The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1911-12-07
On
Their Way


president of a railroad. l don't care
so much about merely seeing him as
do about conversing with him.
should be satisfied with saying
few things to him over the telephone
II couldn't do any better!
1T isn't that want to rage at him.
l want merely to assure him that 7
am filled with the deepest admiration
for any human being with nerve as
colossal and contempt for his fellow
man as sublime as are his!
HE runs the railroad which is the
only means of getting out of my sum-
mer resort. All during the season j
heard vague rumors and rumblingg
of discomfort from the floating popu-
lation at the inn, who, of course, were
obliged to escape by rail. In an in
dolent fashion 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. it was annoying to
have to take train at II o'clock at
night, but we got to the village by
dark and had our dinner. The bug
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 a walk. It began to
rain.
ION going back we heard the bag
gageman saying that the train was
forty minutes late. but that 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 I
think she must have pinched them to-
StarC tnem up again.
"Then Harry Gilflst burst in upon
his wife and me to report lunch
room a block away. We fed 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
petrif1ed doughnuts. Harry reported
| hok hn OH tU~
late now, because of a 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'a sleep a day and why was a
railroad anyhow? Mrs. Gilfist and I
sat hunched up in a dry corner and
yawned and Strengthened our hair
irritably, 'Whadyu say?'
Down the track two men were
carrying lanterns close to the ground
in wavering way 'Wha-they doing
Mrs. Gilfist demanded, Grossly.
They're searching for the train, my
dear ! told her soothingly. They
think maybe they'll find it slipped
down a crack where the rails join
R'Don't be silly! she snapped. I shall
die If can't go 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 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 a touch of
realism. II he had a Gothic nose.
now
1.-THE sleeper'll get here It q
o'clock, they report said the desper-
ate baggageman. 'Tll resign tomor-
row.
"'And we have to get up at 6!' said
Mrs. Gilfist, hollowly. oh. how those
ham sandwiches made me feel!'
Sat 10 minutes after 3 a train am.
bled in from somewhere. and. Keeling
from WEAKNESS, we dashed to the
sleeper end of it. I wish owned
this road!' confded to the Pull
man conductor. I'd like to hack II
up with little Ratchet and use it fol-
kindling.' HUH he retorted. If |
owned it wouldn't take SO much
trouble with it! I'd just step on II
and exterminate IT,
"After hurting umbrellas and suit
cases into our section and finding
without doubt that It wasn't out sec
ton at all. because there was a man
In the lower berth, who was annoyed
because the corner Of suitcase land
I'd against his stomach. We finally got
adjusted and snatched about two min
utes of sleep. think. in the midst oil
the switching and humping and back
ing up.
! when l woke up in the morning
at daylight looked at the scenery @
long time before | addressed Louise
Eiifist in shrill whisper. She looked