The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-05-14
RABBITS FOOT MADE GOOD.


Fell Out of the Engineers Pocket
and He stopped Train.
a good, clever rabbits foot, left
hind" said the engineer to n New York
Sun man, lone that is always on the
job, is great boon. Now, have one
that | always carry in my inside
jumper pocket. | ran over n rabbit
one day N in the chopin process its
left hind leg was tossed through the
cab window right into my lap. OF
course it would be too much like
temptin' fate to let a good thing like
that get by, n I've carried it with me
on my runs ever since.
1.-The other day / stopped at the
junction for water with the daylight
express. The boys at the roundhouse
down there got to THROWN josh into
me about my rabbits-foot protector
Sorne OF them didn't believe 1t was
true that | put so much faith into it
well l says. you can josh me as
much as you like. but / am frank &c
admit that / wouldn't like TO go out
on the road for trip without my
bunch in my pocket
Then they all had to have a look al
ii. After they had passed it around il
was time for our train TO leave. n /
carelessly stuffed it i'm the outside
pocket of my jumper, l was in such a
hurry
II had q heavy train. but we were
right on time, so | didn't mind much
as the 1897 was worlxin' her dandiest
n we Flowed along just like an ice
yacht before forty-mile gale. Coin
round the Ten Degree curve the 1927
slipped N hobbled for second like a
fat man steppin' on Il banana peel. ]
eased her off with the throttle q bit,
stickin' my head out of the cab win
dow to see what caused the unsteadi.
ness on the part of the 1927. AS did
| the locomotive gave little lurch N
felt my rabbits foot slidin' out of my
| jumper pocket. | made a grab at IT.
but / didn't come within q foot Of it
1t landed on little ledge of the run
MIN board just outside the cab.
| leaned out of the window to get 1t
Some mysterious influence seemed tc
be workin' against my reachin' tina,
rabbits foot. In another second II
bounced off to the ballast to one side
of the track.
well, | was In q quandary for q
second. However. 1 firmly made uT
i ind \ riv,s 70 4,
bits foot guardian angel in that fash
ion. So put on the air. AS the train
came to stop dropped from the run
min board N busted back after my
good luck piece. AS soon as the trair
stopped a natural curiosity rose I'm the
minds of the passengers N the train
crew as to what was the matter. jim
| Spratt, the conductor, asked me what
was up, n just told him that l drop
ped something of considerable value n
had stopped to pick it up. A fresh guy
in one of the Pullman's overheard my
answer n butted i'm as follows:
Say, oil sport, / dropped quill
tOothpick from the dining car back III
the road piece. Would you mint
baclsin' up there n getting it for me
or course we are i'm no hurry to get in
This near railroadin' fatigues me-
II didn't make any reply to him
| though / would have liked to gi, hin
a slam In the Stats. In less time iha.
ii takes to tell ii had the train start
| ed again | just got 'em moving abou
eight miles an hour when | heard ;
crashin' Of the ties n the 1897 liste,
over to one side. OF course we wer:
going so slow that we could almos
stop in space the size of n 10-cen
piece. / dropped down to the GROUND
again n on inspectin' the track
found broken rail. Now. wasn't tina
nice work for that rabbits foot?'