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About The Nebraska advertiser. (Nemaha City, Neb.) 18??-1909 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 1898)
-sr af!!wWMi!WU8!lSiIfl vr '. TEE NEBRASKA ADVERTISER W. W. 8ANDEK8, mbllthar. NEMAHA. NEBRASKA. MAIDEN FAIR. Maiden fair, midden fair, light of heart and free from care, "With thy laugh of liquid music and thy munner debonnalr, Standing now at sweet fifteen on the great divide between The maturor years of womanhood and girl hood that has been, Thou art sweet and wlnsomo quite, with thy soulful eyes alight, The reflections of a glory that Is hidden yet from sight: With thy tresses of spun gold, lissome form of perfect mold, And a thousand beauties ripening as thy many charms unfold. Soul as yet unearved, unwrought, by the graver, deeper thought, Every fancy like a love-bird yet untrnm meled and uncaught, With thy fnmlc and open smile, free as yet from craft or guile, And the childish gift of Innocence thy por tion yet awhile. But the days nre drawing nigh when deep love thy heart shall try, And the arrow shall bring pain which from young Cupid's bow shall fly; Vet HiIh bitter-sweet alloy shall bo nothing to tho Joy And the measure of the pleasure that shall soul and spirit cloy. Then thy heart shnll find Its throne never more to reign alone, But to II rid unmeasured harvests In the happiness well sown, Destined to a noble life, not made free from toil nnd strife, But the maker of true manhood as a moth er and a wife. And all Heaven's ceaseless song, thy Hfo anthem clear and strong, May tho music of the future in Its perfect- ncss prolong; UloBsom born from earth's dull sod, 'neath tho rain or 'neath tho rod, Thou shalt bloom to deathless beauty In the garden of thy God. I. EDGAIt JONES. mHtiJMMimiMtiMtMiMMMg. 1 WILLIE'S RIDE. I Tm BY A. W. WHITEFORD. mmmfftwmmmiwmmnmtf it XTS7ELL, Willie, there is n chnncc YY for you to take n ride this afternoon, if your chores nre nil done nnd your mother has nothing special for you to do. The bridge inspectors' spe cial is due ut noon, nnd we nre to take them as fnr as Greenfield and return. We will leave here at one o'clock, and get uncle in time for a lute supper, so, if you wunt to go, you know what to do." The speaker was George Turner, an engineer on the St. Louis division of "the Burlington," with headquarters at Beardstown. lie was a general favorite with nil, owing not only to his continual good nnture, but he nlso commanded, a cer tain amount of respect from the fnct, admitted by nil, that he was the "best posted" man on machinery in the long list of engineers. Although not the oldest mnn on the list, --his superior ability was always given the preference, and whenever a special was to be run over the division, lie was alwnys reserved for it if possible. The Willie he addressed was Ills son n bright little fellow 14 years of age, whose greatest ambition was to become an engineer like his father, and whose greatest happiness wns to be allowed to ride upon the sent box, with permis sion to ring the bell or blow the whistle, us his father directed. Although still but a schoolboy, he was we'll versed In railroad terms and rules, unci could answer nenrly every ques tion in the long listotlnstructionswith which every fircmnn must be perfectly familiar before he has any chnnce of ad vancement. He knew all the signals, could name all the registering points on the division, nnd could tell the dif ference between "straight" and "time" orders, with the ease of an old and ex perienced engineer. It is therefore almost unnecessary to Etatc that very soon after his father finished speaking, Willie's unfinished chores were all completed nnd his moth er's consent obtained, nnd when, after dinner, his father picked up his lunch bucket nnd started for the roundhouse, he was accompanied by the happiest boy in Beardstown. On arriving rit the roundhouse, Willie wns as much interested as his father when the roundhouse foreman in formed them that it would be impos sible to tnkc out his regular engine, ow ing to the fnct that No. 48, the noon passenger, had come in with n "cripple," nnd his engine had been sent out in her place, and he would have to take 372. The 372 was n new engine, but n'short time out of the shop, and was not yet well broken in. She wns built on the modern mogul, or Class IT, style, with three drivers on each side, nnd was intended for heavy work. The difference between this tyle of nn engine nnd the Class A and B, our common engines, is simply in their lze and general dimensions the cir cumference of their boilers, tiie amount of heating surface nnd the number of Xiounds of steam they carry. Owing to the fact that they cannot be made much wider, on account of all (tracks having a standard width, the