Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1911-12-28
A Mystery In
A Freight Car
BY ADOLPH SNYDER
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, IJl1.

| walking alongside the tfdin ana saw
Il thin smoke coming out from under
one Of the cars Thinking II to come
/ from hot box, / stopped to examine
| the truck, but the running gear was
as cool ms cucumber. Then, looking
up, noticed small tin pipe protrud
| ing from the bottom OF the car,
! through which smoke was coming in
little punfs.
well I'll be jlngcd!' | said to my
self. "IIcrc's freight car, sealed with
lead, that hasn't been opened since it
started three days ago, and steam
engine in II. Am | in my right mind,
or have tumbIcd off the brake wheel,
where | was sitting spell ago"
| stopped II trinc lower and crancd
my neck in little further in order
to get n better view. There was the
pipe, evidently part Of leader from
gutter belonging to the roof Of
house IT extended n few inches
downward, then turned with an elbow,
the second part extending about q
foot rcarward As | looked the puffs
continued rs regular as those coming
from Il locomotive making steady
gait.
What TO do didn't know. ! was
afraid to notify the conductor for fear
I'd find out that I'd had n stroke and
saw things that didn't exist. Some
thing occurred just then that made
me think I'd surely gone daft heard
girls giggle.
There wasn't any connection between
steam engine and Il girl shut up in
box car, especially sealed box car,
but there was good deal to excite
curiosity. stopped worrying about
myself and began to wonder what
there was inside that car. | stood off,
looked at It and walked all around 1t
A freight train Is made up of differ
cnt kinds Of cars, and this car was eS.
pecnlly different from the others 1t
looked as though 1t might have been Il
caboose turned into Il box The thing
most noticeable about 1t was door at
one end. Why | hadn't noticed this
before | don't know unless 1t was be
cause the end was only about two feet
from the end OF another car.
/ saw that there was or had been n
lock on the door. There wasn't any
knob, but nail had been put through
the screw hole Of the steel piece on
which the knob had been fixed. |
climbed up on the coupling and tried
to turn the nail to open the door.
didn't succeed. lis, encd. but every
thing was stlll. But didn't forget that
giggle, and pretty soon | knocked. In
few moments heard whispers with
I'm. Then all of sudden the door was
pulled open and there stood a boy and
n girl.
Besides these, | got Il view OF the
car. There was carpet on 1t, the
worse for wear: In one corner was II
mattress with bedclothing; in the cen
ter was pine table, and at one side
was cook stove. And | noticed that
the stovepipe was run down instead OF
up or horizontal and passed through n
hole in the floor"
please don't give us away" said
the girl. going for me with n pair of
bllt eyes llpt illuuI 'uhNl
You'd better let me come in," | an
swered. 'If the conductor or any of
the train hands should come along
thcrc'd be no need OF giving You away"
went inside and shut the door after
me. Then | asked. "Will you be good
enough to tell me what this mcansT
We're n bride and groom" said the
young Teller. who couldn't have been
over seventeen years old.
ION our wedding trip" the girl
added,
"A bride and groom on your wedding
trip" exclaimed "Ilow did YOU iii
in hcrc?"
I'm tell YOU all about it," said the
boy "W"'re not only on our wcddln"
trip, but we're Il runaway couple"
Are You sure you're not a pair OF
escaped muHticS%'
The girl laughrd the follow looked
/ kind Of queer and talked on.
1--WE were engaged. hut neither her
| dad nor mirc would let us git mar
/ ricd till we wee older. had a clerk.
/ SAtr IN n railroad freight house. and
/ | '"onagCd To Kit hold Of this car, and
one night when You men We're making
ip this train | give the engineer a
signal to hook up against II, and the
next time he backed up against n car
this was In the train, I'd fixed the
door aud put in the bridal furniture"
The bridal furuiturc," | said, look.
ing around so this is n bridal cham.
Der, Is itg'
We'll. it's all we got" he answered
What have YOU had to eat?"
asked,
BREAD, bacon, eggs and few other
things, There's our stove. We get
II good enough draft when the trains
moving"
And when II isn't moving you fan
the fire."
Just So
Hearing some one coming, | put my
finger TO my liNS, and when the sound