The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-04-16
THE HOBO TAKES
A PER|LOUS RIDE
Beats it Along the Pecos Valley
Under the Cow.Catcher and Is
Given a Sudden and lnvolun-
tary Bath.
By Book Worm


as, an ever were ridin' on tn Texas
Pacific. perhaps you'll remember o
goin' through the little OF town o
Pecos, where tn T. p. crosses tn
Pecos river. It's erbout one hun
dred odd miles east O. Ell Paso
Course every body's heard O. Pecos
cause that's tn name you'll see il
so many O. your stories about Texas
COW heels an cattle rustlers. You'll
even meet up with one hundred Ell
SO ginks, straddlln' brOnchs all tn
way from the Rio Grand ter tn
Canadian line, who'll say tibet that's
their name, Pecos.
Durin' tn months of July or Au-
gust, its a common occurrence fer
tn Pecos River to get kinder hors-
tile an swell up bit, an when it
does it holds no respect fer any
kinder property. whether belongin'
ter nature er man. 1t just spreads
out an takes all tn room it wants.
Chances are you'll see a ten foot
section O. back yard fence foatin'
erlong, and some OF DANES hen
coop sorter vars;tyin' along beside
it, an tn railroad right-o' way,
well you just know it's there, but
va can't see it.
That's where l come in. on tn
railroad right-o'- Cause it's a
cinch bo's not goin' ter write a
story bout tn deluge.
On the Texas Pacific.
1 had tn pleasure bein' ditched
one mornln' few years ago. in lit
tie town two divisions west of Fort
Worth on tn Texas Pacific. There
were s'posed ter be be bad mug
in tn place an it were advertised
erlong tn line that he'd sooner slip
va bunch of fives hisself, than let
the court do it. Now | didn't want
ter get in no clinch with no second
BLACK Jess. so erlong bout seven
that evenin' l beats it down ter tn
round house an crawls up in under
tn pilot on tn mogul, that / knew
was goin' ter pull that nine er'clock
flyer, over that division inter Ell
I'aso. Course they didn't see me,
an shortly after nine | was speed
in out oyer those Texas prairies
erbout three feet in tn lead O. tn
head light on that train hittin' those
stiff Texas breezes. an believe me
they're none too warm in that coun-
try after the sun goes down.
Now I'll admit it's not such a
tough job fer one O. these little fell
lers, what's only bout four feet
high, ter crawl up in under an
OF cow-ca catcher an ride without
being put ter much discomfort. But
when lean, long, lanky boy who
scars up round six foot two. when
he's got his boots on, trys to put
himself in little coop, that meas
ures two by four by nothln' Well,
he's got to do some tall
twistln'. I'd tied myself up in a
couple bow-knots, an were sorter
doing an act that would make tn
frog man in a circus gaze on with
envy, an even at that | had all |
could do ter keep my feet up, an
my head down. But when a fe-
ler's riding III place like that he's
got ter just keep on ricin' an say
nothln', cause va can't break out,
an If you were not oorn under a
lucky star. why chances are some
thln's eoin' ter break in, an when
1t does. then it's good night dad.
He Takes Plunge
Nothin' broke III on me that
night, but somethin' run in, and it
was 'SOut as pleasant a sensation as
was was ever up against. 1t seems
that tn Con. had received orders
ter run kinder slow when he got in
th' vicinity o Pecos. cause tn riv-
er was comm up and they di int
know just what it was liable ter do.
Now fer some reason er other he'd
failed ter show me them orders,
an | WASH prepared fer tn mid
night plunge they gave me. 1t sure
were some plunge. That OF train
had got ter where it were just
crawlin' erlong, with tn water rip
plin' up erlong tn edge O. tn rails.
Then all at once i; stops crawlin'
an starts sinkin'. Well, thanks ter
Mister Westln'house, er wouldn't
be telling this tale. The train stops
an me, l just had my ears an
breathin' tunnels erbove th' high
water mark. an even at that had
ter make one long distant dive befel
l could say they were perman'tly
'bove that mark.
Now. | wouldn't give advise to g
boy, ter stay out from in under tn
cow-catcher cause when your rid