difference is made 'in the length of the boiler, it extending back entirely through the cab, with the boiler head close up to the tender, nnd leaving only n smnll passngqwuy on eneh side. In one of these the right one Rent ed on a very smnll swing sent, literally "cooped up," the engineer must ride nnd handle the engine; nnd though the left one is intended for the fireman, he seldom has tin opportunity to use it, for these engines, pulling henvy trains, use so much coal and water that he is kept busy breaking nnd shoveling con, working the injector, or doing some one of the countless things nlway.s neces sary to "make her steam well." Thus, you sec, it is almost impossible for the engineer nnd fireman to see one another, let alone talk to one another, for the engineer would be compelled to turn around to do so, nnd thus take his eye off the track before him. But "fast time" is the only watch word known to railroad companies, es pecially in their passenger sen ice, and everything else must be sacrificed to make it, and no engineer enjoys any thing so much as a new engine to run nnd a chance to break some other man's record. So the delight was not nil Wil lie's, as lie and his father, nftcr signing the register in the ollice, climbed up into the cab of 372, to make the necessary preparations for the run. They found Sam Buskin, thefiremnn, there before them, nnd in nnother mo ment the "hostler" nppenred, and they were soon out upon the side trnok, wnlt ing for the special to arrive. Turner smiled complacently to him self as he watched Willie moving around with an air of settled proprietorship. He examined the valve gear, filled the Email oiler, placed the tallow pot where it would keep warm, tried the air whistle on top of the cab, nnd, when he begged to be nllowed to "oil round," his father gave his consent, admonishing him to be careful and not miss any holes, remarking to himself, as Willie picked up the long oiler: "Tlint boy'll make u good engineer some day." lie kept his eye on him, however, to be sure that everything wns all right, for, though he wns very proud of his boy, he did not forget tlint he was re sponsible for the engine nnd would have to answer for any neglect of duly. He had scarcely pronounced every thing O. K., as Willie finished oiling, when the sound of n whistle in the dis tance announced the coming of the spe cial; nnd in what seemed n very short time the special was in, the engine cut on and in on the side trnck, and 372 backed up and coupled on. After trying the nir brakes, reading over the orders nnd comparing watches with the conductor, and receiving a "high ball," Turner gave the bellropc a jerk, threw forward the lever, pulled open the throttle, gave the sand lever n shake or two and they were off. Nothing unusual occurred for the first few hours. Turner sat or half re clined leaning from the window; the fireman stood in the gangway or ex changed nn occasional word with Willie between fires, ns he sat on the sent op posite from his father, his eyes first resting on the rapidly moving scenery, then in nnd around the engine, as if to make sure that everything was as it should be. When a bridge was reached n stop was mnde. The inspectors alighted with their instruments, nnd, after the necessary amount of tupping, measur ing, recording nnd the like hnd been gone through with, they bonrded the train, and nwny they went till the next bridge wns reached. It was just four o'clock when they left Whitehall, with but one more stop to make before they reached the turn ing point. Everything wns in good running or der. The 372 wns more than doing her work. She "steamed" as though it were n delight to her; she "picked up" her train right nt the stnrt, and she hnd also demonstrated her ability to run; so, ns they neared Apple Creek Hollow, where the last stop was to be made, Turner decided to "let her out" a little, just to see how she could run. This hollow, as mnny others do, took its name from the creek that ran tluough the bottom, and it was six miles over all; that is, it was a three-mile drop to the lowest point, then n three-mile raise back to the level, and ns there were sev eral sharp curves before the bottom wns reached, it was possible to get what railroad men generally call, "a wicked ride." As they were to stop at the bottom, the fireman put in a light fire nnd turned on the injector. Willie leaned from the window in joyous expectancy, for the spot wns familiar to him and he knew what was coming, while his father stood up, pulled his cap down a little tighter, took a firmer grip on the throt tle nnd "let her go." Faster nnd faster they went. The fences appeared to be one continuous line of rails; the telegrnph poles fairly flashed by, and the engine rocked until it seemed to be