Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-02-12

strong northwest wind blowing, so an
hour before train time, 1850 p. M. the
writer and others went to the depot
to get warm. The first news was the
train was an hour late. All right,
thought the philosopher. good time to
catch up on reading; good fire here,
plenty Of room to lie down, no rules
against smoking. Second bit of news,
train in snow drift, orders out to run
two hours late from junction. More
philosophy in the line of being better
off here than in the car bucking snow.
Better take a nap, plenty OF room to
stretch out, no babies in the room to
disturb sleeper. With clear con-
science, repeating to self, "alFs we'll
that ends WELL" sometime elapsed be-
fore the writer woke up with his neck
nearly out Of joint from contact with
the rim of the seats, one leg asleep
still, prickling all over, to hear the
agent tell some one, no telling when
she'll get here. they're bucking snow
about a hundred miles this side of St
Paul Before this scribe would allow
himself to think even, any "cuss
words" he said to himself. you're kick
ing on staying in this nice warm depot
while hundreds are suffering from cold
and exposure up in the Dakotas. An
other smoke. more reading and then
we were told 1t will be seven o'clock
sure before they get here. Getting hum
CRY. the lunch counter produced a
sandwich, no butter, three hard dough-
nuts. and coffee. Comparisons in
mind on the supper now ready at home
were odious and dismissed with the
thought the coffee is good anyway
Cigar this time, too dark to read,
benches getting hard, all trivial mat
tiers, when the thought comes it's worse
than this in the penitentiary every day
all of the time. Then came cheering
news. the train will leave the junction
at nine-ten Every thing comes to
him who waits" To help out the
monotony of the occasion, the town
boys dropped in and filled all Of the
seats. Had several scuffles, smoked
cigarets and told few off color stor-
les. AT 10 p. m. the train really ar
rived only seven hours late. 1t was
Saturday night, so really no time lost,
the hired man always rests nights
and Sundays. So off we started for
home. plenty of room in the
car occupied four seats, till we got to
Eldora, when drunken crowd got on,
one of them sitting down on the writ
er's legs, as he had perfect right to do,
no business to be occupying more than
one seat, which, of course, drove all
sleep away At midnight the writer al
ways smokes on such occasions, and
enjoying his tobacco he listened to a
quartet of male singers, living eight
miles in the country west of Union.
One of them sang solo of as vile Ian
guage as was ever put in rhyme, while
all finished a quart bottle of drug store
whisky. Now this scribe was losing
some of his philosophy. He repeated
to HIMSELF you should turn your
thoughts in a channel not to hear this
vile language, repeat to yourself some
poem learned in boyhood days, and
this. with drowsiness, tobacco and
mental effort ended that episode. At
/ a. m. Sunday morning, arrived In
town. Thank God the bus was at the
depot. Some towns don't have buses
at the depot when the thermometer is
10 below. Others entered the bus and
for % cents the writer had splendid
ride all around town before the driver
headed towards home sweet home. Or
course, the house was locked, five |
minutes pounding on the front door
brought no response. To the thought,
it's mighty cold here, at l o'clock In I
the morning, came the Christian
Science doctrine: you're not cold;
you only think your feet are like Ice;
imagine yourself in that warm bed not
twenty feet away, and you'll feel bet
ter. Then followed three minutes rat
tie of the side door, where the wind
has full sweep. No answer. Probably
all Of the family dead. Then a trip
round to the side window, not two feet
from where the children sleep. And a
series of taps on the frost-covered
glass woke somebody. Who is i:
What do you want? and few little
things like that received strictly
Christian-like answers. Finally a ghost
at the front door. Its you
is it? Wait minute" the door opens
and weeks trip was over. Only
o'clock in the morning, furnace heat
down to the proper temperature for
sleeping in cool room. But still, |
things might have been worse, the
train might have been wrecked, or have |
been twelve hours late, instead of ten.
Only one thing more needs to be mem
toned: The folks have been told
several times not to let that cat sleep
in the house, and something happened
as Thomas Cat came in to welcome
the visitor. 1t brought out a remark,
we'll, if 1 was feeling ugly wouldn't
kick the poor cat.
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