The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-06-26
A Widow and a
Railroad
By NJ. QUAD
Copyright 1911, by Associated Lit
erary Press
By NJ. QUAD

The ID. and S. railroad had decided
TO eliminate ten mile curve on its
line by a cross cut of half The dis.
lance. The curve had been made t.
reach boom town which had later
been FIRE swept and then abandoned
The Widow Carter. relict of farmer
lived ON the line of the rejected cut
of. Ii must run between two lakes
on her farm, and the isthmus was only
seventy feet wide
There was not doubt on the par;
of the railroad people that the widow
would sell the right of way for Sls'
or SO. One day q company lawyer
paid her a call He was q man OF
fifty about the widows age. and the
two had not talked ten minutes before
1t developed that they used to go to
school together as children. When il
came to speaking OF the right of way
the lawyer treated it as trifing mat,
ter. All other landowners on the line
had granted II for nothing. but In Mrs.
Carter's case they would pay 500 II
she would bind herself TO keep quiet
about 1t.
Il won't say either yes or no today
she replied. There's something !
want to remember about our school
days-some incident of Importance that
you were connected with guess |
eau think it up tonight. and you can
come back tomorrow"
The lawyer departed. thinking the
widow a bit odd in her ways, and he
was back In due time next day.
Look here, Sam Davis" said Mrs.
Carter as they we're seated Il was
purity sure there was some incident,
and 1t has come to me. You know
there was hill back Of the school
house at Wharton?'
Eyes"
"And we used to slide down on sleds
and boards at recess and after school 2"
80 we did"
Zone noon you asked me to ride on
your sled. Halfway down the hill 1t
upset, and l lost big cud OF gum /
was chewing"
The lawyer laughed and slapped his
leg. but the widow had a very serious
face as she went on:
And so your old railroad has got
to pay me thousand dollars for the
right Of way. Pm going to get even
for that lost gum"
"A hundred dollars is big price,
widow. Its land that you make no
use of"
But ! may decide to make use OF
II. No; the railroad can have 1t for
thousand dollars, but not a cent less
1T can condemn the land under the
law. you understand, and in that case
1t would get 1t for $40"
We'll, let EN- 20 ahead"
The railroad company didn't care TO
90 ahead until 1t had exhausted other
means. 1t wonld raise it's figures. and
1t would send other lawyers to h"r
Meanwhile the widow consulted a iaw'
yer in the village. he was one horse
lawyer, but he was posted 90 the thing
she wanted most to know. In certain
states railroad cannot secure the
right OF way through dwelling house
by condemnation proceedings. Ii the
owner asks an exorbitant figure the
value is TO be set by three adjacent
landowners This law applied Ia the
widows case. or soon would. She at
once ordered lumber to build shanty
on that isthmus. and within week
she was living III il.
The railroadesent on another lawyer.
who offered 5000 for the right Of way,
Mrs. Carter was drm. Then another
lawyer and $500 Mrs. Carter was
firmer
Railroads often seize by force what
they covct and then nght 1t out in
court. The idea was IT, do 1t IN this
Csc Hrs. Garter llGra Gas au--- .=..aa..-