riding first on one side, then on the other. When the half-wny point wns reached, their speed can only be described as something terrific. Turner still stood with his hnnd on the throttle, ready for any emergency; the fireman stood in the gnngwny, directly behind Win, one arm resting on the rear end of the cab and holding on to the hnndle of the tank valve with the other, while Willie still sat on his seat, holding firmly io the side of the cab as he leaned from the window. j ust as uicy were reuniting me last curve, before entering on the straight stretch tlint led to the bottom, there was n sudden jar; the engine nppenred for an instnnt to be lifted in the air, there wns n grinding roar, nnother lurch, ns though the engine were top pling over, then n mighty crash, ns something broke into the cab from the bottom, on the right side, a succession of blows, ns from nn immense sledge, seemed to be pounding the cnb to pieces, nnd it finally settled down on the right side, a shapeless mass of wood nnd iron. Willie hnd turned at the first lurch, and realized in a moment what had occurred. The rear end of the right side rod hnd broken loose from the crnnkpin, nnd every revolution of the wheels had allowed it to swing up ngainst the foot board on which tlie cnb rested, until it had broken it to pieces, nnd nllowed the cab to fall on one side, burying his fa ther nnd the fireman beneath it, nnd wns now holding him a prisoner be tween the side of the cnb and the boiler. As the pounding had now ceased, he rightly judged that the rod imd torn loose on the other end, and the mo mentum had thrown it free of the en gine. Turning ns best he could in his crnmped position, Willie snw something else which gave his heart a sudden leap, for he realized that, dangerous ns wns his position before, it was now doubly so, for what he saw was n man coining toward him, waving a red flag. Some freight train had broken in two, or was in trouble of some sort, just ahead of them, nnd unless they were stopped, they would run into them, nnd the result would be n terrible collision, and perhaps death to everyone on board. What could he do? For something must be done, nnd done quickly, for nil this had taken place in far less time thnn it takes to tell it. There he was, held in n little two-foot space, between the side of the cab and WILLIE DREW HIMSELF UP TO THE KOOF. the boiler, not knowing but what his father and the fireman were already crushed to death beside. No way of stopping, no way of warn ing the people on the train behind him, nnd running down a" red flag at the rate of n mile a minute! If he could reach the throttle, he could shut off the steam; or if he could get his hand on the valve, it would be but an instant's work to turn on the air brake. But not only wns lie unable to reach them from where he wns, but had he been free, he would have been powerless, because they were so cov ered by the broken timbers that it would have been impossible to move either one of them. Even the whistle lever wns broken and the rocking of the engine was such that the entire cab seemed liable to top ple off at any instant und carry him with it. Suddenly nn idea came to him, sug gested by the broken whistle lever as it swung to and fro with every rock of the engine. If he could only reach the whistle, he would be nble to warn the people on the train, nnd they would be able to "set the. automatic," which Is done by pulling the extra bell cord that runs along the side of every passenger conch, and thus bring the train to a standstill. He knew tlint n smnll strip of wood was nailed along the roof of the cnb, a few inches from the edge, to keep the rain from dripping In the side win dows, nnd If he could grnsp It, he might be able to pull himself up on top, nnd by some means or other sound the whistle for brakes. After making two or three deter mined efforts, he succeeded In grasping the strip with one hand, and thcn.brnc ing himself ns well ns he could with his feet, for the cab was swaying nt n frightful rate, he quickly reached out nnd up with the other hand, took a firm grasp on tho strip, pulled himself up till he was sitting in the window, then succeeded in getting his feet upon the sill, nnd, with one Inst mighty effort, drew himself upon the roof of the shak ing and trembling 2ab. But now he must reach the whistle, which was the hardest part of his task, for not only wns the cab rocking, but the roof wns standing nt such nn nngle ho hnd to lie down nnd hold ou to the edge to keep from slipping off. After trying in vain to think of some safe menus to rench the whistle dome, he decided that the only wny was t let go his hold, nnd take his chances of J catching i.t as he rolled. To miss meant instant death, but to stay where he waB meant death, any