The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-01-01
TRAIN ONCE MORE
LATE DEPARTED
Fridays Prom tness
Strained the Southern.
TWO HOURS BEHIND
Crowd Prepared for any Strange De
pariurc Faced With Old Delay
a Stirring Srr.non ON TIC Duty
Of Being Ready hon the
Bell Ring.

Bell Hin@~.
The thing had every appearance Of
being a strain, but it wouldn't bear
d~iscounting.
Responsive, therefore, to the start
ling Information published in this pa
per exclusively that the Southern Rail-
way train had come in on time. the
day before. a large crowd OF travellers
stood in the depot yesterday. tickets
purchased, grips in hand. ready for
the rush.
They were in a state Of preparedness
equal TO that of the most peaceful OF
European nations.
But never a fiutter disturbed their
opportunity for rest. AS far as the
railroad was concerned, they might
have slipped into a peaceful somno-
lence: might have tarried on the
streets: might have paused indefinitely
they are said to do at Salisbury
To Guench 4 burning thirst; might
have been anywhere and one any
thing except sit in the depot and wait.
Yet, owing to Fridays extreme in
~novation OF being on time, the crowd
was afraid to be anywhere else, or do
anything other.
They waited, at first on edge. At
forwards they sat down with forced
DllliDSOUIS ana WdlJCt Oh llltlt SDlIlcS-
Again they got up, with true American
impatience, and paced the boards.
Then, as dernier resort, they com
menced to look at the time tables, and
inspect the bulletin board n ask
questions Of the agent. The time
table smiled as blandly as the virtuous
cOuntenance of q Depew chestnut; the
bulletin board lied frankly, the agent
smiled the polite smile of his kind
and gave the reports" with a plying
and dutiful suavity.
Minutes went by and the crowd
! grew restless as crowds will; grew hot
as crowds do. Babies cried as they
felt the c~OntagiOn Of low spirits.
Misery reigned. It was like an old
friend. The rain was late again.
Two hours and more after the
schedule hour, the train dragged itself
into the station. Weary passengers
alighted from it: more weary
watchers ambled down the platform to
take their seats; di~spassiOnate station
men and the depot crew worked at
their ~lcisurely task of getting it under
way again. Contrasted with the wond-
erful excitement, with the extreme
and dash and hustle Of
the day before, the train was as inert,
as powerless as the jumping frog that
had been filed with shot.
Like the frog it shrugged its
shoulders, like a Frenchman.
And, like the frog it staid still.
1T didn't seem to have no points
different from no other Southern train.
In fact it was the old time Southern
train-the good old Southern train
the late Southern traiE-the train our
fathers knew, that we rode on, that
our children wait for, that our chill
dren's children will hasten to take
and wait for some more. The train
that was lost has come back. Like a
cat that has strayed. it has turned up.
Like a drunkard that is sobered, it
has q familiar look when it is loaded
and late-once more. Good old
train! With all your faults we love you
Stiii-aS you usually are!
But it must be recalled and it must
be remembered that once it was on
time. Let the date be craven
deep in local history. Let the event
be held UP as added proof Of the I'M
q reminder Of the Death which is 50
long delayed; which is any day liable
to break all our personal experiences
and come in on time. And before we
are ready for it! SO hat we ''get
left"
We commend this as a fitting sub
ject for a touching ernOn built about
an every day circumstance of general
interest-Or rather the exceptional cir
cumStance to q general rule. 1t car
ries a warning. Whatever the world
may dc. how ever often we must wait
- lldlIlS lAdl IthS Hol ooilC lii1Il
duty, however enticing may be the de-
lights which experience would tempt
US to pause with in dallia zee, let us
be watchful, let US be mindful. What
has happened, may happen! Let US,
then. be on time. That, when the
clock strikes and the long delayed
train, which has made up time
which happens to have steam-Whose
engine has failed to break down
which has been reported correctly
Jnar+ 49, GU ~
to come in. let
ready, Let us have our tickets in our
hands, however high the price. Let
US be waiting at the gate. ever watch
full ever mindful, even when there is
no cloud in the sky and no red warn
inc on the bulletin board,
Lest. when the train comes in on
time. we shall miss our passage and
be left,
But it will bet is-a long if not a
7 ~