The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-09-08
THE RAILWAY PAY CAR
Romance That Hung About II In
the Good Old Days.
WATCHING FOR The YELLOW
The Appearance OF the Brightly Var.
nished Gold Colored Palace on
Wheels Always an Event on the
Road-Ths Present Check System.

Wheels Always an Event on the
Rosd-rhs Present Check System.
| "Rnilroading isn't amy FUN any more.
Sordid commercial folk In Wall street.
with never an idea In their nogslns but
60 invest money and make II pay divi.
dends, have improved all the romance
out OF life on the rails" writes a cor.
respondent OF the American Magazine
In commenting On the present system
OF paying OF railway employees.
"Ah. no. Ra.,roading isn't what II
used to be But II those Wall street
money grubbers had only left us the
pay chr all else could have been for.
| given. DO you remember how In the
good old days the decrcplt jokes about
what was to he done when the pay car
came were taken out of the moth balls
along about the 10th of the month
/ and busted OFF and put through
their PAGES? How. toward the 10Th
| feeling OF sprightllncsS gradually
stole over every one from the wipcrs
| I'm the roundhouse tO the lucky dogs
who had passenger runs? How this
exubcrance swcllcd In volume ns an.
| ticlpation became more keen until To-
ward the 18th everybody went about
with IA broad grin and nerves all
a-tnnglc, the way you feel when the
orchestra is playing the creepy music
to accompany the Villains midnight
assault with Intent 10 kllli How.
still later. everybody drifted down to
the depot about four times day To
ask the station agent II he had heard
anything about the pay car until he
grew as Grabbed NJ n sitting hem
How. about the 22d. the walter
I g.lls Mt the depot hotel would give
you saucy wink and bring you
great. juicy, melting. extra special
wedge OF pie you didn't order for des.
sert. along with the Ice cream and NUS
and rnisins and fruit and pudding and
shortcake you did order, Those girls
knew how to work fellow for tips
about pay day. didn't theyf
AT last, one day as you were letting
'em down the hill into the junction, the
operator pulled his train order signal
ON you. Your heart lenpcd into your
throat because you knew-well you
Just felt IL In your bones. You went
down the side Of the car without
knowing how you did 1t and sprinted
for the switch to head 'em In on the
passing track and then flew TO the
station on winged feet, leaving the
engineer to hold 'em with the driver
brakes or let 'em run out at the lower
end. as he chose. And the grumpy
old curmudgcon stopped 'em beautiful
ly. without so much as saying boo.
when on any other occasion he would
have unlooscd a torrent Of vitupera-
tlon that would have set the ties on
fire. and would have followed 1t up
by heavlng n monkey wrench Mt you
II you had been In range
"Therc behind the counter was the
old man. looking over the shoulder OF
the operator, who was spelling out the
order without breaking oftoner than
every second word.
TRAIN No. I, Conductor Flatwheel.
Engineer roundcni. will meet pay car
special, Conductor Llnkenpin. Engi-
neer Moriarty. at Emerson
"Such an air OF nonchalance as Old
Man Flatwheel did assume rs he turn
ed away to discuss with the hind man
the advlsability OF making switch of
that through car OF corn next the en-
gine, TO get II behind the way cars. so
We wouldn't be bothered with It at
Lyons In doing our work on those
heavy grades. and affected to forget
that he was getting orders until the
operator called him over to sign them.
He was so slow about his signature
that before the dlspatcher's o. X. was
! received you looked out of the big bay
window and saw the section gang that
was working just beyond the Y throw
down their shovels and run down the
track like u herd OF stampeded steers.
There. Just coming around the
curve, was n glittcrlng vision OF brass
and varnish. half hidden In nimbus
OF smoke and dust Two short blasts
, on whistle greeted the gang; the
vision hesitated for n minute, while
the section men disappeared In the
nimbus and reappeared as suddenly ns
II they had been shot out Of u gun, and
here came the vision gliding up to the
platform, with bell ringing and pop
valve sputtcrlng 'sotto voce,' like a
, young lady trying 10 suppress tlckllsh
cough. 1t was the pay car. At this
point you lost consciousness.
Coupled TO the engine was wheel
ed palace built on graceful lines IN
freshly vanished yellow paint which
rivnled the h:asswork on the engine IN
brilllnnce The plate glass windows
were curtaincd with bright hued bro
4. cadc, Not a spcck nor II flaw was ia
| be seen. Even the yellow wheels bore
only 50 much dust a5 had been gather
ed on the days run Through an open
window came fragrant od1rs, while in
/ the background a white jacket. sur
, mounted by black face, vlbrated al
!. intervals.
"All this titnn n,1 Man ElatUhep