Evening journal., 1908-04-20
A HEROIC KNITTER.
No Yarns Of Danger Could Deter This
Placid Old Lady.

Placid Old Lady.
Coming up from Washington to New
York one day. a woman was seen to
make herself comfortable in one OF the
big chairs in the parlor car. and when
the train was well under way she pro-
ceeded to take out some pretty silk
knitting work, which would seem an
ideal occupation for a journey OF a
few hours, as 1t involves no eye strain
and gives one a joyous sense OF time
well spent. But she had accomplished
only a few rows when the porter
walked through the car He looked at
the woman knitting. paused. hesitated
a moment as II he wanted to say some
thing. then changed his mind and went
on.
But in a few minutes he returned
with the conductor. who walked direct
ly to the chair Of the busy one and
without the least hesitation said:
beg pardon. madam. but that you
know. is against the rules"
'T' don't understand. What Is Il
that's against the rulesT"
knitting" replied the conductor
briefly.
She laughed, then looked apprehen-
sive and uncertain as to the next move
OF this seemingly harmless lunatic who
presumed to tell her that knitting was
against the rules. But she decided to
humor him.
"But why knitting9' she asked. 'T
am allowed to read. believe. and to
play solitaire. Why this restriction on
knitting?"
The conductor spoke again.
perhaps I should not have said II
was against the rules" he said. That
was putting 1t too strongly. But we
never allow a passenger TO knit with
out warning. Have you ever thought
how dangerous those steel knitting nee
dies would be In case OF an accidentT
The woman meditated. This man
was possibly not as mad as he seemed.
"Isn't It rather farfetchedT she
asked. "Accidents-serious ones-don't
happen very often, and II one should a
little matter Of a knitting needle or so
wouldn't make much difference, 1
should think
The entire car was listening now.
and the conductor told Of a wrecked
train from which the body OF a woman
had been taken. There was no appar-
ent cause for her death. She had been
taken out Of a mass Of wreckage
which had formed a sort OF roof over
! her, leaving her little or no space in
/ which to move, but quite safe from
everything but the possibility OF FIRE.
which had. however. been averted-
/ The surgeons had been at loss to ac-
count for her death till one Of them
/ discovered that she had been stabbed
through the heart by a sharp steel knit
! ting needle out of the work which was
still in her hands.
''There was another case, too" con-
tinued the conductor "In one Of my
trains several years ago there was a
passenger who insisted on knitting
after I had warned her. and went
away. An hour or so afterward the
car gave a sudden lurch. That woman
happened to be STOPPING over her work
to pick up a stitch or something, she
said later, and in some way or other
one Of her knitting needles pierced he's
eye. She never recovered the sight Of
it."
The passengers all wondered whai
the woman with the knitting needle
would do. They thought she would
stop. But she didn't She only sighed.
"Well I've got to finish this FOL
Johns birthday-Monday- I guess
III take the risk" and placidly took up
her knitting.
And the conductor walked away
looking volumes that might have been
condensed into one sentence, ''Wouldn'i
that Jar your and disappeared.
And nothing whatever happened
New York Times.