The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-10-26
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

a mile sprint and then hold up the
 Birmingham Speeiar' to board it in or
 der to fill speaking date for the
 fouit Liberty Loan in Calhoun
 county
 In the yarn I made mention of the
 many ways I could get to the Terminal
 without walking. I stated the mum Der
 of choices I had in the way of street
 cars. Well. Monday it was up to me
 10 again make the Atlanta train. and
 this is the beginning of another story. l
 1 I got down to Thirty-eighth street and lad my usual luck to find that the Mountain Terrace car was down at the junction. I seem 10 have a perfect genius in being able to always locate fiat the wrong end of the trip. which means at least f5-minute wait--unless some kind friend picks me up in his car
 1 As there was bit of light from a moon which was doing her best to peep out from the haze, l concluded I would stroll over to the Avondaie line, just ! a l0-minute stroll. I did so, but get | ting tired of waiting for one, I hap pened to ask a passerby if he had seen or heard a car in the last half hour. He frankly stated with some heat that 1 he had done both, but the old thing was stalled on the bend about quar- park.
 
 then hot-footed it over to the ride water line and took my seat, expecting to see car climb over the hill and swoop down on me at any minute. After 30 minutes of patient waiting" before car or man showed up, I saw negro crossing the street and in a play. full mood. I said: Have the cars quit running for the night?' He grinned, and replied, q dunno Capt, but they show is nightly mussed up down at the railroad crossing"
 set out at brisk pace down Spring street and soon was at the Southern crossing and saw an excited crowd and a live, sputtering wire and close by the offending crane of wrecker which had not been lowered sufficiently, and had for the time being by cutting the trolley wire, put the east end of the city on the blink and caused grouns of angry pedestrians to hold indigna. ton meetings on the street corners. l walked on to the East Lake line. but there wasn't car in sight.
 If l hadn't seen with my own eyes the damage done by the wrecker. l would have jumped to the conclusion that Ellis Brown and his conferees on the city commission had put the B. R. l.. X F. out of business, for had been reading some of the dire things which he had promised to hand out to Mr Pevear if he didn't do so and so-and in my predicament I was trying 10 find out whether I ought to be peeye1 at Ellis os Pee-vear, but l had senss enough to know that if l waited to locate the blame I would miss my train
 nave been urging my friends and the public to walk more, but I had no idea
 III, now 1t was up to me to take my own medicine. I started down First avenue and just before I got to the Avondals Mills I overlook a gentleman who was loaded down with a heavy grip. and fell in step with him to learn that the tie-up had laid the local from Chatta- nooga up in the yards and he was mak- iner for tba Tar,,,;poI
 As we walked we talked I have neyer been one of those who make a practice of keeping quiet If I can't talk to a crowd I am willing to converse with an individual. The man who can keep si- fence in seven different languages does not appeal to me, It seems he is more lit for deaf and dumb asylum than he is to be let loose upon a public where tongues which are not tied ought to wag, for this would be mighty uninterest. ing world if conversation was forbidden
 Just as we got to the viaduct, he told me how a short while before he had looked into the face of a pistol as a hold up man expressed desire to go through him. He confessed it was a disagree able sensation, but that it made him so mad that he told the bold highwayr,an that if he was a sure enough sport he would drop the gun and see who was the best man. This, however, failed to l appeal to his sporting sense.
 He then told the robber to go ahead | and shoot, but warned him if his old l pistol didn't kill him the first shot he would take it away from him and beat his Drains out. Now the funny part is my chance acquaintance impressed me just as he did the robber. for when l learned that he was a brick layer and l weighed 22o pounds, I felt that he was not bluffing. but that he meant busi- ness. To make a long story short tho holdup man backed away without talk ing the trouble to carry on his persona, investigation.
 Now he acted very differently from me was held up once, and | was as po- lite and obiging as a dancing master. ' It was in St. Louis. Now every fel- l low imagines how he would act under the circumstances, but believe me 1 | played for position. Safety First never seemed to me in all my life to be such a good motto. l made it my very own.