The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-07-18
Thursday, July II.

Thursday morning we woke at the
sound of the breakfast bell on the
Black Hawk on the way to Burling-
ton. 1t was dandy. Say, 1t was
great! At Fort Madison we came
up with the excursion steamer, The
Dubuque that had left Keokuk
wharf hours ahead Of the Black
Hawk. The two boats started out to
race. l think, but as ours had to
stop 30 often, she soon got behind.
We would stop first at town on the
Illinois side, then a town on the
Iowa side. We saw the peniten-
tiary at Fort Madison from the boat,
some of the boys were green enough
to want to visit the pen, but Mr..
Van Werden's advice was not to 60
there unless we had to. 1t is no fun
to see lot of poor rascals shut up
| in an iron cage, so we did not stop.
We reached Burlington at noon. AL
most the first cry was dinner. We
ate at a hotel and cleaned out every
thing set before us. At one restau-
rant on the road the proprietor told
Mr.. B. after he had seen us eat din
ner that he could not take us for
supper. On the boat, l forgot to
say, a woman took our pictures. We
ate breakfast on the boat in long
hall at long table.
At Burlington saw lots of things,
went to the park, which is the best
yet, went to two moving picture
shows, and lots of souvenir stores
and ten cent stores. We met the
scout master and scouts. When we
took the train for home we were the
sleepiest set l bet you ever saw.
When we got into Charlton and
changed cars it was raining dogs and
cats, just pouring. Every boy was
as sleepy as dog so we just poured
ourselves out all over that depot and
slept, the seats were all divided off
into little stingy spaces, but to spite
the railroad company I just poked
my legs under one arm on the seats,
and my head under another, my back
in the middle and l forgot the world.
1t didn't seem more than five min
utes afterward until we were all
shaken and told to get up and get
intoA the train for Leon. When we
got in the Leon train, everyone in
our crowd just dropped down like
he had been taking choloform, and
went to snoring; all my life l have
wanted to have a chance to do as l
pleased on the train. So this was
my chance. There was lot of
freight trains on the tracks, running
like sixty, l hiked up the window
and leaned away out, and tapped
each car as it passed, saw an en-
CINE behind the freight train, l
leaned out little further and tried
| to shake hands with the fireman, he
raised a shove as if he aimed to
burst out my brains and l lodged
back and screamed. ! thought sure
/ was a dead dog. looked around in
our car in great aarm for l thought
sure l had awakened Mr.. B. but
he was sound aseep just some wo-
men on the seat behind me had seen
and they were mad at me as hornets.
They tried to get me to shut the
window but I didn't have to mind
any woman on that car, so l leaned
away out again and balanced myself
on the sill of the window on my
stomach, most of my body was out
side Then l heard the door slam
and here was the brakeman, you bet
I hauled myself in. He yelled Leon
next station! Then he began waken-
ing all the boys, Bonnie Van Werden
was right by me snoring like crazy
man. The brakeman shook him
hard and said, "Say boy, where you
going to?' and Bonnie turned over
and whined, '1'm goin' to Keokuk'
Then we all began to get our bud
gets, and hats and things and in a
minute the train had stopped and
I'VE were out on the platform. Mr.
Stewart was the first man we saw,
he was there to meet corpse but
thank goodness that corpse didn't
belong to any of us, we were the
darkest looking sights for white fell
lows that ever landed in Leon
reckon. We got into a corner and
gave the scout yell, then we pulled
out for our homes, as sleepy and as
hungry and as happy as dogs.
Now I bet everybody will wonder
who wrote this, and you can keep
on wondering, for if dad should find
out that l leaned out the car as
did and sauced those women it would
be goodbye for me, so I'll not sign
my name, not that I'm coward, but
just because I'm in favor of peace.
at home. Next year l hope to 60
with them scouts to the Gulf OF
Mexico, and I'll lean out and tap the
ocean steamers as we sail round the
Gulf. If l tell my name Dad he will
never consent, so l am to be yours,
+ The Silent One.