The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1911-11-24
On
Their Way

There's a man on earth whom I'm
hoping to meet some day" unused
the girl who likes to talk. Hes the
president Of a railroad. don't care
so much about merely seeing him as
| do about conversing with him. |
should be satisfied with saying a
few things to him over the telephone
II couldn't do any better!
1T isn't that want to rage at him.
I want merely to assure him that !
am filled with the deepest admiration
for any human being with a nerve 10
colossal and a contempt for his fellow
man 40 sublime as are his!
He runs the railroad which 10 the
only means Of getting out Of my sum-
mer resort All during the season ]
heard vague rumors and rumblings
Of discomfort from the floating popu'
lation at the Inn. who. Of course. were
obliged to escape by rail. In an in.
dolent fashion l learned that nothing
ever occurred on that road In the
way that it should. People rather
inferred that the train crews sat up
nights planning new and ingenious
ways to upset the schedule and keep
people waiting.
ITO be sure, 1t was annoying to
have to take a train at II o'clock at
night. but We got to the village by
dark and had our dinner. The bus
left at for the station a mile away.
SO we went in it. Three of us could
kill time easily. we said. We sur
vived the blighting depression Of the
village station for half an hour and
then we took walk 1t began to
rain.
On going back we heard the bag.
sageman saying that the train was
forty minutes late, but that a sleeper
would run down from somewhere else
earlier and We could get aboard that
and be picked up later by the train.
In half an hour the report was that
the sleeper was delayed by sand
slide on the track. We had talked all
we knew and were getting to the
point where we eyed each other with
growing dislike.
"A woman with five small children
added to the joys of the evening be.
cause if one child cried all the rest
piped up, and If they all stopped !
hink she must have pinched them to
start them up again.
Then Harry Giliist burst In upon
his wife and me to report lunch.
room a block away. We fled to It..
and started in on ham sandwiches to
kill time. We ate sandwiches with
deadly seriousness, and then We be.
gan on the Gagged apple pie and the
petrified doughnuts. Harry reported
that the main train was two hours
late now, because of washout.
THE rain poured down. The sta
ton agent slept on the table. The
baggageman said terrible things out
loud to himself and demanded to
know how any man could live on four
hours sleep day and why was a
railroad anyhow? Mrs Gilfist and |
sat hunched up in dry corner and
yawned and Strengthened our hair
lrritably, 'Whadyu say
Down the track two men were
carrying lanterns close to the ground
In a wavering way. 'Wha-they doing
Mrs. Gilist demanded. GROSSLY.
They're searching for the train. my
DEAR | told her soothingly. They
think maybe they'll find II slipped
down a crack where the rails Join.
Don't be silly she snapped. I shall
die II can't 60 to sleep" And the
rain poured down in the miserable
black silence. We could hear the
agent snore.
"'There isn't any train. there never
was a train and there never will be a
train on this line Harry Gilfist
chanted mournfully. They put up
this station just as an ornament and
added the ticket agent for touch Of
realism. II he had Gothic nose.
now
1.-The sleeper'll get here at ?
o'clock. they report said the desper-
ate baggageman I'll resign tomor
row.
And We have to get up at g.. said
Mrs (,ilfsf hnllnWlY oh how those