The Press., 1919-07-17
Moving the Movers
 o0 By J. L. JAMES
(Oopynght)

(OopyngAO
 was sitting in the stuffy little depot of prairie town. A "norther" was prowling around outside, and whistling mournfully about the caves. A lone drummer, two or three farmers, and myself, were waiting for the local go ing west, a swaying combination of ohe rickety passenger coach, any number of freight cars, and sputtering little hog back engine.
 The train made daily trips, but on It's return each afternoon, or midnight, becameNo. 8 instead of No. 1-its west bound cognomen.
 The road boasted of another train, subject, also, to daily change of num- bers-No. 2 and No. 4-a real passen- ger train, due late in the afternoon, and likely to arrive at any time there after.
 On this particular morning, No. 1, known by the boys as 1.-The Great Un- limited" was also late. No one was surprised. The drummer, who had worked the whole town since break fast, and had then defeated all the local checker champions, was trying to kill time by dOZing in a corner, or skipping at some stray fly.
 had kept awake watching his an tics for a while, then discovered a dirt dauber's nest on a horseshoe over a door, and for an hour or so divided time between wondering how that indi- vidual discovered that a horseshoe brought good luck, and listening to the progress of a domino game in the office, between the agent and the only dray- man In town.
 Suddenly the outer door opened with a crash A man, a woman, and several children entered, showing by all signs in sight or hearing that they were emf. grants, or, as locally termed, "movers." "
 The woman was carrying, in one hand, an old umbrella, a frying pan, and a bird cage with . half-grown rab- bit in 1t. In the other hand she had a hatbox. Under one arm was square. boxlike old clock, and from her wrist hung a bag that bulged with a conglom- eratiOn of articles.
 Behind the woman came a girl of, perhaps, eight years, carrying another clock of different shape, and an anx- ious-looking gray cat that seemed to have its attention divided between fear of falling and the desire to eat the rab- bit
 The man carried nothing but a big fat. bawling baby of two years, wrapped up in red and green blanket. Other children followed, some carrying various articles, some crying, others eating peanuts.
 The children all came into the depot readily enough, but seemed to have no further idea what was expected of them, and stood gazing at the lurid posters, maps and excursion notices, or stumbled over seats and suitcases.
 "Now, set downl" commanded the mother, land don't stand around gapin' like lot O eegiots!"
 The youthful movers" broke ranks, some to chamber into seats, others to thing within range. The mother pushed one clock under a seat. found lamp bracket for the bird cage, and sat down with the baby and the other clock in her lap, having deposited the bag on the seat beside her.
 Then the clock under the seat began to strike lustily. AS it finished the clock in her lap went off with such a bang that the baby took fright, and fell off its mothers lap onto the floor with fresh yells of terror.
 I stole a look over the top of my magazine, behind which had been try ing to screen myself, and vainly tried to catch the drummer's eye, but he was gazing out of the window pinching him. self to keep from disturbing the peace
 The baby, in falling, landed some where near the middle of the catch-all bag, and the mother made q plunge for 1t as if the child were on fire. Then the clock in her lap began striking some unknown hour.
 "Now, Elviry," she shrieked there you've went and done 1t! I bet you broke yo' paws mushtash-cup."
 The guardian of the household eff fleets had just rearranged the baby, the bag, and the clock, when her wander headed boy who had not remained in the waiting room long after the arrival of the family.
 The baby was at once deposited upon the floor, where 1t beloved wrathfully. The panic-stricken wom- an sped for the door, jerked 1t open and set up shrill:
 "Bus-s-ter! You B-u-s-t-e-rl Bus ter-r-r-r" winding up with an ear splitting whoop. i
 The wind made straight in at the door for the papers on the agents neglected desk. The freight bills flew over the office and disturbed the check CT game long enough for the agent to interfere with the remark: Here, I'll bust you!"
 Then, as he leaned out of the ticket window far enough to see that the of fender was a woman, his chivalry got the better of him, and he toned down bit, saying Madam, if you don't shut that door, I won't have a paper in the house, and they will be suing me for soaring all the horses out of town or chokin' up the Brazos river"
 The woman yelled on obviously for some time, then, muttering, 'T bet he gets left by that train," closed the door, and started up the platform in search of her wandering boy, Buster. Things were getting so interesting that the drummer passed me the wink and slunk out of the other door. fol- owed.
 You go one way" said he, land I'll go the other"
 We wanted to see the old hen when she lit, and we did. Out at the farther end of the platform, we turned oppo- site corners just as she sailed down on Ter runaway. T He had cotton hoe by the handle,