard, it'd put me on
my feet temporarily and | wasn't
concerned much about The future. Just
so ] connected with three per regu
lar al once. | tell YOU when you're
down and ont. the chances TO resume
intimate relations wkith three square
meals every twenty-four nours looks
like the sum and total of ambition,
no matter what horny-handed methods
may have to be pursued for them.
TO think about making a railroad
jump OF 100 miles and to do II are
two different things, and as | revolved
the problem in my mind the job look
ed a little dubious. had been doing
the jolly rover for several years, but
never before had been brought face
TO face with the brake beam or blind
baggage question, and felt my suck
iihE lnHDtthtt WIN All tue
OF a kid out with his first sweetheart,
! went down to the freight yards OF
the town and had II look at tne brake
beams but the inspection didn't help
me any. In the emergency | decided
TO appeal to one of the musicians with
the show, a fellow who had appeared
~ loo 10. f,.4 ly.
OF finding out just how a fellow could
cling 10 "A brake beam for 100 miles
and escape with his life. than in the
expectation of active assistance II
was pretty lucky tnat did, for he was
In the mood to skin ont for Columbus
himself. and decided to join forces
with me. though he gave me the ha
ha over the brake beam idea, and said
we'd take to an empty freight car.
we mad reached tnis little Ohio
town we were in al the time on our
trunks. and as the receipts from our
performance had failed to liquidate
the railroad bill, all of our trunks
N''t Ni'u UP h'Hblh lu',
III the glory of silk hat, frock coat
white vest. white ascot tie, patent
leather snoes and what spats ready
10 nit the road. II was my stage out
ut, and ! had TO be content, for every
thing else was in the hands of the
railroad company.
The musician busted nimself about
getting information concerning the ar
rival and departure of freight trains
from the burg, and that night about 10
O'Clock we We're lounging around a
siding, not far from the station, wait
ing for a freight that was due TO stop
ten or twelve minutes for the passage
OF down passenger. As soon as the
train stopped on the siding we made
a rush for II. taking care to do our
work ont of signt of Il train crew
most of whom hiked for the station
however, but nary an open car was
there on the train. A couple of emp
ty coal cars We're near the middle OF
the train. but we paid no attention to
these, while the musician ruminatel