way; so with a long brenth nnd an in ward prayer for help, he turned over, let go his hold, and threw himself for ward with nil the power at his com mand. There was an Instant of terrible anx iety, a slip, n rock or two, and then a jar ns he found himself lying against the whistle dome. Bising slowly, and bracing himself as well ns liq could, he straightened himself up, caught hold of the little strip of iron that works the whistle valve, and sent out n short, sharp and decisive call for brakes. Waiting n moment, he gave another jerk nnd then nnother, and the sound of the grinding nnd crunching ns the brakes gripped the wheels told him that his signal was heard. Their speed slackened, became slow er, then much slower, and finally they stopped altogether but a few feet from the renr section of the freight trnin that had broken in two, with the wrecked cab still holding in plnce, nnd with Willie hanging on to tfiie top of the whistle dome. Bridge inspecting wns for the mo ment forgotten, nnd everybody turned in to rescue the two imprisoned men ns Willie climbed down from his perilous position nnd hurriedly explained the state of affairs. The two men were found still uncon scious, but not seriously hurt; nnd after they had been brought to nnd mnde comfortable back in the conches, attention was directed to Willie's part in the affair, nnd he wns prnUed nnd complimented till he refused even to tnlk about the occurrence, but sat close to his father, as if he were in need of protection, nnd looking very unlike a boy who had just exhibited the judg ment and displayed the nerve that is not found once in n hundred. But even this hnd to be passed over for the time, for "a clear track" is the motto when out on the road, nnd the business of the trip wns now considered. As they were stopped close to the bridge, nt the bottom, the inspectors proceeded to make their final test, while the freight engine pulled up the second section of the freight train, and then returned nnd pulled up the special, crippled engine nnd all. An cxaminntion disclosed the fnct that Turner hnd "shut oft," while hia arm was yet free, and this accounted for the suddenness with which thoy were brought to a standstill nfter the air wns applied. After a considerable amount of tele graphing back nnd forth, the freight train nnd crippled engine were "net out;" the freight engine wns turned nnd coupled on to the special, the section men were given orders to pick up the broken side rod, nnd the trnin was brought into headquarters by the freight crew, with Turner, his fireman and Willie in the conches. By the time they reached Beards town the two injured men were nble to walk without assistance, and on tho second dny following were nble to take out their regulnr run, nnd though Wil lie's nction cnllcd forth personal let ters from the superintendent nud mus ter mechanic, nnd made such a hero out of him that the story had to be told and retold for weeks to nil who saw cither him or his father, he never seemed to think he hnd done anything but what he should have done, while his father still smiles complacently and says: "Yes; that boy will make a good en gineer some day." Golden Days. SAMPLE ANSWERS. The Professional "Timelier" (icti from I'uoule on the Streets, An inquisitive man wnswalkingdown Fifth avenue thp other day when he was uccosted by one of those forlorn-looking and seedy specimens of humnnity known to the police as "professional touchers." "My friend, could you help me to get a bite to eat? I'm a stranger in the city and can't get any work and haven't had a thing to entail day." The inquisitive man hnd henrd this many times before and wns about to pass on when his curiosity got the bet ter of him and he stopped and said to the beggar: "I suppose that in the course of your profession you have occabion to make that plaint of yours severnl hundred times a day and you must get n varie gated lot of answers. Now I'm willing to squander n quarter on you if you will give me n few assorted replies you hear." The beggar eyed the quarter, con cluded it worth while, nnd spent ten minutes of his valuable time in enrning it. Here are the quarter's worth : "No!" "Naw!" "Sure. I'll drop you a check in the morning." "Haven't nny change to-dny, my man." "You're a cheerful liar." "Get over on your own side. I'm working this side of the'street." "Dimes." "Nickels." "Bennies." "Slope 1 There comes a cop." "Just gave my last cent to your friend round the corner." "Not to-day." "Bats!" "Gesticulations in imitntion of th denf and dumb nlphnbet." "Can't touch me, pnrtner. I've got my fingerscross'ed." "King' off l',' Chicane News;, , ; MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. A French agriculturist has grafted tomatoes upon potatoes, with the re sult tlint his