The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1908-11-12

| THAT depends upon the amount OF
| freight and how much switching their
| is to do
| turned away softly. Then l be-
thought me of the ticket man.
1T is almost eleven" | remarked
with deadly calmness He looked in
terested. why, so it is. Oh. we'll the
crew'll be along soon now. Scheduled
for nine-forty," he added comfortingly.
All, well, what matter? The sky
was blue and the air electric, and
there was the long stretch of the sta
| ton platform on which to practice
| fascinating eccentricities of gait, could
| one but manage it subtly enough to
escape the attention of the loungers.
1t was well on toward noon when
| the patient occupants of the train for
| Ozark were startled by premonitory
| jolt that caused a weary mother who
was doing at full length on one of the
seats to grab wildly at her infant,
| uncritically asleep on the floor The
| gentleman Just outside hosiery
| Strengthened up alertly and while his
| colleague smiled genially and indis
| criminately on us all, murmured, She
| moves!"
1t was true. Some engine humble
| enough and decrepit enough to draw
| the train to Ozark had been found To
| be sure, it was almost time for us to
| arove, but what are schedules after
| all but an expression of a railroads
notwithstanding of what they fain
would do, rather than what they &C
complish. If my mind still played
about the idea of making up time, it
was from the force of habit Certainly
| the Ozark train never dreamed of max
| ing such an exhibition of itself as
| would have been necessary to over
| take its fleeing schedule.
1t ambled gently through the sunlit
| landscape, past cornfelds all nicely
done up in Psyche knots and aglow
with topaz pumpkins past distant
| farmstead exhibiting an almost holy
propriety, doors and windows primly
| closed, and nothing In sight save the
shadows on the lawn, and gradually
came to complete stop before gen
eral store, where it paused for a So
cial call. Onward it went again,
| through more smiling landscape, over
| little brooks, beside shadowy wood
| land stretches, but never failing to
stop courteously at each country
store.
| Gradually the charm of that journey
sank into my heart, never to be for
gotten. 1t was an exquisite pastoral
! given to us at first hand, lived and not
read. The idea of a destination faded
| from my mind, the desire to arrive de
| parted from me. The trip to Ozark
| was like life-to be on the way was
| the other end
| | had long since deserted the ele
giant red plush seat for one on the
| steps of the back platform As We
| stopped from time to time to distrib-
ute freight cars or cinders the men
| explored the surrounding country. |
was wishful but, being unable to rid
myself entirely of an old superstition
| concerning trains-the possibility of
their careening off at moments no,
! tice-l remained on the steps, content
eddy watching the flurries of yellow
| and white butterflies that drfted
| about, the huge brown beetles that
| waddled along the track for all the
| world like contractors out on tour Of
| inspection. | smiled back at the land
! scape that beamed on us all so genial
| ly, and bent my ear TO the gaunt
| brown weeds, the burden of whose
| message was, once ! was young. but
now am old" as they waved back
and forth in the breeze. At peace with
| life and time, | thanked God for the
| long, sweet dream of country ways.
| Indifferent whether we trundled on
| ward or tarried forever by the way
Verify, | had tasted the lotus, reached
| the land where it is always after
noon.
Ozark" shouted the conductor.
| There was a proud, official ring in his
voice that seemed TO say, Didn't tell
you?' and | began to gather up my
possessions, involuntarily exchanging
| glance of sympathy with Falstaff
| and the man Just outside hosiery"
Somehow, In that 1Smile trip we all
seemed to have put out roots. and the
arrival came with a rude shock of up
| heaval, provoking a passionate resent
ment at the necessity for getting off
| and separating. We did not speak, but
| each, | am sure, knew what the other
| felt. In the turmoil of life we had
| found a veritable via sacra. We were
"a little bit-better men and women
| for having come by way Of Ozark