The Cairo bulletin., 1907-08-20
THE $40 train
ny 8. e. KisER


ivy to spend Saturday and Sunday With
his wife and children. They were
staying at a pleasant place nearly four
allies from the railway station, and IL
was necessary for him to employ NV
eryinan 10 take him down on Monday
morning to catch the train at Merit
vale He was assured that he could
make connections without any diff
Guilty II he started at 80, as the train
was not due TO leave Merriyale until
500. Having an important business
/ engagement in the city, however, ana
in order that there might be no risk,
he was ready to start an hour before
/ train time.
! The liyeryman had conveyed him
/ less than half a mile when something
/ about the harness got out of order. and
I Is minutes had elapsed before they
! were ready to start on again, they
\ made fairly good progress for about
mile and then belt gave way, max
ing another delay necessary. The
driver had to go TO farmhouse 10
/ borrow a monkey. wrench and other
things, and Edward Ha-lowe had be-
gun To be nervous before the journey
was resumed. II ne had not been bur
dened with 4 heavy travelling bag he
wouldn't have cared He could have
walked.
Does this train ever happen to be
latc2" he asked when they broke down
again, mile and a quarter from the
station
"0h, yes" he was assured. its
nearly always FIVE or ten minutes late
on Monday mornings Don't worry.
Wen catch it all right Got lots d
time"
Rut the drivers confidence was not
catching, and at eight o'clock Harlowe
had almost decided TO walk, leaving
bis bag to be sent after him BIZ ok
press Still, he waited when the livery
man assured him that they would be
able to 40 ahead III minute or two.
They did GET started again at FIVE min
utes after eight, only to have another
nllshap when the horse picked up a
stone while fording a little stream. Il
took the driver several minutes 10 get
the stone loose and Harlowe was by
that time no longer patient man.
He made dsagreeable remarks about
his luck and gave long list Of things
which he hoped would happen to him
if be ever placed confidence in livery.
man again II he missed his engage
ment in the city it would cost him
dearly, and besides It would be .neces,
sary for him to wait at an out-of-the.
way station for seven hours,
"Confound your old horse, he com
planned, can't you make him &c
faster?"
He's dom the best he can. Mebby
49, eco irs'iI h.. l~Sa y
Don't you believe II re .l.i.. t...,.-,
were late every other day in the year
it would be on time this morning. |
Jernsalem' Why don't you people our I
here do little road-making2 This is [
the worst old eowpath ever saw"
Then he looked at his watch. It was
SIP, and they had nearly half a mile
to go,
The horse might have been able to
travel half mile in four or five min
utes if the road had been good: but
the ruts and stones and mud holes i'm
peded progress. At S:1S they were
quarter of mile from the Merrivale
station. Harlowe~ gave up hope. He .
knew they could not get there in two !
Still he implored the driver :
% hurry, and he ground his teeth to I
Keep from saying the things that were ,
3n his mind He half stood mp in the i
buggy and had his bag by the handle, I
-eady to jump the moment they got
githin jumping distance. There was,
however, no sound OF an approaching
rain, and at last he began to hope
uck might for once turn In his favor. :
IN two wheels they rounded corner O.
who're the road was hard and smooth, I
md the station sprawed a short dis
ance ahead of them. The poor old
livery horse broke into run when
larlowe, in spite of the drivers pro
es's. took the whip from the socE,g l;
nd swishel 4 above The r. & a. the q
peedina ~.
Go en-! O. ca! he kept urging, :
we may catch It yet" r
There was curve Just beyond the ]
tation, so that the approaching train
ouid not be seen until few seconds
efore its arrival The clatter of the
orse's hoofs on the hard road and the
mir Of the buggy wheels made It i'm
ossible for anything else save a steam
higtle 10 be heard. and as neither =
arlOwe nor the driver had been u
artled by toot the race was CON d
nued. Two hundred yards from the b
alton IIaiiowe yelled: q
There she comest" -
But it was a false alarm Tho train 70
as not In sight 'eyen when the heay- .
x horse was stopped at the platform 3