The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1922-03-04
Ralpha and the
"Stop" Sign
By MYRTA A. LITTLE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
g, 1922. by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate

e. 1922. by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate
This story is going to be about
girl and a railroad-and few othe
things.
Kalpha Thomas-the girl throug
school and home in Brenton, living o.
the sleepy, beautiful street with colo
NAL houses on both sides, had beel
wishing for two things with venge
ance.
The things hadn't come, but tn,
Eastern Branch railroad had, sud
denly. 1t had also bought and pal,
for its right to cross BrentOn's aristo
cratic thoroughfare, staid old families
Notwithstanding and in so doing hat
incidentally and quite uncOnsciOusl,
tied itself up with Ralpha Thomas
two wishes
First, Ralpha wanted something t.
happen anything most. from bal
loon ascension to new kind OF
cereal; and second, Ralpha wanted t.
prove somehow that she could dt
something besides eat, sleep, lool
pretty, and play lady for her dotine
father and mother. SO, she went
hunting, found something interesting
Unusually interesting-made plans
and put them up to her father, with
results as follows:
Its prepOsterous A Brenton
Thomas doing such thing! Why, it's
worse than your last threat to act
for moving pictures !" said father, his
| fingers meeting precisely over patched
knees. Ralpha pumped herself on the
| patches
Its not fair to lose all the fun on
| earth because you're Brenton
Thomas, dad she pleaded.
"IIave you spoken to your mother
about it?'
Mother said ii was a joke, and I'd
soon get over 1t. She said nobody but
men-er-tended railroad crossings,
anyway. l won't get over 1t, though.
Henry Jones. the crossing man, can't
-work-any longer, men are scarce
and"
Here l have looked forward to your
say, writer, and now you're daring to
think of being a-crOssing tender !"
groaned the squire.
"Exactlyw beamed Ralpha. "A
crossing tender. Sit in the dinky little
crossing house by the hot little stove.
Then when the train whistles, dash
out and hold up the sign with stop
on It,"
stop" said Squire Thomas.
Exactly" said Ralpha. "Stop every
thing that's likely to get in the trains
way. 1t isn't as II there were lots Of
trains, either, I'd be on duty at seven
off at seven at night. Time off at noon.
Nice salary. Bigger later, maybe, if
well, if" Ralpha had the grace to
blush, though at the time her father
did not know why she blushed.
Father tried another tack. You do
not consider the lives that would be
In your hands, Ralpha. You are flip
pant. You'd have to do more than
listen for whistles. What that young
Jones put such notions into your head
for"
Henry Jones is all right I" said
Ralpha Thomas, emphatically.
What did he leave his crossing job
for, then? Good job-for him! What
did he come to Brenton for In the
first place? Where did he come from"
Ralpha evaded the question. "Oh,
please. dad" she pleaded. Let me
just try"
mo, Ralpha, not"
But, being Ralpha, she did. Of
course. In fact, in couple of days
Squire Thomas found himself telling
two Of his friends that daughter
thought 1t would be an interesting ex-
pertinent, the authorities considered
her dependable. godsend as 1t were,
and SON and on. SO all Brenton
was converted, thought it was a jolly
idea, liked to see the bright-haired
girl holding the black and white
"StOp," at the little crossing, and
called at the little gray house and told
her so.
Ralpha was happy as a June day.
Inc SlgnaIS were magic Things, the
green and red and white lights that
pricked the darkness, the round flare
Of the engine like great sunburst
out Of nowhere, the tapering threads
Of track, the puffs of smoke and steam
with the sunlight playing on them,
the shrieks Of the whistle, the big
healthy rumble and roar, the hurry
Ing folks, waving their hands. maybe,
from hundreds Of passing windows.
Oh. It was great 1t got into Ralpha's
blood, just the way It had been In
tended that It should.
And, at the very start, the man ap-
Deared. He had q brand new ONCE
n the city FIVE miles from Brenton,
md home in the country, three miles
north. He drove Q brave, trusty car
that slid through the snow like .
friendly bob. and from the day Ralpha
:ook up her new work. he always
waited at that Brenton crossing, in
he morning for the up accommoda-
Ion to plod by, and In the evening for
he down accommodation. Naturally,