Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-12-06
The City OF Roses.

LlllAAI LkSOhS AAihAA't - L w.
A streak of rare good luck this
time attended my trip to this town.
The last time I had made the pill
grimage, coming down, we were
barred several hours at Walnut
Ridge, the track being blocked
with an engine off the rails, while
on the return homeward a boken
bridge south of Newport made us
stake roundance' to Wynne, and
changed an anticipated pleasant
ride of three or four hours to where
supper and lodging with kinfolk
awaited me, into a wearisome,
hungry and sleepless all-night
penance. For what particular
crime it was inflicted upon me, |
have not been able to determine,
mol indeed does it greatly matter,
since, whatever the misdeed or its
multiple, the atonement was surely
such as to clear the score. But on
this present occasion both Nature
and Fortune patted me approx
ingly on the back. The skies were
clear and filled with stars of
various magnitudes and degrees
of brightness; the air had Just
enough touch of frost in it to
make the half-mile walk to the
station pleasant and invigorating;
the Memphis train-my train, SO
to speak-came in strictly on time,
preceding the Texas Special. AS
everybody knows, the latter, which
goes by Ironton like a rocket in
it's pristine vigor-thougn not in
the same direction-is due first,
and south bound passengers must
wait the coming of the Memphis
caravan. AT Poplar Bluff those
bound into the bowels of Ar
kansas must transfer at 2 A.. M.
onto the Little Rock Local, a slow
train, which drags in here some
two or three hours after the Texas.
This time, however, we boarded
the Memphis Expressive Texas
being delayed on account of East
ern mail connections-and at Pied
mont, after a three minutes wait,
transferred to the Texas, following
close behind. By this maneuyer
we came into Little Rock before 8
A. M, and a few minutes later were
dulling the edge of a sharpened
appetite with pancakes and Brook
field Farm sausages at 2212 Spring
street. Il want it to be distinctly
understood that this is no adver-
tisement; in fact, to tell the whole
truth, the happy conjunction here
noted vas wholly fortuitous and
merely a continuation of the
streak of good luck attending the
trip
At Piedmont we fell in with Prof.
Daugherty and a friend bound for
Poplar Bluff. In the discussion of
affairs of State that followed, the
time consumed in reaching their
destination passed quickly. There
we separated, and after the usual
five minutes | was again speeding
southwark. | was in the chair car,
and after adjusting my seat at the
angle seemingly most conducive
to rest and sleep, l settled down,
closed my eyes, and anon slum-
bered. How long, I do not know,
but | awoke all too soon, cramped,
my lower limbs devoid of feeling,
and my whole being an epitome Of
discomfort. This has ever been
my experience on the chair car,
and | have often wondered to what
end they were devised, or what the
influence that keeps them in use.
Why, for ease and comfort, sleep
ing or waking, the old-fashioned
day-coach, with it's ample seats,
discounted it's successor every time.
The seats in the chair cars "smok-
or" are so cut up with those in
fernal iron cross-bars that no re-
lief to the sleep-burdened traveller
is afforded there, and the sur
roundings in the Jim-Crow vehicle
are not inviting. Happy the day
when the soiled napkined levered
seat Is relegated to the dead and
forgotten past.
/, in company with the Jreumd-
octopt COuIluSOnt uOWu mere, VlSlb-
ed Highland Park to-day. This
Park is about six miles out from
the business section of the city,
and the ride in the trolley car to 1t
Is pleasant and interesting. In
the Park are the various appliances
for the amusement of the public:
q theatre, a skating rink and dane
ing platform, a band stand, a.
scenic railway, a menagerie, etc.
In summer it is crowded on all
holidays, and was formerly a
favorite resort on Sundays; but
one of those Puritanic crazes which
can swallow the camel of business
graft without an effort, and gags
atthe gnat Of innocent amusement,
shut up the institutions contribut-
ing to the entertainment OF the
public. So the place can now be
enjoyed only by those who can
afford to take a day off during the
week; while the poor devil to
whom all the working days are
\ necessary To the sustenance OF
himself and family must remain at
home on the one day at his COM