The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1907-10-11

This was rather difficult, but he said
down at the junction point there was \
connecting the two roads, and we must
have been switched off without our know
ing it. Evidently this remarkable oc
currence had taken place while we were
both asleep, but why or how | could not
tell. But saw my chance.
eyes, [ thought the way we curved off
was in the wrong direction but [ expected
YOU to say so if we were wrong. You
were asleep, and let me get off here on a
foreign road with lot of millionaires, and
all of us liable to spill all over the land
scape any minute in collision.
This was a lie, as knew nothing about
it.)
Then jumped on him some more, just
to cove him and square myself. 1t was
good bluff and it worked fine.
However, kept the engine going for,
thinks [, we are going in the right dlrec-
ton, and if we 90 back we won't make
that train, and are as liable to get ditched
as if we keep ahead. But when | tried
to get something out of the fireman as to
the road, the distance, and the like, he
was little better posted than I. Luckily,
| remembered that | had an advertising
folder of our road, containing map OF
Ohio and adjoining states, which had kept
in my Jacket for study at odd moments.
You remember those folders. They
were good deal more exaggerated then
than now. The State of Ohio was made
all out of proportion, so that our lines,
printed in heavy black bands, seemed to 90
straight to all cities. Then there were a
lot of crooked lines, the size and shape OF
a spider web, which represented the cir
cuitous tracks of rival lines.
After some study [ located our position
with relative accuracy, and we appeared
to be about thirty miles south of Benton
Junction, where the plug line of the Wan
dervelts struck the parent stem. As this
was east of Mason City, where our own
line crossed, and whittier we were supposed
to be speeding, it gave us that much more
time to catch that train East-bound from
Chicago; that is supposing we got there at
all, of which there seemed to me good
deal of legitimate doubt,
Talk about Captain Kane in Greenland
or Stanley in Africa-these gentlemen at
least knew where they were and how to
prepare for danger. Personally, [ felt like
a cross between pirate king and bank
burglar [ think it was the first time in
history that train got lost and raced
across country on rival line. The cold
sweat was on my brow and goose flesh came
out all over me at every turn in the road.
At any minute 1 expected to 90 crashing
into a train-for this was single track
road. Once as we swung around sharp
curve was certain [ saw headlight just
| ahead of me. There was no time to give
her air or even jump, so | shut my eyes
and said a prayer-and nothing happened
1t was window light in a cottage by the
road.
[ have often wished that [ could tell the
story of the incidents of that night. There
is fellow called Kipling, who has done
some things or seen some things or at least
has written some things. [ wish he had
been with me that night.
Some of you have been behind safe
horse at night driving over well-known
road and have been scared to death every
minute by shadows When was at school
there was a fellow once read me something
from Dante [ now have some fine edi-
tions of that italian poet, but then could
only think about his nine degrees of hell
and punishments that would come to people
who made mistakes. Thinks |, if we go
into ditch we will have very pleasant
meeting when Charon takes us across In
the boat. Once we came on a grove of
trees where some camp meeting people
were gathered. They were singing songs
about every day being Sunday by and by,
or words to that effect. | thought we
we're going right into camp, and the pros
pect of killing some preachers was not to my
mind at all.
You may think this is imagination, but
when | swept around the curve | am sure
| saw some angels giving me kisses. |
would have looked more particularly, but
at that moment I saw some highwaymen
in mass trying to hold us up. They waved
the red lights, but I went by in hurry.
1t was only delusion. We had a good
mile of run before | turned into one of
those old fashioned covered bridges, and I
put on full steam. was by this time
prepared for anything, and it made no diff
ference to me whether it was breakfast or
death. This sounds ridiculous. I had a