plant produces potatoes underground arid tomatoes above. A jenlous husband in Bcllcfoutc, Pn., thought his wife had too many nd mirers, nnd to make her beauty less at tractive, he shot off the tip of her nose. After sharpening an indelible lend pencil, John Benshnw, of Yonkcrs, N. Y., used the same knife to cut his corn. Blood poison resulted, and the man died. Stale sermons are not admired by the archbishop of Canterbury. He nd vises his clergy to burn their scrmonn nfter they have been preasl ed three times. Taxes are remitted on Paris houses which nre unoccupied. If any part of the house is untenanted, a correspond ing reduction is made In the amount of the tax. A small inheritance enme to n London pauper at the age of 70. He in vited his friends to a champagne sup per, and he drank so freely that within three days he died. An undertnker nt Leavenworth, Knn., during the recent reunion of sol diers in that city, displayed in the win dow of his coffin shop n banner with these words, "Welcome, Comrades!" The dairyman of Syrin marches his goats to the houses of his patrons, and milks them on the street in sight of his eustomers. Should they express n wish 'for the milk of any particular goat, the 'wish is gratified. If one dollar were loaned' for 100 years, at six per cent., with the interest nnnunlly collected nnd ndded to the principal, the investment would nmount to $340. At eight per cent, it would amount to $2,203; at ten per cent., $13, 809. There are five centennrinns in the ilittle village of Friendsville, Pa. They nre Mrs. Mary Cnllen, aged 104; John Gibson, 102; William Seeley, 102; Mrs. Philaney Golden, 100, and Mrs. Helen Gnrcey, 100. A gentleman who needed wifely attentions was recently married at Van Buren, Ark. He interrupted the cere mony long enough to adjust one of his suspenders, both of which were held Jn plnce at the back by the restraining influence of one button. A cord of wood, weighing 4,000 pounds, will yield nine gallons of alco hol, 200 pounds of acetate of lime, 25 gallons of tar, and 85 bushels of char coal. Wood alcohol is almost a perfect Substitute for grain alcohol for me chanical and manufacturing purposes. EXPLAINED HIS OWN JOKE. ,Y Tnle of One or Kiiuluml'M llent story Tellers. "Sir Francis Lockwood, of England, Whose death was announced lately from London, wns one of the best story-tellers I ever henrd," said Attorney Henry Wollmnn. He was ut Sam toga in 1S90 with Bnron Busscll, lord chief justice of England, and won grent prominence nnd popularity during his stay there. He could tell a story better than Chaun cey Depew, and that is saying n great deal. "He wns n victim of one of his own jokes during that meeting of the Bar association, however, that furnished some of us much umusenicnt. At a din ner party one evening lie was relating anecdotes of some of his early experi ences, nnd told of oncedefendingn mnn for murder. One of the strong points he mnde wns an alibi, which he thought wns a very good one. After the cas2 went to the jury, in a conversation with, the judge, hi asked him what ,he thought of the. alibi. The judge said he thought it ddu Uful if the jury accepted it, and then Si Francis replied: "'That's top bad, for 1 had half n dozen other ullbis just ns good I could have used.' M Everyone laughed at the remark, and it found its wo, into the newspapers the following in' ruing. Baron Busscll intimated to SL Francis that lie hail made nn error,' d if the printed story got back to En, land It might cause harsh comments the British idea of jesting might no . cnteh the point. At the dinner partwthe following evening Sir Francis arose nnd explained to the guests that whay ie had said was a jest. He made the cxpU nation so that no one might draw n vgmg inference of the conduct of the 'English courts. The fact that he felt'compelled to explnin his own joke furnished much nmuse ment in itself." Kansas City Journal. Delicious W'nlrmt SitnilvvlelicH. Shell half a poundof English walnuts. Put the kernels intu a pint of boiling water; boil for a rjilnute. Drain nnd cover with stock; ni"'d a bay leaf, n few celery tops and a slice of onion; cook gently for 20 minutcts; drain nnd skim; chop fine; ndd hnlf. n tenspoonfttl of bt.lt and n dash of'cnyenne. Spread between thin slices pf buttered bread nnd cut in any shnpcl preferred. Servo these with terrapin, Mobster n la New berg, duck salad on mock terrapin, which, by the way, intakes a very &utis factory and inexpensive hot dish for an evening pnrty supper. Mrs. S. T. Borer, in Ladies' IIom Journal. Hxiilnliieifc. Magistrate Prisoner) nt ried? 4 ire you mar- "No, yer worship; thlise scrntehes on my face came from sffjinblincover a bnrbed wire fence in Jiie dark." Pear- ion 6 weekly. . ifm fm i A ii M T t1 r . '"& r' A I i M 5