The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-18
TALES OF TO-DAY.
Each One Little Story by Itself.
(By NJ. Quad.)
THE CONDUCTORS TALE.

LIE CONDOCIOR 1ALE.
We had clear run of forty miles
without a STOP said the conductor of
the Atlantic Express, land being two
minutes behind hand when we left
H1gh Hill the engineer started in to
make up the lost time. We had five
Pullman's, a mail and a baggage car,
and our schedule was ffty-eight miles
an hour. We had only shaken clear
OF the Hill when the speed crept up
Few seconds 1 didn't mind 1T at first,
put after a few minutes a strange feel
ing began to creep over me. had
cream, and Yet it was not a dream. L
saw the Pacific Express a few miles
away, headed for US on the same track
and coming like the wind. L saw the
two engines meet head on; heard the
crash; L saw both trains ditched and
heard the screams of the injured.
Say, now, 1 saw all this as plain as
see your face, and 1 began to shake
with a chill For two or three min
utes could not move Then 1 man
aged to rise up and give the engineer
the signal to STOP He at once put on
his brakes and the train came to
stop about a mile from little station.
As 1 swung myself down to the ground
man with two grips confronted me
and said:
"'An right Much obliged, conduc-
tor. Very kind of you, I'm sure
with that he climbed up and took
seat in the car, and 1 climbed after
him and gave the engineer the signal
70 go aneaQ-
but about that strange feeling of
yours and the Pacific Express?' % was
asked.
''Oh. the strange feeling had gone,
and the P. E. wasn't within 200 miles
But don't understand"
''Why, I had stopped the lightning
! train to pick up drummer who was
walking between two stations. 1t was
on his account I had had the feeling.
Thew a conductor
way. 1 got the bounce for it, but that
does not spoil my story any"
THE TALE OF A LIGHTNING ROD.
THE lightning rod was a dead fake,
as we all know" said the man who
looked to be worth a million, but for
a good many years good many men
made fortunes out of 1t. I was one of
the score of manufacturers, and when
people got onto the racket 1 stood to
lose a great deal of material. there
lore took wagon myself and went out
among the farmers Of Wisconsin. Most
of them had lightning rods and did
not consider them worth shucks. 9th
ers gave me the cold hand at once.
II had been out five days without
putting up rod when 1 came along to |
a big, new barn with a crowd around |
it. The farmers had assembled to see
new harvester work. The farmer |
turned me down on the rod question, |
but I offered to put up two rods for |
only genuine. He couldn't say nay to |
that, and the rods went up. That night |
i was at village six miles away, and |
there came on the worst thunder storm
1 ever experienced. It lasted four
hours, and twelve houses and thirty
barns were struck and burned within
q radius of ten miles. AS to the num-
Der of trees I can't remember. The
only barn not struck on highway nine
miles long was the one I had rodded
the day before. Those burned had 1
some other make.
u didn't have to do a thing. The
farmers did it for me. They spread |;
the news and rushed to get my rods
The newspapers gave me a boost and, /
as a matter OF fact, I drove an other n
rods out of the state, and held on to
he business for three wears after every
other manufacturer had closed down."
But was your rod good for any
thing?" was asked.
ut was. 1t was good thing to tie I
4 flag to on Fourth of JULY"
THE TALE OF A MULE
'It was twenty years ago when I
WAS in the building and contracting ]
business said the man with two
watch chains, that 1 took a mule as
part payment OF debt. 1t was soon